Filmmaker and actress Courtney Paige chatted about her new movie “Chapel,” which she directed and co-wrote.
“Chapel” premiered on the streaming service Tubi on January 17, and it stars Jeremy Sumpter (“Peter Pan” fame), Pardis Saremi, and Taryn Manning.
The synopsis is: A man becomes a suspect in a serial murder case after waking from a coma with no recollection of who he is.
On her inspiration to write and direct this film, Paige said, “Kyler Fisher, our partner at Yeehaw Films asked me to write a film we could all go shoot in Utah. The film is inspired by ‘Memento.’ A friend of mine named Jack Reher and I came up with the concept together.”
“It wasn’t until after we wrapped that we thought to add a split personality complex to Jeremy’s role. Bringing in Lochlyn Munro to play that part was fun. He did a great job with it,” she added.
She opened up about working with Pardis Saremi and Jeremy Sumpter as the two leads in her film. “They did a great job,” she exclaimed. “Jeremy does his best to make sure the crew is happy. Not a lot of actors do that, so it was really refreshing to see someone go out of their way.”
“Jeremy always telling stories and making people laugh. Pardis was lovely. Everyone adored her and she did a great job, especially with her accent. They took the film very seriously and brought so much life to the story,” she elaborated.
On the lessons learned from this movie, Paige shared, “This film taught me not to fear challenges. We faced many of them during the film such as COVID 19, and a strike, amongst other things. If someone survived the making of ‘Chapel,’ they can survive anything.”
When asked about being a part of the digital age, especially at a time with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent, she responded “I miss Blockbuster.”
Regarding her future plans, she remarked, “I am about to go to picture on ‘Neon Candy.’ It’s a very special project based off a true event. This film is one I’ve been working on for the better part of a decade.”
For young and aspiring filmmakers, Paige said, “Trust yourself and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Learn to take breaks, but never quit (if it’s something you’re truly passionate about doing).”
On her definition of the word success, she said, “To put purpose and meaning behind whatever it is you set your mind to.”
Paige concluded about her film “Chapel,” “We never know when it’s our time to go or what someone else may be battling. No bad days.”
To learn more about Courtney Paige, follow her on Instagram, and check out her IMDb page.
Read More: Review of “Chapel” on Tubi.
