INTERVIEW: ‘Yes, God, Yes’ finds Alice on a journey to find truths behind faith, sex, life
Photo: Yes, God, Yes stars Natalia Dyer from Stranger Things. Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment / Provided by press rep with permission.
In the new Vertical Entertainment movie Yes, God, Yes, Stranger Things’ Natalia Dyer plays Alice, a teenager trying to live a good Catholic life, but when she realizes her budding sexuality, her perspective begins to change about her faith and her worldview of boys, sex and being good.
Starring alongside Dyer in the Karen Maine-directed film is Susan Blackwell, known for Side by Side by Susan Blackwell, [title of show] and a host of TV and film roles. Recently Blackwell exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about Yes, God, Yes, which won a special jury prize at last year’s SXSW festival. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What motivated you to accept this role and join the movie’s cast?
I loved the script! I had been raised Catholic in the ’80s and had attended youth retreats very similar to the one portrayed in the film. I just couldn’t believe the writing — all of it felt so true.
How did you approach playing your character, who is a pivotal ally for Alice?
As a film actor, I always look for those things that I have in common with the character. And in this case, we had a lot in common! I saw her as a teacher, like me, and we shared a point of view regarding the path to happiness. I felt so proud and grateful to share that perspective on film.
At the same time, the discussion around straight actors playing queer roles — and my own thinking around playing parts that differ from my identity and lived experience — has evolved since we shot the film. Without a doubt, there are great queer actors who could have played this role even better because they share the queer identity of the character. And that representation is crucial.
What was your experience like on the set and during production? What about working with Karen Maine?
Working on Yes, God, Yes was a joy. My scene partner Natalia Dyer is a really fun, grounded person, on and off camera. And I was really impressed with Karen Maine — in addition to being a great writer, her direction was so clear. There are pieces of direction that she gave me that I still talk about when I teach acting, and she and the producers also assembled a wonderful team, largely comprised of extremely talented women. The whole experience was dreamy.
What do you believe are the important messages in the film for the audience?
At the end of the day, I think this movie is about freedom and self-acceptance … two of my favorite themes!
Are you still overjoyed over the legacy and continued fanbase for [title of show]?
It’s sort of unbelievable. For those who aren’t one of the nine people who know and love it, [title of show] is an original musical that my friends and I made. The show chronicles its own creation, from the inception of the idea to its opening night on Broadway, and we essentially played versions of ourselves in the show. Since we finished our Broadway run in 2008, that show has been performed by numerous casts all around the world. It’s still a joy to meet people who have also played ‘Susan’ in their production of [title of show]. If we ever face a zombie apocalypse, I have a plan to organize and lead an army of ‘Susans’ from around the world. How badass would that be?
How much has COVID-19 disrupted your professional plans?
In addition to being a film actor, I also have a very rich life as a writer, a podcaster (The Spark File) and teacher specializing in creativity. When the pandemic struck, I immediately shifted all of that work to the virtual realm. Fun story: right before everything got shut down, my [title of show] collaborators and I were workshopping a new, flexible version of our original musical Now. Here. This. with the Orange County School of the Arts, a tremendous performing arts high school in California. Instead of halting the production, we all agreed to continue virtually, making it the first full-length musical to be released out of quarantine. Because of that, other makers are seeing that you don’t have to pause your creativity during this time; you just have to create ways to innovate while remaining safe. All of this is to say that my professional plans haven’t been disrupted; they’ve just shifted, and I feel more creative than ever!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Yes, God, Yes, featuring Susan Blackwell, is now available in virtual cinemas and drive-ins, and on digital and VOD. Click here for more information.
