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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