Sarah Warren Talks To The Blog About New Youtube Web Series LAX!

13:26:00

Good Afternoon Lovelies,

Since making her hit film, MLE, in 2015, Sarah Warren has been very busy! From celebrating her work on and off screen, the star has also been working hard on a new web series called LAX, which is on YouTube now.


Speaking to me about the show, we discussed what inspired it, how she found the amazing actors in it and who she would like to join her on a flight to LAX...

Firstly congratulations on the new web series! How did you come up with the idea for LAX?
Thank you very much, and thanks for watching!

"I never take anyone to the airport"

"Why?"

"Because that's a thing you do the first 3 weeks of a relationship. And i don't want anyone asking me, "Why don't you take me to the airport anymore?" - When Harry Met Sally...

I think the moment of arriving to a big airport is so telling: who's picking you up? Does anyone care? What are the smells? Language? Manners? Glottal stopping tones around you? Especially over a few years, going to the same airport, and how does your pick up situation change and does that mean anything? People choosing to spend time waiting, and stop the seeming urgent flow of their lives to stand at an airport and meditate a touch while they wait for someone, is a gift.

I'm pensive about magic. Literal magic yes but also the kind that blossoms stuff; ideas, love - that stomach pouring unstoppable ooo moment which has the power and potential to make anything happen. I am interested in if that can last, if it should, and if so what makes it last. Did you ever land in a city that gave you a little, ooo magic, feeling? Did it last? We are obsessed with promises and extremes as humans: forever, always, never, marriage, religion, diets ... we can be extreme as a species - no kidding I know. I have found it interesting when I watched someone promise me something...not in a cynical way, just truly interested - where does that feeling come from, to promise? Fear? Overwhelming present emotion? Don't know...

I've had many different experiences at airports over the last decade (I've moved continents 4 times), and I thought it would be something (hopefully) relatable and meaningful to explore.

As a cinephile, I was also captivated by the film Locke (which could be a quite unimaginable pitch ... cement pourer man driving in car for hours), and I wanted to make a l'il web series which had that character drama with the honest comedy of Girls. Tall order sure, but let's aim high, no? :)

Airports are a place where filmmakers have captured love, departures and comedy in recent years. What is it about them that makes them so great on screen?
Interesting. I think transitional spaces are honest and freeing - travel, can feel like heightened life (perfect for film) - the goodbyes, hellos, the anticipation, it's all a good cocktail for film which I believe should always be a controlled and pleasurable balance of surprise/suspense and mystery, but mainly; honest. I am looking at the drive home from the airport which is slightly different, because it can be a gradual come down from a high of swirling expectation.

The show very much captures some of the problems that people are facing nowadays but with added comedy. How hard was it to capture these on screen?
I'm glad you think so, I'd like to think it touches people. Would love to know which problems in particular you mean? It's helpful for me to see through your eyes how you interpret the show. Do you mean... humans being flaky? Ha.

It wasn't hard to capture the story conflicts on screen because we had great actors, and sharing a story through complex characters can be cathartic if done not self-indulgently (that's the hope). But it certainly was practically difficult to get it made on zero budget in LA - I mean, we cannot tell you how difficult!

One funny anecdote was that almost every time we showed up at LAX, the exact scene we were about to shoot was there being acted out before us in some duplicate version, by unknowing strangers. It was surreal - good writing I guess? ...Tee..Hee.

The acting in the show is brilliant! How did you find the talent within the show? What was it about these actors that made you pick them?
Thank you kindly for saying so! A few of the roles were written for specific actors I knew. For the others, I set up a casting - many people rush casting but the intention of casting is so crucial that it can't be rushed I believe. A couple actors were stand-up comedians from the Comedy Store I admire. I also studied Improv at UCB and picked my faves from there - actors I feel are excellent listeners, hilarious form the right place in their gut, and good people I dig - that matters to me. Set days are long - why be with impatient pricks when there's so many talented, imaginative, solution oriented, team players out there?


Did anything that happens in the show happen in real? Or have you been close to experiencing?
Let's go for a beer. Kidding, well, we can if you want. Real life? What's that? ... I think writing (for me) can be like dreams in the sense that they are; life adjacent. Lots hasn't happened, some I wish happened, some things happened word for word, some to other people, some professional things that I turned personal for drama sake and vice versa, etc. Some characters are a mix of 4 people in 1. The bottom line is, it can pretty dispiriting and also hysterical what can happen to vulnerable people in a new city - and instead of mopping about it, I've made (hopefully) a relatable comedy that can help people feel less alone and have a giggle - that's the goal.

I find contradiction one of the most compelling things to watch, and this city of cloud-less skies and dreamers holds some beautifully messed up stories - that's not a new discovery, but LAX was my take on some of it.

One thing I've found interesting is LA (or many big cities) is not usually a place people come to see or to love, they often come to be seen or be loved.  That imbalance can make good stories.

Can you tell us anything about what you are working on next?
I have two features and a series in development right now - one of which will be shot in Egypt. I've also just been cast in a film that I'm excited about ... this is a bit secret and intentionally vague - apologies! I'm also working on a book for actors on camera technique. Mainly, I'd love humans to watch LAX right now...watch it and hire me - thanks! :)  

Finally, one of the characters in the show says, “You should never come to Hollywood alone.” Who would you most like to share a flight to LAX with? And why?
Other than some of the lovely humans in my immediate life ... 3 hypothetical situation people right now come to mind (sorry I'm cheating and using 3).  I realize in advance that I will be talking about these incredibly accomplished humans like I'm their equal, but you know, a gal can dream...
Sue Perkins - to laugh and bond about dogs, food, life, comedy - human observations. Jill Soloway - to just praise her really, then explain to her over tomato juice (which I only drink on planes) the ridiculously parallels (I like to think) in our life/taste/art experience.

Ira Glass - to see one another ... I cannot tell you how much I admire that man... his heart, his brain, his efficient organization - I sense he might be one of the only people I wouldn't feel alone sitting next to on a plane, because I think I would see him and he would see me, instead of any other BS and isn't that nice? He just gets humans, and asks the right questions - he's king of story. 

Is my adoration of these 3 people creepy enough? You asked! :)

Oh oh wait, and Louis C.K., and Mike Mills, ooo ooo and the Duplass Brothers and Sarah Silverman - how many seats am I allowed??

As many as you want with this hit show Sarah! You can watch the entire series here lovelies: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4pFxdO1_TVvU529UHmhahg

Blog Soon,

Joey X

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