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‘Sorry, Baby' Filmmaker and Star Eva Victor Can Do It All — Make You Laugh, Make You Cry, and Keep the Cat Alive
Two weeks before the limited release of Eva Victor's feature directorial debut, 'Sorry, Baby,' the multi-hyphenate was busy with some off-beat grassroots marketing: assuring Instagram followers that the film's feline supporting star, who appears in much of the Sundance hit's marketing, was OK. More than OK! 'I keep having to do them,' Victor told IndieWire during a recent interview about those homegrown PSAs. 'Someone told me that their friends aren't going to see it because they're worried the cat dies. And I was like, OK, so, something must be done. I'm continually trying to remind people, but I don't know if it'll work out. But I hope the word will get around eventually that it's not that kind of movie. [And it's not just] 'the cat doesn't die.' I want it to be 'the cat lives a wonderful life and nothing bad ever happens to the cat.' You know what I mean? Because that's different.' More from IndieWire SCAD Takes Cannes: IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking 'The Eva Victor Grad Program': Inside the Year-and-a-Half the Director Spent Preparing to Make 'Sorry, Baby' That's the sort of care and attention that Victor — who wrote, directed, and stars in the film — lavishes on everything they do (Victor uses she/they pronouns). And it's that exact sort of sensitivity that runs through every minute of 'Sorry, Baby,' which premiered to great acclaim at this year's Sundance Film Festival, where it also picked up distribution from A24 and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Victor. Victor's debut is a darkly funny and enormously tender film that is about what happens after the worst happens, but with plenty of room to weave the light next to the dark. As the film's logline hints, 'something bad' happens to Victor's Agnes, but the creator and star is wise enough to understand that's only part of the story, because that's only part of life itself. Told in non-linear chapters, the film follows Agnes as she deals with said awful life event, all of it set in the small New England town where she attended grad school and is now a professor. While 'Sorry, Baby' might be rooted specifically in Agnes' story and the bad thing at its center, in its specificity, there's still tremendous room for wider recognition and revelation. Plus: cute cat. So, yes, the cat (named Olga in the film, as played by Noochie the cat) is just fine, more than fine. Other animals? Well, there is a key scene in the film involving a mouse who doesn't fare quite as well, though that's all treated with the same blend of kindness and dark humor that sets the film apart. Victor is incredibly easy to talk to, and on a wide array of subjects, so chatting about Olga soon led to talking about their own cat (Clyde) and this writer's pair of tuxedos (Felix and Oscar) and their various adventures with in-house vermin (mostly bad). Then, of course, came this exchange, which feels as if it could have been pulled directly out of 'Sorry, Baby': Kate Erbland: I got a hamster when I was Victor: Bad? And while 'bad' doesn't even begin to cover it (anyone who has ever owned a hamster can see where this is going, and that's before I mention that my hamster came to me pregnant), the quickness with which Victor can read emotion, respond to it, and do it in such a way that you feel like instant confidants, well, that's probably why 'Sorry, Baby' is such a revelation. Cats, mice, hamsters, oh my! aside, how is Victor feeling now, on the cusp of the film being released? 'I'm feeling good. And weird. But I feel really excited for the movie to come out and have real people see it,' they said, speaking in the same clipped manner as Agnes. 'It's been so amazing that film people see it, but it's also a movie I made for a version of myself that didn't know much about film and just wanted to feel a film. That's sort of who the film's for. It just feels like kind of this pent-up thing, but I'm ready to release. It's funny it's called a release. It's mirroring so much about birth in a way that I'm surprised by.' Victor is quite thoughtful on the subject of who the film is 'for.' 'Whenever you're in a finance meeting, people love to talk about 'target audience,' and I'm like, 'Honestly, I think for a film like this, it's actually so much based on your lived experience,'' they said. 'I remember all the financiers were like, 'It's young women!' and I'm like, 'Maybe?' I don't know, but I'm excited to figure out who ends up seeing it and who finds it.' Taking the film around to other festivals and screenings has been instructive, and Victor has spent the weeks and months since that Sundance premiere getting a sense of who will find the film. Who needs the film. 'Once in a while, I'll do a Q&A after a screening, and then there are people who I meet, people who are feeling connected to it,' Victor said. 'It's not always the people I expect, based on how they look or something, but I really like that.' They noted that producer and Pastel principal Adele Romanski has a 'finance bro friend' who is 'obsessed' with the movie. 