Email:neill@outloudculture.com
Socials: @neillfrazer
Based on Gillese’s relationship with his own brother, the heartfelt comedy marks the feature film debut for Nashwho is best known as the voice of fan-favorite Pam Poovey on FX’s Archer. She stars as Michelle, a struggling comedian who is lured home for the holidays. While her sister Andrea claims it’s an emergency, their doomsday prepping dad (Colin Mochrie) and freewheeling brother Mark aren’t so sure. As they prepare for a final Christmas together in their family home, Michelle works to redefine her relationships with her father and siblings. When her dad’s unconventional lifestyle comes to light, she must face a life-changing decision about caring for her brother with disabilities. The all-star cast also includes Aisha Tyler, Henry Zebrowski, Kate Lambert, and special needs actor Luke Davis just to name a few. The film, which premiered at Cinequest recently won the Rome International Film Festival Narrative Features Special Jury Ensemble Award and is being distributed by Buffalo 8. It is streaming now on Amazon and other platforms.
Hi Kevin welcome to OLC! Can you share the inspiration behind “How to Ruin the Holidays” and how the idea for the film originated?
It all started with this short film that we made called That Was Awesome! – that’s where I met Luke Davis, an actor I knew I wanted to work more with. From there I developed the script based on my own family dynamics over the years, with a focus on my relationship with my younger brother who has a cognitive disability.
Given the film’s focus on family dynamics, can you elaborate on how you approached portraying the relationships between Michelle, her sister Andrea, and their dad and brother in a comedic yet heartfelt manner?
I just drew from real life really. I mean my family is chock full of big personalities so there’s never a shortage of hilarity or drama when we all get together. I just tried to capture that true combination of funny and emotional in the script.
The reviews highlight the film’s comedic timing. How did the collaboration between yourself and the cast contribute to creating those well-timed comedic moments?
I think our director, Arlen Konopaki, did a great job of working with the natural comedic rhythms of our incredible cast. Comedy is such a personal thing, everyone has their own flavor, and I love that we were able to capture everyone’s vibe.
Luke Davis is praised for his performance. Could you discuss the process of working with a special needs actor like Luke and how his portrayal added depth to the film?
The film wouldn’t exist without Luke. He is the alpha and the omega because I certainly wasn’t going to write a neurodiverse character and have them played by a neurotypical actor that’s for sure. So he’s the reason this whole project was possible. I’m just so damn proud of him because I knew he was an incredible actor since I first worked with him, but now that a wider audience is able to be exposed to his work – it’s just super rewarding to see the praise he’s rightfully getting for his work.
As the film addresses Michelle’s decision about caring for her brother with disabilities, can you share how the team approached handling such a sensitive topic while still infusing humor into the narrative?
I mean… my relationship with my own brother is based on humor and making each other laugh. So, when I translated that to the page, it felt like a natural extension. The dramatic elements are always present in life, behind any regular day there’s the shadows of anxiety and desperation as we all strive for the lives we really want, but comedy is a rug that you can just throw over top of everything and say: no it’s fine, don’t worry!
Given Colin Mochrie’s portrayal of the dad, how did the team balance moments of genuine emotion with the expected humor in his character?
It was a challenge because Colin is so hilarious that it’s hard to know what to do when he hits you with some genuine emotion or dramatic moments. But his acting is so committed and powerful that we were all swept away – and a bit shocked at how beautiful of a dramatic actor that man can be!
The film is distributed by Buffalo 8 and recently won the Rome International Film Festival Narrative Features Special Jury Ensemble Award. How has the recognition affected the team, and what does it mean for the film’s future?
I hate to admit it, but all this success has kind of gone to our heads. You know how it is: one minute you’re carefree kids just making a movie for the love of it, the next minute you’re all drunk on a Wednesday morning, egos out of control, everyone fighting about whose name goes where, while some crooked accountant siphons money from the business accounts until we’re all broke. It’s a tale as old as time.
Being produced in partnership with Atlanta’s Dad’s Garage Theatre, how did the theater’s influence, shape the creative process of making the film?
It’s so interesting working with a live theatre company to produce a film. Some things translate effortlessly, like when we needed to borrow a smoke machine or some costumes, that was just a direct one to one conversion. But then there’s stuff that’s radically different (like our schedules because nobody is ever called for a theatre project at 6:00 am) where there was more of a learning curve. Ultimately though, the spirit of Dad’s Garage is infused throughout the film by the cast and the comedic voice.
With an established presence on various social media platforms, how has the audience engagement been, and what role do you think it played in the film’s success?
We’ve had great engagement across all of our platforms and that has definitely been a driver of our success. Most notably, I convinced the cast to do an Only Fans account to promote the movie and that was a major asset!
Can you share any memorable behind-the-scenes moments or challenges faced during the production of “How to Ruin the Holidays”?
There were so many! Where to begin? On day one of production my little sister crashed the picture car and damaged it, so that was great. All of filming took place during the omicron wave of COVID, so that caused unending issues of course. One day there was a dangerous chemical leak at a nearby plant that required us all to shelter in place. Every day was another unexpected (and often devastating) problem, and for this reason I really can’t recommend filmmaking to anyone except my worst enemies.
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