Actress, author and screenwriter Jill Kargman (“Odd Mom Out” on Bravo) chatted about writing and starring in the new film “Influenced,” which was directed by Rachel Israel.
Jill Kargman is a New York Times bestselling author and the creator of “Odd Mom Out” on Bravo TV.
The synopsis is: Popular influencer Dzanielle (Jill Kargman) navigates fake friends among the Black card-swiping, Ozempic sharting, workout-addicted Upper East Siders. In her comedic quest for a million followers, she finds her first real new friend and her true self.
In “Influenced,” Jill Kargman leads an all-star ensemble cast, which includes David Krumholtz, Justin Bartha, Christine Taylor, Laura Bell Bundy, Jessica Capshaw, Eugene Cordero and Dan Hedaya, as well as cameos by Drew Barrymore, Jason Biggs, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon.
Inspiration to write ‘Influenced’
On her inspiration to write “Influenced,” Jill shared, “Well, during COVID, I was messing around with the character, and I had posted every day on my stories about this woman, Dzanielle, who was like complaining about the lockdown.
“After one particularly viral post, which got half a million views — and that is a lot for me — Vogue’reached out to do a profile on me,” she noted.
“Then, I had some interest from producers and that fleshed out to be a TV show, and it eventually became this feature. It really just started as a total experiment because I was bored during COVID,” she explained.
Taking on both roles as actress and screenwriter
On juggling both hats (actress and screenwriter), she said, “It was great. I had done that with my show ‘Odd Mom Out,’ which is on Peacock. So, I did that for a few years and I learned the ropes on that show. With this, it was sort of a similar skill set.”
Lessons learned from the ‘Influenced’ screenplay
On the lessons learned from the “Influenced” screenplay, she reflected, “Well, I had a co-writer, Carol Ray Hartsell, and her husband Sean Crespo. I feel like they brought a lot of heart to it.”
“What I learned about myself, which is something I kind of already knew, is that I’m good at being silly, but I need sometimes help structurally. I feel like they brought so much to the story,” she elaborated.
“I always say that I love when partners help build the Christmas tree so I can do the ornaments. So, they really brought a lot of heart, and they created the character Gary. So, I couldn’t have done it without them,” she expanded.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, she said, “I’m 51, so I feel I’m a little bit in it, but not really. I have younger children who are Gen Z, who are part of the digital age, but I haven’t mastered AI. I don’t really use TikTok.”
“My kids set up an account, but I’m really an Instagram girl, which worked,” she noted. “It worked because for this movie, we partnered with Instagram. So, we have their user interface and all of the fonts and graphics.”
“It looks real in the movie because it is real,” she admitted. “I wanted to have that touchstone moment for viewers to see that this feed feels like a real person, but then you see the dichotomy between what she is posting filtered with little cartoon hearts and then her actual life, which is kind of lonely.”
Advice for young and aspiring artists, storytellers, and content creators
For young and emerging artists, content creators, and storytellers, Jill said, “My advice is to just like double down on you, and no one is better than you are in the whole world at being you.”
“So, never sell your soul or water something down for a paid post that doesn’t feel like you,” she noted.
“Just keep doubling down on you, the more you do that, and the more you have that crystallized version of yourself… and that is the part that people connect with,” she explained.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “50 and Fabulous.”
Superpower of choice
When asked about her superpower of choice, she said, “Well, I have an X-Men mutant superpower that I don’t want, where I am invisible to bartenders.”
“I would have to light myself on fire at a party to get a cocktail. So, I would just undo that power so that I could be visible to bartenders,” she added.
Success
Regarding her definition of success, she said, “Success means joy with your personal life… all the professional things don’t matter if you are not happy.”
“I’m very lucky. I have a great family and a small but mighty circle of friends,” she added.
Message for her fans
For her fans, Jill expressed, “I want to say thank you for sticking with me and watching ‘Odd Mom Out’ or reading my books and going to a movie theater to see this movie. Their support really means a lot to me.”
Closing thoughts on the new movie ‘Influenced’
Jill remarked, “I just want the fans to have 88 minutes of not thinking about the outside world. I just want them to smile and have like a fun night. It is just meant to be silly and fun. It is feel-good escapism.”
To learn more about Jill Kargman, follow her on Instagram.
