On the idea for Will You Be My Quarantine?, she said, “I live on a boat, so when we went into lockdown, interaction with people totally stopped. As a single woman, I realized that my entire social life was not going to happen. Everyone found a way to still connect through group zooming, which I don’t enjoy at all. But, I did see the benefits of it.”
She continued, “You didn’t need to really dress up. If you didn’t shower no-one would know and you could be wearing your pajama bottoms if you wanted. So I started to think about what that would be like for a one-on-one conversation with someone you had never met. You could play around with what people saw of your life and how you wanted to be perceived. You could almost become whoever you wanted to become. This led me to go on a Zoom date to see what it would be like. Thus the idea was born and my research began.”
On working with Full House alumna Jodie Sweetin, she said, “Jodie is so adorable, a consummate professional prepared to go above and beyond with her dedication. It was fun rehearsing on zoom with her and she was collaborative with all her ideas and how we both saw her character. She is one of those actresses that really comes alive on screen. Due to us all actually going through quarantine at the same time, we could both bring similar and different perspectives to how we felt during the lockdown. It was fun to have such a creative soulmate.”
Regarding her daily motivations, she shared that it has a lot to do with her “view.” “Living in Los Angeles in the sunshine on a boat is very different from waking up in London in the cold. I feel incredibly blessed and grateful to be here every day, I do not take that lightly. I have made opportunities for myself and I intend to make the most of them,” she said.
“I am living most people’s dreams so I don’t ever forget that. I am also a single mom, so I have responsibilities to show and lead by example. My daughter needs to see how hard I work and how I don’t ever take anything for granted. It’s also important to me that I leave an impact on this world. Through my stories, I can change the perspectives of people. That’s a very powerful superpower that I channel towards good,” she explained.
On being a filmmaker in the digital age, she noted that it feels “exciting.” “The possibilities are truly endless; however, it’s still important to keep the quality of projects. It truly is all about the story. It’s fun to know things are constantly changing and being updated and accepted. If the story is right, then anything can be done,” she said.
For young and aspiring filmmakers, she encouraged them to “just go for it.” “I would listen to my podcast ‘Filmmaking Without Fear,’ which is out now on Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts and read my book of the same name (coming February of 2021) to understand that anything is possible,” she said.
“I document my filmmaking journey thus far and give tips and tricks to up and coming filmmakers. It all comes down to the story you want to tell. The most important thing is to just go and do it. People make excuses about not having any money. Yet, most people have iPhones and iMovie, so just start. Record some clips, enlist your friends to join in. Then edit it on iMovie or another software and upload it to YouTube for free. This way you can learn and make mistakes before you’re paid on set and need to get it right,” she elaborated.
On her career-defining moments, she said, “If I hadn’t had my daughter, I wouldn’t even know about this industry or even have come to LA. Having Isabella and accompanying her to acting auditions and on to her film sets, naturally led me to fall in love with the film industry. I met and made contacts through the years, and realized this was not only what I wanted to be doing, but should be doing.”
“My divorce afforded me the ‘new life’ situation, and also meant I had to just go for it,” she said. “I had no choice as I was suddenly on my own as a single Mum. I am so excited for the next decade and what it holds for me as a storyteller. Every day I wake up and something new is happening, it’s about taking all the opportunities that are given to me and creating my own.”
She defined the word success as follows: “To me, success means waking up on my boat with my daughter Isabella and Maltese Chai, opening my fridge and making a cup of tea, and reading my emails on my iPhone whilst watching the sea lions swim past. On to planning my pre-production, current, or post-production films.”
“Getting dressed into anything I choose before heading off in my car to a meeting about a project that I have created or begun to work on. Being able to pay for a work lunch with my own money, and make phone calls to my mum and friends whilst heading home, and all of that whilst being healthy and happy. What more could I ask for? I consider myself to already be hugely successful,” she said.
“Will You Be My Quarantine? is a rom-com starring Full House star Jodie Sweetin, and will be released in 2021,” she said. “It’s funny and sweet and quirky. Written and directed from the heart. Anyone that can make a film is amazing, but making it during the COVID pandemic was a huge added feat. I love when people tell me they think something is impossible to do because then I just go and do it. If you set your mind to something, you can achieve it. I take pride in sharing my knowledge of how to do this with others, so they can go achieve the impossible as well. Follow my social pages to find out more @motheranddaughterent and @elizabeth_b_t.”