LGBT SPOTLIGHT: Exclusive Interview with GAYBY Director Jonathan Lisecki!
SFF2012's GAYBY is now available on VOD. We re-present this interview from the festival.
Jenn (Jenn Harris) and Matt (Matthew Wilkas) are childhood friends facing an age old dilemma; neither of them is having much success finding a boyfriend and Jenn's biological clock is relentlessly, incessantly ticking. And so, the pair decide to act upon an old agreement; they decide to make a baby together. The old fashioned way. In Jonathan Lisecki's hilarious GAYBY, the problems of modern living are front and center, allowing a real tenderness to emerge between the laughs. A film for lovers of comedy, GAYBY is filled with characters who are equally adept at baring their claws as they are baring their souls.
THE INSIDER: What is Gayby about?
JONATHAN LISECKI: Gayby is about two best friends from college-a straight woman and a gay man-who decide to fulfill an old promise to have a child together. Because of some absurd mix of nostalgia, phobia, and feeling dared, they decide to actually have sex. Once the seriousness of impending parenthood starts creeping in, they try to get their lives together in time for the arrival of their gayby. It's an often hilarious comedy with a huge heart and amazing performances. I guarantee a good time.
THE INSIDER: Why did you start making films?
JONATHAN LISECKI: I started out directing and acting in NYC's Indie theatre scene. It's why I know so many great actors. I moved into film because I wanted to have something I could show people for more than the typical three or four week run of my plays. My first short was an experiment to see if I even could make a narrative. I worked with my friend Sarita Choudhury and we did a darkly comic piece on her issues with typecasting. We spent only a few days making the short but the process stretched out over the course of a year and we had the most amazing time. Once I figured out that film could be as collaborative and spontaneous as theatre, I was hooked.
THE INSIDER: What obstacles did you face in the making of your film?
JONATHAN LISECKI: Just the usual things going wrong with barely any time to deal with them. Halfway through the shoot we were thrown out of one location because the neighbors noticed us sneaking in an entire film crew without permission. We tried to claim that we were caterers, but they didn't buy it, especially when they saw the cans of paint. So we had one day to find a place that matched visually. We also had to recast an actress at the same time. I made a bunch of calls in the middle of the night and we were back to filming the following morning. Other crews may have flipped but the best thing about our crew was that even though the situation was stressful and serious, we all couldn't stop laughing because it was also so absurd.
THE INSIDER: Did any specific films inspire you in making this movie?
JONATHAN LISECKI: Not directly, but things like His Girl Friday and the TV series Moonlighting come to mind. I go for comedy where literate people talk a lot. Both of those did that really well. And I will always have a deep fondness for Hal Hartley's first two feature films. His use of heightened language had a profound effect on when I first saw them.
THE INSIDER: What do you hope audiences will take away from the film?
JONATHAN LISECKI: I just want people to come and enjoy the movie. The experience of making a film leads to so much time spent alone that it's incredibly gratifying to be able to finally share it with an audience. And if anyone wants to throw bags of money at me so I can make my next one, that's fine too.
The Insider
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