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Your new movie South of
Sanity - in a few words, what is it about?
South of
Sanity is a dark comedy that follows Lacy’s
struggle with drugs, health, family and home.
Tagline – Lacy is determined to escape the chaos of her hard-partying
lifestyle, but her only option is to return to the place where all her
problems started: back home with her dysfunctional family
Logline – Lacy is fresh out of rehab, fresh out of money, and fresh out
of options. Lacy is forced to move home to Alabama from Los Angeles after
she runs out of money and friend's couches to crash on. Her family in
rural Alabama works at flea markets, but they also sell meth which is why
Lacy ended up in rehab in the first place. Returning to a lifestyle full
of the temptations that got her into trouble may not seem like the best
move, but when you run out of options, you do what you need to do in order
to survive. Based on some real shit.
Family is everything, even if it ends up killing you. Sometimes the
environment that is almost impossible to live in, is the one that makes
you feel most alive.
What were your sources of inspiration when writing South
of Sanity, and was any of this based on personal experiences?
There are many topics handled in South
of Sanity which derived from real life. I
first started talking to my sister-in-law about possibilities for
something based on our family because there seemed to be so much chaos
that followed us around each time I visited or worked with them. Whether
it be working on her website, babysitting, or working with them in the
market. She initially was super-excited about a few producers wanting to
make it a reality show. I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic with that
approach. After some time thinking about it, I began making home videos
with my family so I could further evaluate the way to go. Finally, I
called her and said I could write a scripted version based on the family.
She agreed and I got to work finding the right writing partners for our
exaggerated storyline that deals with real life trauma.
The
drug problem in the rural south is very real. We handle it in a dark
comedic light, but the underlying problem is there. Some
of the trials Lacy faces are based on people I grew up with or was in
contact with in some way or another and/or familymembers who struggled
with drug addiction, going to rehabs and relapsing. Similarly,
I have a boundary issue the same as Lacy. My family never quite
understands me, same as my embellished, exaggerated, fictional family in
the movie. Some people in my family do not accept having boundaries.
One
of Lacy’s coping mechanisms is stepping outside her own life and looking
at it in a different way. She shuts her emotions off as much as possible
for her own safety. I’ll admit that I did that in my life for a very
long time. Sometimes I still do that when it comes to harsh realities and
I’m able to laugh about the terrible circumstances I find myself in.
Through
the making of South
of Sanity, many things happened that determined the
finished product that is coming out digitally July 1st. My brother and I
grew up in the flea-market world working with our grandad, and I wanted to
involve that part of our upbringing. I was diagnosed with breast cancer
after we filmed the first 1/3 of the film. Then Covid hit, and our show
went another direction once again.
What
can you tell us about your co-writers Jason White and Hannah Alline, and
what was your collaboration like?
I met Hannah when I was looking for a roommate in Atlanta, GA. I told her
of my idea and she was excited to collaborate with me on the first 1/3 of
the project.
I met Jason White through David Kallaway, one of our producers. Jason loved
the sense of humor and the very real situations the characters had to deal
with. Jason has become a very good friend and was with me on every twist
and turn to make South
of Sanity come to life.
Do talk about South
of Sanity's brand of humour for a bit!
The drug problem in the rural south is very real. Once you wrap your mind
around how prevalent that reality is, you find the perfect moments to
pepper in comedy.
Also, funny enough many roles that spoke to me in college were comedic. After
graduating, I moved to LA, and it seemed that casting saw me differently.
Most projects I was called in for were dramatic. I did, however, produce a
few theater shows myself and they were packed with dark humor. When we
were developing South
of Sanity, years later, I was reunited with the dark comedic
theme that I had always loved. It was quite a bit different being able to
play characters based off of people in my life.
Also, depending on which side of the political fence one stands on, but there is
something in there for everybody. I feel it pushes the envelope, but also
hope it opens people’s eyes to the real issues that we discuss
throughout the film. The family is fun, loving,
fun loving and loyal to a fault to one another. I hope people learn from
it and understand the different reasons we filmed it. Also, I hope people
find the humor in it and can relate to some of the situations. I believe
that you can escape or relate to what you are watching in this
dysfunctional world. Everyone has that in one way or another, hopefully
not in its entirety though.
From what
I know, you shot the first portion of South
of Sanity around 2018, then picked up filming again during the
pandemic - so what inspired you to return to these characters exactly
then?