'I feel like the more time I spend in gender-fluid mentality, the more I'm like, 'Everyone's just fucking figuring it out.' I think people are surprising. People can surprise you with what hits for them,' Victor said. Victor talks about film in a very visceral, physical way. Films can hit you. They can move you. They can lodge in you. 'The way I keep thinking about movies right now, it's like there are some films that come in as you're watching them and then move through you and leave. They leave your body. And then there's some films that lodge themselves into your body and soul,' Victor said. 'Because the movie is so personal, I can't really tell [which one it is]. It's up to each person, whether it lodges or whether it moves.' Victor has been open about the very personal nature of her film, and that Agnes' experiences are inspired by things that happened in her own life. In the early days of lockdown, Victor did what many people did — got super into watching movies — and while they'd already been performing by that point (stand-up, incredibly hilarious social media bits), their interest in movies took a different cast. She started looking for stories that appealed to her own lived experiences, and that desire to see those experiences and stories and emotions eventually led to Victor writing the film's screenplay. 'When I was writing it was like, 'Can this [even] be a script?,'' they said. 'And then I started to understand how movies are not a script. One part of what the film will be exists in the script, and the rest is visual, and you can try to write towards it, but it's a completely different medium. That part I actually found a lot of joy in.' The kind of films that inspired Victor — they named some 'really intense' titles like 'Three Colors: Blue,' 'The Double Life of Veronique,' and 'The Piano Teacher' — were more about the feelings they wanted to convey. 'It started becoming clear that this is what the movie looks like and this is what the movie feels like in different moments,' Victor said. Victor said there are two distinct moments in the script where all of that blended together during the writing process — how it would look versus how it would feel, and what visuals were needed to bridge that — including the opening shot of the film and a key moment that happens in the film's second chapter, 'The Year with the Bad Thing.' Both moments focus on a building: the opening shot is of Agnes' small country house, the other scene is of her professor's (Louis Cancelmi) rowhouse over the course of a few hours. 'Those were two moments where I was like, 'This is very clear to me, the filmmaking in this is very simple and clear to me,'' Victor said. 'And they're sort of driving moments of the film visually that allowed me to see it as a movie and that it needs to be a movie. I think the screenplay part, I felt pretty comfortable, I felt like I understood what the screenplay was, and it was really about translating it into a film. That was the part that I was like, 'Oh, my God.' But, also, if you have a screenplay, it is in there. You just have to figure out exactly what you mean.' Starring in the film? That was an easier ask for Victor. Directing it? OK, a bit more fraught. 'I knew I wanted to act in it because I wrote it for myself ultimately, honestly,' they said. 'I was like, 'Maybe we should find someone else to direct it, because that seems like a lot,' and I thought about it for a little bit and I was like, 'Wait, this feels weird.' My producers were like, 'Go think about it, let it crystallize.'' I took a couple months and then I think I wrote back an email that the subject was like, 'Crystallizing Happening' or something.' Those producers include the team at Pastel, including fellow filmmaker Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, and Mark Ceryak. Pastel came on early to the project, and were instrumental to Victor in many ways, including getting Victor to the point where directing felt possible. 'It took me a little bit. Then I was like, 'I do want to direct it, and these are the places where I feel very insecure about that,'' Victor said. 'They sort of set me up on a journey. We collaborated on a journey of getting me to feel comfortable directing. Which, I don't know if I've ever felt comfortable directing, but I got to a place where there was no more learning to be done not on the job.' Romanski and co-producer and Pastel exec Catalina Rojter were often on the film's Massachusetts set, Victor said, joined by Jenkins when his schedule allowed. (Victor said the pair really bonded during the editing of the film, when Victor was editing 'Sorry, Baby' at the same post-production facility as Jenkins' 'The Lion King: Mufasa.' 'We edited in the same place as 'Lion King,' but they built a wall so that we couldn't see what they were making, because it was very private,' Victor said with a wry smile. 'Like, one time I saw one image of an owl, and I was like, 'Fuck, I'm going to get fired.' And then I was like, 'Fuck, that looks good.'') To prepare for their first day on set, Victor also turned to other filmmakers for some advice. Jane Schoenbrun offered some that really stuck, speaking to both the pragmatism and emotion Victor wanted to bring to the production. 'At that point, I was just ready,' Victor said. 