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At the “Variety Culture & Storytelling presented by World of Hyatt” event at the Sundance Film Festival, a panel of creatives in the film industry sat down with Variety senior entertainment and media writer Matt Donnelly to discuss the role of cultural experiences in shaping creative work. The group included Molly Ringwald (“Run Amok”), Danielle Brooks (“If I Go Will They Miss Me”), Ali Ahn (“Take Me Home”), Rain Spencer (“Big Girls Don’t Cry”), and Dawn Porter (“When a Witness Recants”).
The panel explored how immersion in different locations and cultures on set influenced the direction of their projects and them as people.
Brooks, who filmed “If I Go Will They Miss Me” in Los Angeles’ Nickerson Projects, described the filming process as intense. “It’s so beautiful seeing the kids playing outside who don’t have much, but they’re so connected to the world,” said Brooks. “They’re just open in a way that we are not always, because we might be afforded a lot more.”
Ahn had a different perspective filming “Take Me Home” in Orlando, stating, “We don’t live in a country where there’s a system built for us to step in in any other way than families to take that burden. But you can feel that stuckness in the place.”
Porter found herself challenging the stereotypes in her mind when filming in an Alabama abortion clinic, saying that it was “really fulfilling” to see people being taken care of.” Ringwald reflected on her very first movie, which filmed in Europe when she had never been outside California before, and how it opened up her world and shaped her life. The only American on a New Zealand set, Spencer also travelled internationally and was captivated by the country’s natural beauty, calling it “healing.”
The group also discussed the various media that had inspired them to travel. Ringwald said “Reds” made her want to learn about history, while Porter was inspired by Gallipoli, Turkey. Ahn was drawn to “Kevin Costner and those mountains” in “Dances with Wolves,” and Spencer referred to “Brokeback Mountain” and “Napoleon Dynamite.” A self-proclaimed theater girl, Brooks found Brandi Carlile’s “Cinderella” to invoke a sense of wanting to transport, but to a stage instead of a country.
Traveling the world also resulted in some painful experiences, as Ahn revealed she was injured after a fall in Scotland.
“They have a tradition in Scotland where you jump into the lakes, and I am not a cold plunge girly. But I’m here, let me do as the locals do. As I was heading back to my pile of clothes that were on the rocks, I fell hard. I get back into my room to take a hot shower, and I’m looking at the bathtub, and there’s pink everywhere,” said the actress, referring to her bleeding.
Spencer went rock-climbing in Iceland in the middle of a strong wind, while Ringwald got her fruit stolen by monkeys in Africa, and Porter suffered from food poisoning in the middle of making a movie.
“I’m gonna beat everyone — shooting on a plantation,” Brooks quipped. “You weren’t ready for that one, were you?”
The panel also revealed ways they stay in touch with their own culture and heritage when filming.
Brooks, who comes from a family of “big cookers,” likes to bake and bring in banana pudding for the crew; Spencer brings candles to help her feel grounded and at home; and Ringwald is often accompanied by her cat.
“I’m the child of Korean immigrants, so what I bring to set is work ethic, discipline, and a really strong ability to take criticism,” joked Ahn. Porter stated it was important for her crew on a Baltimore shoot to be “majority Black” when filming at a majority-Black school, so the children could see themselves represented.
Closing out the panel, the group discussed their dream locations to film someday. Brooks wants to revisit a church-turned-Airbnb in Atlanta, while Ahn, Porter, and Spencer chose the tropical locations of Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Kauai, respectively. Ringwald chose the Galapagos Islands because she “really want[s] to see those giant turtles.”
English (US) ·