Actress and filmmaker Vivian Kerr chatted about writing, directing, and starring in the film “SCRAP.”
This marks her feature directorial debut, and it co-stars Anthony Rapp, Lana Parrilla, Khleo Thomas, Beth Dover, Brad Schmidt, and Julianna Layne.
The synopsis is: After getting laid off, a single mom (Vivian Kerr) struggles to hide her homelessness from her estranged brother (Anthony Rapp) and his wife (Lana Parrilla). “Anthony Rapp is amazing, he is an incredible actor, I loved your dynamic working together, especially the brother and sister relationship,” she said.
“I wrote the feature film with him in mind as my on-screen brother, and I tailored it to that dynamic. We sent him the script and he wanted to do it, which was great.”
“This movie was seven years of my life, it was a lot,” she admitted. “That’s how long it takes to make a feature film, from getting the idea to writing it, to financing it. By the time it gets to the festival circuit, you realize that it took a huge chunk of your life.”
“I loved working with Brad Schmidt even though he is playing such a bad guy in this film,” she said. “Brad is amazing. Even though people hate his character so much, he is a really nice guy, and I always have to defend his character. I would totally love to work with Brad again.”
The digital age
On being an actress and filmmaker in the digital age, Kerr said, “I don’t know any different because I came to directing later on. This is my first feature so it’s all new to me. I didn’t realize how important social media is, especially for small films.”
Stage of her life
Regarding the title of the current chapter of her life, Kerr said with a sweet laugh, “Oh, Christ.” “It’s a whirlwind,” she admitted. “I’ve been doing so much travel to all these festivals and at the same time, I am doing post-production on another film.”
“It has definitely been a whirlwind but an exciting one, a good one,” she added.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Kerr said, “Success means being able to continue on in this field and to keep going.”
Closing thoughts on ‘SCRAP’
Kerr concluded about “SCRAP,” “I hope this movie allows viewers to self-reflect a little bit. The film is about a woman who is stuck, and she is not taking responsibility in her own life. She is overwhelmed and scared about the future. She doesn’t know how to be a present parent and she is scared to take a hard look at herself. I hope it inspires people to reflect on their own responsibilities and accountabilities.”
To learn more about Vivian Kerr, follow her on Instagram.
