Gus: Writer/Director Jessie McCormack

Even before Lena Dunham was discovered at SXSW with her feature Tiny Furniture, the festival was a place for new female voices to be heard. One of the latest is Jessie McCormack. Not only is Gus her directorial debut, but she also wrote and produced the film.

Michelle Monaghan and Radha Mitchell are Andie and Lizzie, an odd-couple of best friends. When Andie winds up preggers after a one-night stand, she offers the baby to Lizzie, who’s desperately, but unsuccessfully been trying for a kid. It may sound like a Rom-Com, but the hilarious, relatable relationships allow the story to ascend above that genre.

Jessie and I were running around Austin like crazy people, but managed to squeeze in an interview. We both put our feet up, our hair down and were happy to talk filmmaking for a while. Jessie definitely assured me that being a woman and having a voice in this industry couldn’t be more exciting.

ATW: You’re from the world of playwriting. How did you make the transition to film?

M: I grew up in New York City and was an actress starting off. I started writing plays as an opportunity to perform. That was the initial motivation, but then I discovered I actually preferred writing to acting. It was really difficult to make the transition from playwriting to screenwriting because they’re such different animals. I’ve spent a long time developing my skills as a screenwriter. It’s even more gratifying to have Gus premiere at SXSW because it’s been a long road for me.

ATW: Do you have any plays that inspired you to become a writer?

M: This sounds like a cheesy answer, but A Chorus Line. I was probably too young to see it, but I do remember being so dazzled by that show and thinking that’s what I want to do in some form or another.

ATW: You wrote Spine, a play that, like Gus, also deals with female issues.

M: All of these stories are about women who are on a journey themselves and the evolution of their journey. Spine was about a couple of women in their 20s navigating that rough decade.

ATW: I’m in it!

M: It’s not easy! Gus was more about women in their 30s and motherhood, that impending biological clock. I wanted to write about two women who are best friends and portray that relationship in a real grounded way. They’re platonic soul mates. I’m lucky enough to have those friendships in my own life, and I wasn’t seeing that in other movies. The baby stuff was a way for me to explore that relationship.

ATW: Were Andie and Lizzie composite characters of people you knew or coming from parts of you?

M: There are aspects of my personality, but I don’t feel like they’re me, even with the men. With Andie, I had made a short film called The Antagonist, that character was an evolution of the character I played in the short. With Lizzie, I wanted to write a character that was the opposite and that they love the fact that they’re opposites.

ATW:  Was it strange to cast someone in a part that you had played in The Antagonist?

M:Ireally divorced myself from the fact that I played that part because I have no desire to act. I really actively did not want to be in the film in the feature, and I was focused on the best person for the part. Radha was the first person to come on board. I went to a reading she was in and my friend Diane Bell introduced me to her. I kind of stalked Radha! In a respectful way! Because our producer Richard Gladstein knew Michelle’s representatives, it helped everything coalesce. I’m really indebted to him!

ATW: What I love about SXSW is that there are a lot of first time directors here! What was your first go at a feature like?

M: I didn’t deal with a lot of nightmares you typically deal with with independent films. That doesn’t’ mean there weren’t hiccups along the way; it was more along the lines with we just lost this location, or people’s schedules aligning. Overall, it was a great experience, a lot of serendipitous things occurred. We laughed a lot on set and had fun. When your actors are having fun on set, it will show on screen.

ATW: How do you juggle the hats of writing, directing, and producing Gus?

M: That’s one of the reasons I stopped acting, it would’ve sucked all the joy out of a movie I had directed, produced and written. It’s not a career I have any desire to purse. The other roles, they’re all very compatible with one another. I really enjoyed wearing all those hats. It is a fluid relationship between those three roles. It didn’t feel like I was schizophrenic!

ATW: Do you have a writing nest?

M: In New York I do; there’s a café I like to write in! It’s upper west side. I think I’m drawn to the environment and its not too bright. I don’t like bright lighting. It has this quaint homey feel to it. And I like the food! They let me hang out there all day long and it has pretty chandeliers. In LA it depends on my mood; there’s nothing so set in stone.

ATW: SXSW is thepremiere for Gus! What are your hopes for the film?

M: I just want to remind people that we’re all human, and we’re all flawed. We’ve all tried to force a situation into our lives that possibly wasn’t meant to be. When you want something bad enough, whether it be a baby or a mate, it can be easy to ignore all the signposts that it won’t work out. I also hope people see themselves in these characters, or someone they know, even if you do not want to be a parent. That’s just sort of the backdrop to explore all these relationships.

ATW: How do you feel about being a female voice in the industry?

M: I feel like it’s helped me more than it’s hurt me. I think both women and men have wanted to help me; they had to believe in the project, but there was an added incentive to help me because I was a women. If they respond to the material and to you and your vision, I think people want to help. I’ve been so struck by the kindness of strangers! This whole process with indie filmmaking is an exercise in asking for favors. That was the hardest part. I was constantly struck by how willing people were to do that, though. It’s been really heartening.

ATW: That’s fantastic to hear!

M: Yea! And you really have to let your enthusiasm for the project shine through. That’s infectious. I’m a pushy broad from New York! That’s inherent in my DNA! It’s all about selling yourself. This movie is not just for chicks! I have no interest in making a film for just one gender. I really hope men will go see the film too!