'I was really nervous though, too, because I was trying to set tone in all these ways before [we even started]. I remember Jane told me this thing while they were shooting 'I Saw TV Glow,' and they were like, 'The most important thing about the first day is making the day.' So, you have to finish on time, because morale needs it, and people need to trust that you know how to do that. That was a lesson that I took with me. I was like, 'We're finishing the day on time.'' The first shot? A little trickier, as it involved Victor as Agnes and Naomi Ackie as her devoted best friend Lydie going for a walk near Agnes' house (which also used to be Lydie's house). 'There was a train that went by every 20 minutes under the tunnel we were walking over, and I really wanted to wait for the train,' Victor said. 'And Adele was like, 'That's crazy. This is the first shot of the day.' And I was like, 'Ah, man, I don't know if I should wait for the train,' and then I turned to Naomi, and I was like, 'Should we wait for it?' And Naomi was like, 'Whatever you want. Do whatever you want. I'm here.'' In some ways, that's Agnes and Lydie's relationship in a nutshell, one borne of love, trust, and confidence. If Lydie is Agnes' person, it sure sounds like Ackie filled that same role for Victor. 'I really think the reason that the shoot worked was because Naomi had so much trust in me from the beginning, without having any proof I could do it,' Victor said. 'There were moments when I had to think about what I wanted, and the patience that she gave me and the love that she gave me was completely essential for me to then become more confident. That's such a gift from day one for her to trust me without having any reason to, really.' The last day of production focused on scenes with Victor and co-star Lucas Hedges, including a handful of more intimate moments between Victor and Hedges. No spoilers here, but Victor said Hedges' last shot sees his Gavin running out of his house toward Victor's Agnes, and Victor's last shot was the converse, with Agnes running toward him. That's a sweet enough note to end it on, but Victor, as ever, had a slew of hilarious details that only added to its power and humor. 'Our Steadicam operator, Dean, was recovering from Norovirus that he got from his kids,' Victor said. 'I kept running in the wrong direction, because I was running toward the house, because my intuition was telling me that, but I really had to run toward these lights. I kept running the wrong way, and he just kept chugging Gatorade and I felt so bad. Then it started snowing. The whole reason I wanted to shoot there and then was because I wanted to get fucking snow in the movie, and it snowed the weekend before we shot, and it snowed the night we were wrapping, and we actually had to wait for it to stop snowing because the shots wouldn't match. So, snow didn't happen! But I heard that happened to 'Certain Women,' too, which is a really important movie for this film. I'm in good company.' What did it feel like to wrap production? 'It was fun, but it was weird,' Victor said. 'There's a grief to it. When you're imagining your film, it's endless, and the reason it's hard is that it doesn't exist yet, but it's everything. By the end of the shoot, there's this sadness of, it's finite, what you have is what you have. But then it's also euphoric, because you have it.' Victor laughed. 'And I had never done an edit before, so we wrapped and I was like, 'We did it! It's over!,'' they said. 'And it's like, hell no. I was humbled quick. I went to LA the next week to start editing. I had one week off where I was in my parents' house, comatose. It was an intense time. It was amazing. I miss it. The further I get from it, the more I crave it. I really do miss the part where we were making something.' There's little question that making the film was intensely personal and deeply healing for Victor, but they also understand that by saying the film is based on their own experiences or events in their life, that opens a door for people to pry. 'I'm incredibly interested in privacy,' they said. 'It's something I've had for a long time. When I was doing stand-up, I had all these boundaries around what I would say. I think it made me a pretty bad stand-up, because I was like, 'I don't want to talk about anything about my relationships.' That's one of the most interesting things people could talk about!' But 'Sorry, Baby' is, Victor stressed, a fictional narrative film. 'I know, [there's] a lot of curiosity,' Victor said. 'It's obviously a personal film, but I did have a lot of joy in the creation of world-building and in the fictional parts. It was kind of the best of both worlds, where I got to weave in my little truths in ways that are disguised enough in this world that I got to build to support this person's story. Real life is real life, but a movie has to be contained, because it only lasts a certain amount of time and the world has to support the story.' Victor added, 'People's interest in my experience, I'm trying to look at it pretty empathetically, that people feel connected to the film and are wanting for more information.' For those wanting more information, Victor points back to the film itself. 'I do think the film is the purest version of what I could ever say about me, and the film is also not me,' Victor said. 