Why this project? A couple of reasons….
- I want to direct a short film. At this moment, directing a feature seems wild, especially considering I’m doing all of the heavy lifting right now. But producing and directing a short? I can swing it.
- This script was given to me. My best friend is an exceptional writer and had some fun with this and told me I could do whatever I wanted with it.
- The aesthetic of this piece is right up my alley. I like the genre-bending opportunity. I can play with absurd humor in a sad environment.
- It’s a story about men sharing their feelings. I get to tell men how to share their feelings. I mean! What an opportunity!
- It’s about Ireland, a place close to my heart. I have Irish roots, I spent a couple of years as an Irish dancer, and I’ve made friends with the Irish community in Los Angeles. I know the right kind of people to help me get this off the ground.
- …which will be necessary, because I’m filming this in Ireland. It would be inauthentic not to, but also I once saw a panel with Dean DeBlois, director of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. He said to base your projects in the places you want to travel to. So.
- I found people to make these bog bodies. Bonafide professionals! As soon as they said they could build the bodies for me, I knew I had to do it. More on them later.