Seri DeYoung; Directing is the Perfect Balance to Acting. “I Couldn’t Do One Without the Other”

Seri DeYoung has always loved films and learning about filmmaking. At the beginning of her career, she was booking acting work, but in between the jobs and auditions, she found herself yearning to be more creative- so she made her first short film. “I never went to film school, so the first few shorts that I made served as my education. Luckily for me, I had some talented friends who jumped on board and helped me through those first few projects,” says Seri.

“Nowadays, I’m grateful that all the work I’m doing as a director are jobs that I’m hired to do”. Seri continues, “I feel so honored to be able to help writers tell their stories, and working with actors, who are truly such generous artists, is my absolute favorite thing to do. For me, directing is the perfect balance to acting. I couldn’t do one without the other, and each art form benefits from the fact that I do both. My approach to directing is heavily informed by my acting muscles, the way I’ve trained to fully immerse into a story. I would describe my directing style as bold, unflinching, and visceral.”

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indieactivity: Without giving anything away, tell us a little bit about the script?
Seri DeYoung (SD): Distance is a story about a family in crisis. When Joey overdoses at her out-of-state college, her polished and perfect big sister May comes to pick up the pieces as she carts Joey back to their hometown. Over the course of a cross-country road trip, the sisters are forced to reckon with the emotional turmoil that comes with loving someone who refuses to accept help. “Distance” was written by Daphne Fischer, who also stars as Joey.

What went into the casting process for Distance?
Seri DeYoung (SD): Our film had only two actors and I’m so glad that Daphne (our writer) played the role of Joey. In addition to being a brilliant writer, her work as an actress is so deep and rich, and nuanced. I truly couldn’t imagine anyone else filling the role with so much heart.

We brought on a casting director, Jenna Podell, who put together a casting session for the role of May and we saw some phenomenal talent. Included in that session was Lex Ryan, who happened to be a friend of our producer Piper Barber. Lex blew us away.

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Their talent is undeniable and we knew right away that we found our May. We had a conversation about what it would mean to cast a trans/non-binary actor as the polished and perfect big sister in the film. We realized we had a unique opportunity -an opportunity that shouldn’t be unique- to have a non-binary actor in a lead role where their gender identity has absolutely nothing to do with the story.

Because non-binary people have lives. They have jobs, they have families, they have siblings, and their world doesn’t always revolve around some sort of identity struggle- like we almost exclusively see in film and TV. We were honored to have Lex lend their voice and talent to this story.

Who is Distance for? Who do you think would enjoy it the most?
Seri DeYoung (SD): This film is for anyone who has struggled with an addiction or a mental health crisis. We hope this film resonates with those who know what it’s like to be almost ready to recover. And it’s also for the loved ones, who often find themselves at odds when they try and fail, and keep trying, to care for someone who’s struggling.

How long did it take to shoot the entire film?
Seri DeYoung (SD): The shoot was very quick, just two short days out in the Mojave desert

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How long was the post-production process?
Seri DeYoung (SD): We flew through our post-production! This was because I brought my editor, Andrew Jordan, on set. I had recently learned about on-set editing after reading interviews with Bong Joon Ho and his editor Jinmo Yang about their process. Andrew was involved in my prep, making sure my minimalist shot list would support the story.

And he was there on set cutting together scenes as we filmed them, again ensuring that we got everything we needed. By the time we wrapped filming, we had a complete rough cut of the film ready to show everyone. There’s also this unquantifiable advantage to having your editor on set with you. Because they’re feet on the ground with you, you bypass explaining circumstantial things to them. They know what happened on set because they were there.

What’s next for you? What are you working on right now?
SD: Next up for me is the return of Good Trouble season 4 on July 7th on Freeform and Hulu. My character Claire has some exciting stuff happening that I can’t wait for everyone to see! Right now Daphne and I are busy writing a feature film that we aim to produce later this year. It’s a psychological thriller about cults. I can’t really say any more than that, but we have been pouring our souls into this story and I cannot wait to bring it to life.

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What would you recommend to a new director at the beginning of his/ her journey?
SD: The best way to learn filmmaking is to make films. The second best way is to book work as a stand-in. As a stand-in, you’re in the perfect position to watch everything come together and you literally have nothing better to do than to stand there and observe.

No fetching coffee or getting stuck on a lockup. You’re right in the center of the action. And if you’re clever you’ll make friends with the director and the crew and you’ll ask them questions about their jobs. I learned nearly everything I know about filmmaking from being a stand-in and asking questions.

Who is your favorite director? Why?
SD: My favorite directors are Nicolas Winding Refn, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Denis Villeneuve. I couldn’t pick one! I’m so inspired by the hyper-stylized worlds of Refn’s films, they’re so gritty and poetic and fun! Every time I see a PTA film I feel like I’ve learned something new about human existence. I saw The Master three times in theaters, I was so obsessed with the absurd, insane, and truly mysterious world he explored in that film, I just wanted to have a deeper and deeper understanding of it all.

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Villeneuve makes the kind of large-scale thrillers that I plan to make one day. They’re truly dazzling, and at the same time so blunt and honest. There’s a scene in Sicario where she takes a shower and washes the blood off her body- that scene is such a gut punch. We see loads of action movies about super-human people who can’t get hurt. But the way her injuries were acknowledged made everything she did for the rest of the film that much more badass because you knew she was fighting through pain to do it all. So excellent.

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