'The film is the film. The film is what we can all look at, and I'm just a part of it in my own ways. It is a piece of art. It's meant to be a piece of artistic creation. So, I do always feel it's appropriate to point people toward the film if they have questions about me.' As we were speaking in a tucked-away alcove on the second floor of the Cherry Lane Theatre (which A24 purchased in 2023), Ackie and Hedges were on stage doing remote video interviews. A monitor in the alcove featured a live feed, and we could see and hear the interviews as they unfolded. On one hand, so nice! On the other, so nerve-wracking! 'It's so nice to have Naomi and Lucas around me doing [press] with me, because I don't want it to just be my film,' the filmmaker said. 'I want it to feel like a film we all made, because we did. It's nice to remember that it's not just me.' As another remote video interview started up, Victor couldn't help but smile at the monitor. 'Aw, look at their cute little faces,' they said, just as the interviewer asked a question about Victor. 'It's so awkward. They're talking about me and I'm not here.' While we managed to turn the volume down, Victor couldn't help zeroing in on a slight framing problem, with Ackie and Hedges not quite evenly situated next to each other. 'It's freaking me out that they're not sitting in the middle,' Victor said, with a smile. 'But that's my problem. I'm the director.' A24 will release 'Sorry, Baby' in limited release on Friday, June 27, with a nationwide release to follow on Friday, July 18. Best of IndieWire The Best Lesbian Movies Ever Made, from 'D.E.B.S.' and 'Carol' to 'Bound' and 'Pariah' The Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in June, from 'Vertigo' and 'Rear Window' to 'Emily the Criminal' All 12 Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked, from 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Phoenician Scheme'
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‘The Cat in the Hat' Trailer: Bill Hader Gets Animated for Dr. Seuss Adaptation
Bill Hader is swapping the dark comedy of 'Barry' for pure animated fun — while staying under the Warner Bros. Discovery hat. Hader's first project since wrapping his acclaimed HBO series in 2023 is the animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 'The Cat in the Hat.' Hader stars as the titular character who 'takes on his toughest assignment yet for the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC): to cheer Gabby and Sebastian, a pair of siblings struggling with their move to a new town,' as the synopsis reads. 'Known for taking things too far, this could be this agent of chaos' last chance to prove himself…or lose his magical hat!' More from IndieWire SCAD Takes Cannes: IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking 'The Eva Victor Grad Program': Inside the Year-and-a-Half the Director Spent Preparing to Make 'Sorry, Baby' Xochitl Gomez, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Paula Pell, Tiago Martinez, Giancarlo Esposito, America Ferrera, Bowen Yang, and Tituss Burgess co-star in the animated film. Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja co-write and co-direct 'The Cat in the Hat.' Earlier this year, Carloni said during a Work in Progression session at Annecy, via Deadline, that WBD's 2023 shelving of 'Coyote vs. Acme' was sadly 'representative of how painful and atrocious the industry can be,' especially for animated films. ('Coyote vs. Acme' was later sold to Ketchup Entertainment in 2025 and will receive a theatrical release next year.) As for how their version of 'The Cat in the Hat' will differ from other iterations, Carloni said they approached the source material with a fresh perspective. 'We looked back at the book and wondered why the children become more confident by the end of the books,' Carloni said. 'Deep down, is [the cat] the greatest child psychologist of all time? The greatest emotional support animal?' In addition to 'The Cat in the Hat,' actor Hader has another project in the works at Warner Bros. Hader is co-writing a series about the Jonestown cult massacre with 'Damages' showrunner Daniel Zelman. Hader will serve as co-showrunner with Zelman and also executive produce, with Hader set to direct should the project move forward at HBO. A source told IndieWire that Hader could potentially star in the series as Jim Jones as well. 'Saturday Night Live' alum Hader previously won two Emmys for Best Actor in a Comedy for 'Barry.' The series itself garnered 16 total Emmy nominations for writer/director/creator Hader across its four seasons. Warner Bros. Pictures will release 'The Cat in the Hat' in theaters February 27, 2026. Check out the trailer below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
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SCAD Takes Cannes: IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking
