I challenged myself to write/direct a romantic comedy. People trash talk the rom com, but it's one of the oldest cinematic genres, with stellar origins like Twentieth Century and Trouble in Paradise. I think as audiences lost their innocence, the genre lost its suspense. To create suspense, you need obstacles, so I gave my couple an obstacle that very few people ever overcome: their own behavior and their past.
Leslye HeadlandI focus on darker things or bad behavior or explicit dialogue because creatively I am more interested in my mistakes and why I made them than my good deeds and my achievements.
Leslye HeadlandDon't take anything personally. You're going to come up against a lot and the best thing is to ignore it and don't let the bastards get you down and keep moving forward because you are going to be treated differently.
Leslye HeadlandI can't be the only person that's like, "Why am I in love with this guy just because he makes me feel bad?" I can't be the only person in the world who's had that feeling.
Leslye HeadlandFor [people] to be like "So what it's like dealing with female characters who are completely disgusting?" I don't think they are - does that make me weird? I made a very intentional choice to not care about that stuff, and go like "I don't care about it, I'm just gonna tell my truth and see what happens."
Leslye Headland