Today’s most notable creatives join Variety at Sundance for exclusive in-depth conversations across various entertainment mediums, presented by Audible.
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00:00This has been like our whole friendship is like we sit there and we're like we're making this happen
00:04I feel that way with all my best friends like it's like no one
00:08Believes in you like your friends believe in you and you literally just have to look at each other and be like it's happening
00:13It's happening. It's happening. We're doing it
00:30So Katerina you wrote directed and star in this film and so
00:36How did you choose this to be your your first feature?
00:39How did you come around to the topic and when did you start working on the script? Oh my gosh
00:43I feel like there's no choice. Like I feel like it's like the only thing that I knew to like write about really
00:50but I
00:53Don't know I feel like I grew up on the internet
00:55I was so online as like most I think like 29 year olds grew up on the internet
01:01and I was interested in exploring I
01:05Guess I've been a lot of like connection in digital spaces like a lot of connection a lot of
01:09Validation and like agency that I wasn't finding in real life. So I was interested in exploring that sort of
01:17that juxtaposed with like the reality of a
01:21Real life relationship and like the painful awkward reality oftentimes of a real-life relationship
01:30And so your character is a cam girl and and why was that your way into the story and kind of
01:38Navigating the the digital online space. I mean, I think I was just interested in
01:45the sort of
01:47Like transactional
01:50Relationship between like a cam girl and her client and also the sort of
01:57Like, you know
02:00on
02:01one side of the coin, it's very
02:04empowering to like
02:06You know be it's very empowering and validating but on the other side it also is you know, like
02:12There's a question of how much agency you have
02:16And I think that was what really interested me in terms of like the cam girl
02:23Yeah making her a camera
02:26So, what was it like filming the movie in New York City, what are some of the challenges of
02:33Shooting there. Oh my gosh. I mean it was it was cuckoo. It was it was amazing. It was perfect
02:38It was like exactly, you know
02:39it was just like run-and-gun girl style shooting like dodging people on the street and like having people like in the shot that are just
02:46Like like mouths wide open yawning like walking down the firemen too. Oh, yes. Yes
02:51But we were we were filming where we would crop like walk across the fire station and every time they were like
02:57We're in the movie and we were like amazing
03:00So just for one take if you could not scream we're in the movie, but it was it's fun. It's fun
03:06Yeah, it's and I think it's like, you know
03:08That energy just contributes so much to the film and like adds to the texture of the film and like, you know
03:14We had this amazing fixer in Chinatown named Jeannie and she just like knew every establishment knew every like brought in all these like
03:24Like street cast all of these people or just basically just like paid people to cut like stay where they were
03:29You know and like be in our like card game scene. It was really really really special. Yeah. Yeah
03:35What was it? Like the the scenes in the park the card games?
03:38What was that like? I mean, I I love filming in New York New York City is a character, you know
03:43you work with the city, so it's such a joy and
03:46And I knew some of the people that were in Chinatown just by chance they're sitting there and I'm like, oh my god
03:51Joe's here, you know
03:52And so and they just happen to just be there playing cards and all these other people hanging out that are extras
03:58They're like do we have to move? I mean like well if you could stay there for two hours, you don't have to move
04:02So it's it's just super fun the energy of New York City, I don't know
04:06There's I mean there must be other cities like Paris or Tokyo or something, you know, but New York City is special
04:13And Rachel, I know you and Katerina are longtime friends
04:17And so I'm sure the rapport comes naturally, but is it ever I don't want to say a challenge
04:22But working with a friend where you do have to be the boss as well
04:26What is that like when you are directing a friend?