The Savannah College of Art and Design is the university launchpad for a career in film and television. The opportunities for actual professional experience SCAD offers are second to none. From film sets to casting offices to production and costume design facilities, this is where someone with film and TV dreams can get their career started even before they graduate. SCAD students have the unique opportunity to study abroad at the university's Lacoste location in Provence, France. Students enrolled in the Spring Quarter documentary film class get the once in a lifetime experience to travel to the coast to attend the Cannes Film Festival where they network with film industry professionals, see highly anticipated films, learn on the ground with their professors, and are inspired to create their own unique content. More from IndieWire 'The Eva Victor Grad Program': Inside the Year-and-a-Half the Director Spent Preparing to Make 'Sorry, Baby' 'The Cat in the Hat' Trailer: Bill Hader Gets Animated for Dr. Seuss Adaptation The festival experience allows them to picture themselves returning to the Croisette with their own films one day. Watch the video above and read more about each of their stories below. Matison LeBlanc, 2023 GraduateSumma Cum LaudeBFA in film and television, minor in dramatic writing Since I left school, my number one priority has been to develop my first feature film called 'Ada and the Doc.' It's based on the untold true story of the first woman executed by the state of Louisiana. I made the short proof of concept as my senior project while I was at SCAD, and I'm really proud to say that it is screening three times while I'm here in Cannes, twice in the Palais with Film USA and then once here [at the American Pavilion] with the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase. I actually went to SCAD as a painting major first. My background had only ever been in fine art, like David Lynch. He didn't know he ever wanted to be a filmmaker until he did it. It was the same for me. I had been drawing and painting my whole life and then I got to SCAD and I took Film 100 on a whim and said to myself, 'I'm never doing anything else ever again.' And so I took every film class. I had always been a writer, so I delved into the writing classes, learned how sets work, got on a set in any capacity from being a PA to being a special effects makeup artist. I got to work on 'Fear the Walking Dead' while I was in Savannah. I got to work in the zombie department. As far as the project itself ['Ada and the Doc'] goes, SCAD provided state of the art equipment. Not a lot of people can say they filmed their senior project on an Arri Alexa, so that was amazing. But probably the most invaluable thing from SCAD would have been the crew, the connections I made there because SCAD has a major for pretty much every art discipline around, so you have a built-in crew from costume designers to sound designers and more. It means everything to be at Cannes, especially considering my internship placement with Lionsgate. I've been learning so much information that has really demystified the entire sales ecosystem for me. My team of SCAD producers are flying in today for the screening, and they all bought Marche passes, with our development funds for the future and so we're going to go in there and try to sell this film! Tess Nelson, Class of 2026Third-year film and television major, with a minor in creative writing I knew I wanted to be in film since 4th grade. I'd always been very involved in the arts. My parents were both theater actors. We watched a lot of movies and then when I was in 4th grade, I did a research project on Charlie Chaplin, and I just loved it so much I thought, this is all I want to do. I think I loved the heart. I think that's very central in Charlie Chaplin films. I knew that I wanted to tell stories and I knew that I wanted to tell the stories that I was impacted by, and so for a long time that was through both writing and directing. Because you fall so in love with the stories that you write, it breaks your heart to hand it off. Besides, I love working with the actors too, so that's where I'm happiest. I would say one of the greatest things about SCAD is the people that I've met there. I've made fantastic friends: Really, really talented, driven people with a love for storytelling, not just for the glamour of Hollywood. I have so many fantastic people that have helped me create works that I'm really proud of. And then of course, the professors are a great thing: Chris Donahue, Frank Green, and Christopher Millis have really supported me and helped me grow. They're fantastic. Cannes is one of the greatest film festivals in the world. It's in a beautiful location. It's terribly exciting. Probably all of my favorite films have done really well in Cannes. 'Naked' by Mike Leigh did really well in Cannes. 'Elephant' by Gus Van Sant did really well in Cannes. 