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South
of Sanity has taken many different turns. This may sound crazy, but
we started filming before Covid happened. We actually looked at getting South
of Sanity picked up as a TV show, but as we were pitching some
footage we had edited into a proof of concept, I became sick. I was
diagnosed with breast cancer, and things came to a fast and sudden halt. Once
I was on the road to recovery, the pandemic hit. I still had some
surgeries to go through, due to nerve damage and lymphedema, but was in
remission. I was literally about to give up when I had the thought, that
we could change directions and film during Covid by video chat. It was a
leap, but all of the cast that was already attached were game, so I just
needed to add a few new characters in to make it work. I called on some
friends for a few roles and called my agents, Dawn and George at Landrum
Artists, to send me some of their talent to read. It was hard work doing
everything remote, but we all really wanted to be productive and not think
about the world around us at the time. I’m really glad we did.
Talk about filming during lockdown, and how has
that informed your movie?
It was really hard work but satisfying during the time of the pandemic to
do something creative. We filmed the entire lockdown portion through
online chats. Everything was remote. I’m blessed that our cast and crew
were excited about South
of Sanity and believed in the project. A few words about your overall
directorial approach to your story at hand?
I had a specific vision in mind for the shoot but had no experience on how
to get it done. I had created a shot list, but to my surprise, the
fast-paced shots that seem like they are always moving, are close-up or
medium shots that jump around during editing to make it seem like steady
cam work. So, I relied heavily on Robert’s experience during blocking. I
also really trust Robert’s opinion and if he gave me a note, I would
adjust.
What can you
tell us about your co-director Robert Peters, and what was your
collaboration like?
I was lucky to have Robert Peters come on board as an actor, then right
before the shoot, I asked him to co-direct with me. We had been friends
for years at this point and he had prior experience directing. I knew I
could count on him and trust his instincts as well as my own. If
Robert wasn’t in the shot, that I was in, he was directing, and vice
versa. If we were both in the scene, we relied on playback to see what we
needed to adjust and so on.
There
are going to be complications when you put multiple creative minds on a
project, but if all voices are heard and respected at the end of the day,
then the project is also being respected.
You also play the lead in South
of Sanity - so do talk about your character, what did you draw
upon to bring her to life, and did you write her with yourself in mind
from the get-go?
Much of what we wrote about were real life events. One of Lacy’s coping
mechanisms is stepping outside of her own life and looking at it in a
different way. She shuts her emotions off as much as possible for her own
safety. I’ll admit that I did that in my life for a very long time.
Sometimes I still do that when it comes to harsh realities and I’m able
to laugh about the terrible circumstances I find myself in. Some of the
trials Lacy faces are based on many people I grew up with, or was in
contact with in some way or another and/or familymembers who struggled
with drug addiction, going into rehabs, and relapsing. I used what I had
experienced or what had happened around me. Similarly, I have a boundary
issue, the same as Lacy. My family never quite understands me, same as my
embellished, exaggerated, fictional family in the movie. Some people in my
family do not accept having boundaries. What can you tell us about the rest of South
of Sanity's cast, and why exactly these people?
Robert Peters and Jennifer Pierce Mathus play Mike and Ila. They are both
extremely talented actors. I had worked with Robert a few times before and
always loved his sense of humor and how much he loved the art of acting.
After reading the script he called me immediately and had loads of ideas
on how he would tackle the role. He brought a side of Mike to life that I
was unaware existed but somehow stayed true to the character’s truth.
Another fun aspect of having Robert on board was that we had been friends
for years and I felt comfortable asking him to co-direct
with me. Jennifer was very dedicated to getting her role of Ila as close
as she could to my sister-in-law while also finding as much of herself as
she could to make the character come to life. Her energy on set was
incredible, and she was always interested in Ila’s motivations. Their
approaches were different, however, they both completely embodied the
characters.
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Some
of the cast were family members who played an exaggerated version of
themselves. The remaining cast were either cast by auditioning or because
I knew them from working with them and knew they would be the right person
for the role.
