Comedian and podcaster Deborah Frances-White’s debut full-length feature film Say My Name starring Lisa Brenner (The Patriot, Bad Samaritan, Finding Home) and Nick Blood (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Babylon, Him & Her) is going to be available On Demand from 10th February – just in time for Valentine’s Day.
When a one-night stand gets interrupted by a robbery, two complete strangers are forced to navigate the seedy underbelly of a sleepy Welsh isle in order to get back their stolen property. Along the way, their opposing personalities and differing outlooks on life bring them to a boiling point. Say My Name star Lisa Brenner talked to Funny Women in this exclusive Q&A about the film, working with Deborah Frances-White and women over 40’s parts in films…
Funny Women: Tell us about Say My Name and your character Mary.
Lisa Brenner: Mary is who I want to come back as in my next life. She is a free spirit, bold, funny, smart, unattached to anything, spontaneous, SEXUAL and lives in the moment! She is fun and daring! Not to say I’m not any of those of things, but there’s always room for improvement.
FW: Mary’s had quite a life! Have you ever played someone like her before?
LB: I have not and that is the reason I wanted to do this film! Mary is the type of character I would never be cast as. All the roles I’ve done have been sweet and innocent victims or victims who we think are sweet and innocent, made to lead the audience down the wrong path! I’m in my 40’s now and the fact that the movie opens with a full on sex scene, with me not as the producer, would immediately imply that they need to hire a 20-something actress or maybe a 30-something actress to play Mary. In the entertainment industry we rarely get to see a sexualized 40-something woman, let alone one as the lead of romantic comedy.
FW: Deborah Frances-White wrote this film, how did you two meet?
LB: We met through our mutual friend, the director of this film, Jay Stern. Jay and I went to Columbia University together and we decided we wanted to do a film together. He brought me Deborah’s script, I read it once and said “Let’s do it!”
FW: What was it like to work together on this film?
LB: Deborah is one of the most brilliant and hilarious women I’ve ever met. We collaborated almost every day on the characters and story. We were lucky she was able to be with us on set, to help fine tune dialogue, elevate the comedy, and deal with any problems that arose, which on a film set, always do!
FW: And finally, who are your favorite funny women?
LB: Dianne Keaton is my all-time favorite actress. When I saw her in Annie Hall as a child, I knew that this is the kind of career I want to follow. I’m also a huge fan of Maya Rudolph and Tina Fey; two brilliant woman that just can’t do anything bad! I absolutely love them!
Say My Name is available On Demand and on iTunes from 10th February 2020
