SPRING/summer 2021

What was your approach to making this film?

I wanted to push myself to do something that I was apprehensive about and that I haven’t done before: covering a major fashion show. I went into the project wanting to make a simple love letter to New York City stories, and capture moments of calm in the midst of chaos.

What moved you about the project?

The idea of Michael, Bette and Sam’s stories all being New York stories. That’s the narrative thread I wanted to explore: how two or three people at different points on the map of time, success and experience have the same origin—same streets, same train cars, same parks, etc.

What was it like working with Michael? 

Wonderful! I was relieved to find that he was incredibly giving. There was a moment on set when a young kid followed him from Washington Square to Christopher Street for advice, and Michael was so kind and took time out for him. I was grateful that he and his team made a space for me, and I felt like he truly valued what I had to say. Ultimately, Michael’s just fun to be around. All of his stories are epic. It doesn’t get better than Paul McCartney doing the moonwalk at 3am in Obama’s White House!

And Sam—what resonated with you about their story?

When we met, it felt like I had known Sam forever. We have slightly similar stories and I felt very connected and protective of them. They’re extremely open, curious, and incredible—not just incredibly talented—and authentic and honest in a way that is scary-rare. That part of Sam’s personality came across on TV, but in person that energy is undeniable. They really can do anything they want to, and I’m so thankful that I got to work with them at this moment in their journey.

You touched on the idea of “New York stories.” What’s yours?

The city is this mythical place you read about when you’re like, twelve. Michael describes it as “Oz.” Literally, that’s what it was for me. I got The Wiz as a gift for my 8th birthday, and New York City was Oz in my childhood imagination. I went through phases obsessed with Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel, and my younger sister introduced me to Joan Didion and Laura Nyro, whose artist narratives were about escapism. I always knew I wanted to be in New York at some point, and that opportunity happened through school. I arrived with a lot of hopes and expectations, and they all happened in one way or another, good and bad. Over the last five years, New York has given me another layer and grown me up.

You have a knack for telling coming-of-age stories. How would you describe your own?

My childhood growing up in Houston was all over the place—very peripatetic—so I think it naturally flowed into storytelling. Coming-of-age stories are about people in transition. I experienced transition a lot, so I suppose that’s why it resonates with me. I think we’re constantly “coming of age.”

What inspired you to pursue a career as a filmmaker?

I always gravitated towards people and their stories. I would go on business road trips with my dad and become obsessed with an old man who worked in a factory that I met for five minutes. I also had anxiety attacks about following a traditional life plan. I never identified with practicality, and I think I was searching for something that didn’t make me feel like I had to.

Where do you most often find inspiration?

I try to find it everywhere, but I usually feel inspired when I’m traveling or moving in some way.

How would you describe your creative process?

I try to get to the heart of a subject. I don’t like remaining on the surface, so I often try to tap into my own feelings and relationship to a project. I have to find my own personal connection to what I make—it has to feel authentic. However, I also like removing myself from the idea completely in order to see a subject without my feelings entering the equation. I try to be a ghost that’s floating in the farthest corner of the room. So it’s a little bit of both, I guess.

Does your background in playwriting and poetry influence your point-of-view as a director?

Yes. I think of poetry as a meditation on small, mundane moments that feel like the gravitational pull of existence in the moment that they’re happening. Currently, that’s all I’m interested in. I think playwriting is exploring the constant back-and-forth, push-and-pull, between two people or energies. I read a lot of Sam Shepard in the two years leading up to my move to the city. His work taught me how to navigate periods of creative drought.

What is the most difficult aspect of making a documentary film?

You can have a plan, but you can’t control anything at all. I love that aspect of documentary filmmaking and try to carry that with me into narrative projects. You have to step out of the way a bit, and let things just be. That’s not to say that craft isn’t involved. Removing yourself from something and not overthinking things—I believe there’s a craft to it, and I’m learning different ways to do that.

Many have said that you’re an “old soul.” Would you say that’s true?

Ha! I think it’s true in some respect. I’m not the type of person to criticize one generation’s fascinations based on my own, but I do feel like I know a lot of random information incongruous with my age. The first movie I remember watching on TV when I was about four-years-old was Dog Day Afternoon, and there were a lot of older things and sounds that I was drawn to around the same time. I liked interacting with adults, but often felt frustrated with the way older people treated me. So I tried to learn a lot of random “stuff,” especially about music—who recorded what, when, etc.—which is now buried in my subconscious. It’s super strange, but I feel like I was older back when I was a kid, and I feel much younger and naive now.

What is one of your favorite films to watch again and again?

Picking one is hard! Days of Heaven, The Last Waltz, Goodfellas, Summer with Monika, and A Brighter Summer Day, which I just got from the Criterion Collection.

How would you describe your own sense of style?

Constantly shape-shifting, but consistently comfortable. The way I dress is deeply connected to how I feel and how I want to feel. My feelings change a lot, so I’m indecisive about what I wear. I usually end up in my favorite band T-shirts and jeans. I like transforming into different versions of myself, though. It’s all about feeling grounded and the correct version of yourself to yourself, if that makes sense. I love feeling enveloped and hugged by my clothing, and often search for pieces that do both. A good coat and jacket can change your style significantly without much work, and I love simple tops with sensual details. My go-to style icons are Patti Smith and Lisa Bonet—but I’m all over the place at the moment, and that’s probably because of the quarantine.