04:28I mean, I think it's just comes down to like communication and honesty and like understanding like your boundaries and respecting
04:35You know, you're someone else's boundaries. I think like
04:39Rachel such an incredible collaborator and friend and she's just like so
04:44Generous and open and like so such a heart like the hardest working person
04:49I know so I feel like it was so easy. Like I would I didn't have to do any you know, I was just like
04:53We just know actually I was there was no
04:57involved
04:59Stop don't ever say that but I I just will say like
05:03basically like the whole process like just from the beginning basically like I remember like being in New York
05:11Talking about the movie and we were just this has been like our whole friendship is like we sit there and we're like
05:16We're making this happen. I feel that way with all my best friends like it's like no one
05:21Believes in you like your friends believe in you and you literally just have to look at each other and be like it's happening
05:26It's happening. It's happening. We're doing it
05:29There were 10,000 phone calls from me to Rachel being like, I don't this person said no, I don't think it's gonna happen
05:35What if we can't do it by this time? What if we don't get the fun?
05:37She was like, it's it don't worry about it. It's happening. We're doing we're making a crazy person
05:43To be able to make it to make it you have like you have to be so like in it
05:48Yeah, and the thing is that Katerina is one of the hardest workers ever. She's so talented
05:53She's so smart like the other thing is like I came to set as like an actor
05:59When they were already in their flow and like every set is different
06:03You don't know especially when people already have like a rhythm or a vibe. You're like, I'm the new girl at school
06:09And so like I walk on and I was like, she had called to be
06:13You know what? I'm saying? I'll send you like I'm the new girl school
06:16I walked on and I was like she had created such an amazing environment
06:22Everybody respected her so much like I feel like you guys agree like it was like and it was a quiet set to where it
06:27Was like she would just be like, okay
06:29I think this and everyone's like leaning in like, uh-huh
06:32like it was so and that's amazing to see your friend do that and like step up to the
06:38Challenge because it's intimidating
06:41Um Austin what
06:43Had how did this script come to you and what appealed to you about playing?
06:48It just got emailed to me
06:52Agent was like no, it's a no
06:55Yeah
06:58Well, I mean
07:02Yeah, like trepidatious with like a first-time filmmaker because
07:07Essentially like acting just like you're sort of just gambling on something, you know, you're like, uh
07:12I don't know how it's gonna turn out. But I saw a short that she did and
07:18One I I loved the title and I looked at the title and then read the script and it was all super
07:24Cohesive and I was like, oh
07:26like a script that actually makes sense and has like a really deep point of view and
07:31It was just super fucking honest
07:35Very honest and you know in the story that I didn't know much about
07:40in the town, I didn't know much about and
07:44Then I saw the short and it was like eight minutes of
07:48people that were
07:50like didn't miss a beat, you know, it was like everybody was super authentic and
07:56The colors and she just had like a vibe. It was a cool vibe
08:01And I was like, oh I want to be a part of that
08:04it was like very
08:07particular and I
08:10Guess she cast me
08:13I
08:14Think that the question that people are gonna come out of this movie asking is
08:19Or any bunnies harmed in the making of it bunnies were harmed
08:23We had we had the bunny came with an entourage of like seven people
08:27It was like two people from the American humane the humane society
08:31like two
08:33Animal handlers the animal agent. We had to go through it. We went to animal
08:39There were two also two bunnies there were two but yeah
08:42Like the way that you switch out like a child actor like a like infant there were like two bunnies
08:48but but there was definitely like a very steep learning curve in terms of working with the bunny like this first day that we
08:54worked with the bunny it peed on the laptop and that was really like
08:57difficult, but by the end I think it was like I
09:00Understood sort of like what the bunny needed to feel comfortable and
09:06Yeah, would you recommend working with animals again good experience? Oh my god. I mean in my opinion it was worth it
09:12you know like in the it was worth it, but
09:16Just know that you're in for chaos. Yeah, which I think people do you know, you're just sort of like surfing their wave
09:23Yes, there's not really yes
09:27You're just like I'll just do whatever you do. Yes be ready to completely relinquish control
09:33Yeah, it's like an actor who makes crazy choices. You're like, that's a choice. Okay. Yeah. Well, we're doing that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah
09:40that's an interesting challenge as a director, but
09:44Thank you guys for for being here is all the time we have but it was so great to talk to you guys
09:48Thank you so much
09:56You