A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
The first part of the shoot was filmed in Mississippi. We filmed at my
brother and sister-in-laws house. Once we were on set, my brother (Mike)
and sister-in-law (Dawn) were always around, as we were filming the first
1/3 of the movie at their home. If the actors had questions about how they
should handle a specific situation (embellished or not), they were able to
ask the source directly most of the time. Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of South
of Sanity? We really hope that the audience and critics understand why we filmed this
movie. I feel that the topics in which we cover need awareness. My way of
getting that awareness out there is to deal with it using dark humor. From
the drug problem plaguing the rural South to breast cancer to different
political views. There’s something in there that is relatable for
everyone. Any future projects you'd like to
share?
Right now, we’re hoping to keep the stories of South
of Sanity going. We’ve got lots more to tell in this raunchy, dark comedy.
I’m also looking forward to working on some of my other scripts as well.
During the making of South
of Sanity I had many ups and downs. Health scares, Covid,
pregnancy, and marriage. Dealing with all of that in such a short amount
of time makes me realize that life is extremely short and we should all
be so lucky to do the things we do. If something catches my interest,
I’m going to go for it, because life is too precious to waste any time
doing things we don’t believe in.
What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I have always had a strong pull towards the arts, but I grew up in rural
Alabama before the social media boom and pursuing such a career was rare.
At that time, the only way to pursue career in the movie industry was to
move to California or New York.
I started college as an exercise science major, and while staying with my
uncle, in San Francisco, the first summer away from college I took an
independent acting class and when I headed back to Alabama after that
summer, I applied to the American Conservatory Theater program. I was
accepted that next summer and never looked back. ACT
was absolutely one of the best things I did in terms of understanding how
to dissect and do the homework needed for each and every role. They taught
me the importance of vulnerability and to justify, not judge, even the
most outrageous situations and characters.
What
prompted you to also go into writing and directing for South
of Sanity, and could you ever be persuaded to perform these roles
for another movie?
Going into writing and directing were scary for me. I was really lucky to
have Jason White as a sounding board when I was trying to put my thoughts
together. I was also really lucky to have Robert Peters come on as a
co-director because he had directing experience and knew how to get the
shots I really wanted.
If a script speaks to me, I wouldn’t need to be persuaded to take a role, I
would be excited to have the opportunity.
What can you tell us about your
filmwork prior to South
of Sanity? I’ve worked on many indie films and some network
TV shows. How would you describe yourself as an
actress, and how as a director?
As an actor, I draw from life experiences as much as I can to give the
character I’m reading life. As a director, I’m still wrapping my
head around it, but I’m driven and crave learning new things. I really
enjoyed directing and would be ecstatic to do it again. Actresses, filmmakers,
whoever else who inspire you?
Gosh, I’ll start by saying there are just too many to name.
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Actresses:
Natalie Wood, Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Reece Witherspoon,
Julia Roberts, Gena Rowlands, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Hilary Swank,
Jennifer Aniston, Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer
Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, Sandra Bullock,
Charlize Theron, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Blunt, Sissy Spacek, Octavia
Spencer, Jessica Chastain
Filmmakers
& directors: Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Kathryn Bigelow,
James Cameron, John Wells, Alan Ball, Paul Abbot, Nick Cassavetes, Megan
Ellison, Clint Eastwood, Ridley Scott, Callie Khour, Jon Avnet, Brad Pitt,
James Mangold, Kristen Wiig, the Coen Brothers
And
many more ...
Your favourite movies?
Much like the last question, there are just too many movies that I
consider to be my favorites, but to name a few: Legends of the Fall,
Splendor in the Grass, The Notebook, Thelma and Louise,
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, True Romance, The Aviator,
Bridesmaids, Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, Gia, Splash,
Dazed and Confused, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Help.
...
and of course, films you really deplore?
I don’t deplore any movies. I typically enjoy the movie even if I
don’t absolutely love it. I can appreciate it for what it is. There
was one movie, however, that I just couldn’t make it through at a movie
theater. I was in my teens. It was Wayne’s World. Haha.
Your/your
movie's website, social media, whatever else?
Streaming sites you can watch South
of Sanity:
Amazon
US and Canada: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6FHYQPH
Amazon
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6FMDPW7
Vudu: https://www.vudu.com/movies/#!content/2370592
Google
Play:
https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/South_Of_Sanity?id=YjzRq__LxKw.P
Instagram: @southofsanityshow and @shypilgreen
Facebook: Shy
Pilgreen and South
of Sanity
Rating on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27565557/
Thanks
for the interview!
Thank
you so much.
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