Your fellow The Art of Being Straight cast members. Where were they found? Why did you choose them? And what was it like handling actors, most of whom had little-to-no experience performing in front of a camera?
Many of the cast were old friends or acquaintances from Emerson College, who just simply came to auditions and blew everyone away. I remember rummaging through friends and friends of friends on Myspace, or LA casting websites.
I think for people with lesser experience in front of the camera, like myself, we just focused on simply telling this story the best way we could. I did have some interesting casting experiences though, most notably for Paul, the older man. Amy, our producer, couldn't make it that day, and I had all these strange men [with whom] I was taping and reading come to my house. The old lady neighbor downstairs was freaked out.
A character who likes to think of himself as straight, but then isn't so sure. Another character who likes to think of herself as a lesbian, but then isn't so sure. Could you elaborate a little on your views regarding sexual orientation boundaries — or lack thereof?
When you hear someone ask "Is he/she gay?" it's a great indicator of how our society views being gay, how we seek to label, and more so, eliminate the other possibilities, such as bisexual, or no label at all, which from what I understand has not been allowed in this country since the Great No-Label Experiment of 1889.
Someone recently mentioned to me this is a "coming in" story and I really loved that. Because it is. For me, it's about becoming comfortable with yourself and your desires, not trying to fit into someone else's box.
Along those same lines, would you say that sexual identity is — or can be — something set or determined? In other words, can it be a label (gay, straight, bi) that actually defines who a person is?
I think it can be set, sure. However, for me, any time I've tried to label myself, I find in the morning I might have written down the wrong thing on the name tag… I'm sure for many it's different. The problem is when you feel pressured to choose between the extremes, and those feel like your only options. And then you make a choice, but the next day it's no longer valid, and you can feel like a liar. I don't think any one label is enough to define who a person is.
Emilia Richeson, Rachel Castillo
I recall reading at one point that Maddy "chooses" to become a lesbian. Would you say that in the real world it's possible for a person's sexual "preference" (male or female or both) to be a choice? (Note: Unless I missed something, there's no indication in the film that Maddy's relationship with another woman was actually a "choice.")
For Maddy do you mean in the beginning of the film or the end? If you're bi or open to sexual exploration, then sure. You can't force sexual attraction. You can only be true to yourself. You can "choose" to be straight, and end up leaving your husband/wife for someone of same-sex years later.
I just know growing up, it was like there was never a middle ground. Being gay can be/might have been okay in some cities I've lived, but bisexuality or any open-sexuality classification was not an option, or at least not one anyone believed would last. Why wasn't that talked about in sex-ed?
I think in some cases yes, and in others no. For some, I think if you're open to it, it's possible. You can and should be able to choose who you'd like to take home. The real problem in all of this, is whether or not they'd be at all interested in going home with you.
And finally, any upcoming directorial projects?
Yes, thanks… I'm excited about shooting a father-son film I've written hopefully later this year.