'Close' by Lucas Dhont did really well in Cannes. Every screening I go into could be the great thing that changes my life in some regard. Layla Doyley, Class of 2026Third year film and television major What really made me want to go into film and television is just the opportunity to tell stories. I love telling stories visually in any way, and so I think film is such a great medium to do that. SCAD definitely has the resources that I need to be able to do so. I first started telling stories through fashion. I started out as a fashion major at SCAD, and then transitioned into film once I realized how much I love to edit and be a director behind projects. Being able to use clothing to communicate different things to people, I saw how much I really love that aspect of fashion, and wanted to carry that into filmmaking. I think what excites me the most about filmmaking is definitely the story development process, starting out with an inkling of an idea, and then getting to develop that into something that I think is mature and is more polished. It's the brainstorming aspect, getting to collaborate with people, getting to talk through your idea and being able to start that project. The most exciting thing that I've learned at SCAD is how to develop and create polished scripts, how to edit, and how to take feedback and take it well. It's really valuable to be able to not be so defensive with your work, but actually take it back and edit it further and further and continue to get the feedback that you need. I absolutely love Ava DuVernay and her work. I love watching what Spike Lee does as well. But I also really love this documentary called 'Daughters.' I recently saw it at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. It really inspired me to go into the documentary filmmaking arena. Cannes is such an opportunity. It's such a unique chance to be able to connect with different people and talk with different people, have discussions and learn from people. I see myself as a sponge, and so everywhere that I go, I take things in and learn. Ben Bostian, Class of 2026Third-year film and television major, minor in acting I grew up as a big 80s kid. I was a big lover of vintage things. I started just watching a ton, a ton of movies, and I fell in love with a local legend from where I'm from in New Jersey — Kevin Smith. He's an indie legend. He said, 'If you love movies so much, you should just make one.' I was in high school drifting about not knowing what to do, and I thought of that, and said to myself, 'Oh, why don't I just make a movie?' So that's how I got into film. I like how some directors are able to switch from genre to genre, like that, and, with each film, makes something very different while keeping their same style. My favorite of all time is Hal Ashby. Him and Robert Altman are my two '70s legends. The best part about SCAD is the connections and how the professors go ground level with you. They have a lot of knowledge and experience, but they treat you as professionals. They treat your sets seriously, and they encourage you to be on as many sets as you can. I'm an acting minor as well — I'm getting a lot of experience with casting offices (SCAD has the only professional in-house casting office in higher education). I have always loved acting. I love films. So I came to SCAD because they have great programs for both. Cannes is the greatest film festival in the world. But I also sleep outside to wait for tickets at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. And the biggest thing with the SCAD Film Festival is everything that does well there, and all my favorites there, all start at Cannes. I'm really just excited to be here and experience it. I saw 'The Left-Handed Girl' this morning. Sean Baker is one of my favorites. He's my hero, and he produced and edited the film, and it's very much a Sean Baker film, but Taiwanese, and that was my favorite so far. I've already made some connections here at Cannes, which is one of the most important things. Hopefully I'll be back here someday with my own films. Charlie Luther, Class of 2026Film and television major, with focus on editing When I was growing up, I was interested in the directorial and writing side, and I found I was taking any video I could find and editing it together. That slowly became something that I was good at, something that I had a niche for. Then I went to SCAD and fell in love with editing. Now I've worked on a bunch of student projects, editing and post production, and I really like having a leadership role in that. The editor I admire is one that I just met at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival: Myron Kerstein, the editor of 'Wicked' and 'In the Heights' and all those musicals. Before I went to SCAD, I would say that the industry was very daunting to me and I wasn't sure what steps to take. By learning that those steps are actually possible, SCAD has helped give me more opportunities and connection. I have also learned how to talk to people, how to establish connections and keep them for a long time. That's probably the most valuable thing I've learned. For me, being in Cannes means meeting people, making connections, experiencing new things. Whether that's meeting a new connection or seeing a film that introduces a new idea I never thought of before, or realizing that my little niche group at SCAD is one part of a huge puzzle, and hopefully one day I can start putting that puzzle together myself. Colleen Ryan, 2024 GraduateBFA in film and television production, with minor in producing I had the opportunity to go to Cannes this year as a recent alum of SCAD. Being here, I'm hoping to develop a better understanding of the way the business side and market of the film industry works. I heard that there's a lot of really great opportunities to hear about that side of things, meet people in that world and develop a better understanding here at one of the biggest film markets. I'm hoping to