Becoming a parent is a life-changing event. All your (free) time will be spent caring for the little one, loving them and enjoying parenthood. However, deep down, you might realize that you must put your other hopes and dreams, maybe work or travel-related, on hold for now. That difficult position you find yourself in is explored in the dark comedy Audrey, the debut movie of director Natalie Bailey. The story, written by Lou Sanz, centres around Ronnie Lipsick (Jackie van Beek), who has given everything to her daughter, an underappreciative Audrey (Josephine Blazier), while shelving her dreams. However, the self-proclaimed Mother of the Year gets a second chance in life when Audrey falls into a coma and when she takes on her daughter’s identity to keep both of their dreams alive (but primarily hers).
Audrey is part of this year’s BFI London Film Festival, and Geek Vibes Nation had the pleasure of chatting with director Bailey. We spoke about the wonderfully dark comedic script, the casting process, and what she hopes the audience will take away with them after seeing the movie.
Geek Vibes Nation (Liselotte Vanophem): Hi, Natalie. Congratulations on the film. What about Lou’s [Sanz] script made you want to direct this story?
Natalie Bailey: For me, dark comedy is my passion. Ronnie’s character was a sliding doors character for me. I could have been Ronnie if I would have had children. I chose not to have children. Because I didn’t have a maternalistic instinct, but also because I’m so focused on my career. The story is us looking at a character who’s a little bit silly and who’s living out our guilty secret, you know? The script asks, “What happens when a parent has had a child and possibly doesn’t like the child? That’s what attracted me to it.
GVN: And how did the cast come together? They’re all amazing.
NB: The cast is fantastic. We were very fortunate. Lou said, “What about Jackie Van Beek?”. Jackie (Educators, The Inland Road) has nailed it so much. I couldn’t imagine anyone else for this role now. Obviously, in the beginning, we were looking for an Australian. We weren’t looking for a New Zealander to play the role. But she is one of the funniest people in the world. She is a director and a writer, so she was someone who would take risks and play that character beautifully.
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (Force of Nature: The Dry 2, The Dry) was someone I wasn’t aware of. He’s had a long career in Australia, but I’d been in the UK for much of his career. When he auditioned, he blew us away. He nailed it. He’s so good at being a sad clown and a sexy man at the same time. That transformation is fabulous. Finding the actress for Nora [who’s portrayed by Hannah Diviney] was one of the trickiest parts. We searched for years to find someone with cerebral palsy. Initially, it was written for a character who wasn’t a wheelchair user. However, in the end, it brought so much to the film.
Lou and I couldn’t imagine another actress for the role than Josephine Blazier (True History of the Kelly Gang, Silver and the Book of Dreams), who plays Audrey, and gave a fantastic audition. She was a new find for us. She’s excellent at being horrible and lovable. Sometimes, you’re on her side. Often, you’re not, which is excellent. She perfectly does it.
GVN: I saw the film with a packed audience. There were moments when everyone laughed, but also scenes during which we all felt a cringy feeling. When you read the script, what was your most cringy moment?
NB: Well, I love that sort of thing. It was more embarrassment than anything else for me. We took out things that might have been over the top. We were walking that line. It’s interesting because we found the right line. We were working with the talent and ensuring we were not crossing the line.
For example, that Christian porn stuff. I’m an absolute prude, so it’s hilarious that those scenes are from a film I directed. My friend, who has known me for 20 years but who hasn’t seen me for a while, saw the movie and said to me, “It was hilarious watching all this sex stuff on screen when you’re such a prude.” While those Christian scenes didn’t make me cringe, it’s not something I imagined I ever would have been putting on screen.
GVN: You already spoke about that line and finding the right balance. Was the perfect line already present in the script, or did you talk to Lou, cast members, etc., to find that balance?
NB: Lou and I work closely together. That is a really important thing for me. Too often, we take the script away from a writer and then don’t involve them, but I don’t like that practice. She’s there with me on set. We talked about it; if there were changes, we would always discuss these. Making changes was something I would only do with consulting her. This is something she’s lived with for however long. So yes, we always discussed it.
Then producer Michael Wrenn (6 Festivals, Slam) and Bankside Films came on board, and we talked with them about the tone. They share tonal ideas about what will work, where they think we can go, and what’s important to keep or lose. There was full nudity at some point, males included, and we were advised to take them out. That was because of ratings. To make sure we get the largest audience. While I wanted to push and show it all, the reality is that I needed to decide between leaving it in but having a higher rating or taking it out and having a larger potential audience.
GVN: That must have been a very difficult decision.
NB: Yes, but once they explained it to me, I understood it. For me, if women are going to show their bodies, I want men to show their bodies as well. So that’s a decision the market dictates. That’s a tricky thing.
GVN: How was it to watch the film with Lou together? As you said, she sat on the script for years, and her story finally reached the big screen.
NB: She’s so thrilled. I’m glad I have delivered her baby, and she’s happy with how it’s been delivered. We’re both delighted. For both of us, it’s our first feature. I’ve made television for years and have been attached to many other features. But, you know, COVID happened, or projects didn’t happen because of this or that reason. I’m glad this is my first film, despite it taking me 20 years longer than it should have. I’m so happy about it because it’s the right film. It’s what Lou and I love and do best. We’re super proud of it.
GVN: What do you hope people will take away from this film?
NB: The key thing is I want them to laugh. I want them to have a great time at the cinema. People laughing and permitting themselves to laugh. That is fantastic. I want people to look at themselves and be able to talk about how they feel about their kids. It’s a film about recognizing what freedoms you leave behind when becoming a parent and the lengths people go to to connect with their kids. Hopefully, parents can see how much pressure they’ve put on their children and what they give up themselves. Teenagers should recognize, “Oh, my parents gave up. They had a life before me. What was that life before I came along?”
GVN: Thank you so much for this interview, and congratulations again on the film.
NB: Thank you very much.
Read our review of Audrey here.
Subtitle translator by day. Film journalist by night.