direct and produce in the long run. Currently, I'm hoping to just get more experience working on projects that are more mission driven, about causes and things that I care about and believe in, in whatever capacity is possible at this level. Being a student at SCAD, I was able to gain a lot of real world, hands-on experience that I don't think I would have been able to get at any other university. It was very immersive in terms of learning through doing, rather than just in a classroom, and I think that was super valuable for someone like me that didn't really know what they were going to do going into school. And so to be able to jump in head first, with the guidance of so many professors that are also working industry professionals, was a super helpful way to really develop an understanding of the filmmaking process, practically as well as conceptually. I love Sean Baker, who won the Palme d'Or last year. Greta Gerwig as well, who I believe was on the board of deciding that last year. And one of my biggest inspirations is Emerald Fennell as well. I think just a really powerful female storyteller who branches outside of what the traditional female lens looks like. I produced my film out of the country in Panama for my SCAD senior thesis, which was super special, because I really felt like SCAD had equipped me with the proper facilities to be able to execute something like that at such a young age with a team of other students. My most recent project was directing for SCAD their premier backlot film called 'Take Two' that we are currently finishing up and hopefully about to enter into the festival circuit. But that film was the first film that SCAD sort of produced on their own through their new Hollywood style backlot. And it was a very exciting and cool opportunity to do a production on such a large scale as a student. We had stunts, professional actors. It's a period piece and a time travel movie. It was very cool to be able to do that at SCAD as sort of my last thing before of IndieWire The Best Lesbian Movies Ever Made, from 'D.E.B.S.' and 'Carol' to 'Bound' and 'Pariah' The Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in June, from 'Vertigo' and 'Rear Window' to 'Emily the Criminal' All 12 Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked, from 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Phoenician Scheme'
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Brian Cox Decided to Become a Character Actor After Visiting Hollywood: ‘It Really Gave Me the Creeps'
Brian Cox has become an icon in the U.S. thanks in part to roles in 'Succession' and 'X-Men,' but the acclaimed Scottish actor is revealing just how much he decided to pivot his career when he relocated to the States. Cox said during a discussion with Issac Butler for the Criterion Channel's 'The Craft of Acting' series (in the below video) that he made the decision to pursue supporting roles after getting his start on the West End in theater. After breaking out in the U.S., he proudly embraced being a character actor instead of a leading man. More from IndieWire SCAD Takes Cannes: IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking 'The Eva Victor Grad Program': Inside the Year-and-a-Half the Director Spent Preparing to Make 'Sorry, Baby' 'I came to that decision much later because I had been a leading actor [in England]. I'd done a lot of theater, a lot of television, stuff like that. But when I decided to come here, I just didn't want to go that route,' Cox said. 'I came here in the '70s. I remember going to Hollywood […] and I really didn't like it. It really gave me the creeps, actually. I thought, 'Well, I got that out of my system, right?' But, I still wanted to do movies, and I wanted to do American movies because that was my inspiration when I was a child. So what happened was that I decided to become a character actor.' Cox cited how he was inspired by late supporting actors from the Golden Age of cinema to bring gravitas to each role, regardless of how many scenes his character appeared in. 'I'm so influenced by people like William Deist and William Bendix and all those supporting actors of the '30s and '40s and what they did. I mean, they were the boosters of those films. Without them, there would be nothing, you know?' Cox said. 'I thought, 'That's my job. That's what I'll do. I'll be happy to do that.' Also, the challenge of giving an arc to a part, which is really difficult when you've only got three scenes and then there doesn't seem to be a connection [between them]. There is an inner connection; it's never the outer connection. That's why I decided to be a character actor.' And it turned out to be a career-making decision: Cox has won two Olivier Awards, an Emmy, and a Golden Globe across his storied career. Cox has also lamented the current state of Hollywood today in recent years, saying in 2024 that TV has replaced films as the best mode of creativity for actors. 'What's happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do,' Cox said. 'I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it's lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that. And I think it's beginning to implode, actually. You're kind of losing the plot.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
