Producing an Independent Film w/ Kim Waltrip (cont'nd)
nthWORD: How did the script for Expecting Mary fall into your hands?
KW: I had just finished another project and I was looking for a new one. But I thought it would be a great idea to start a film fund in the Palm Springs area, so I went to a banker friend of mine who mentioned Jim Casey, who is our executive producer. I knew Jim from the board of Women in Film and he'd been trying to do this for a while. So I went and talked to Jim and he thought it would be a great idea, so we found a project and he raised some money and that was it. It doesn't happen like that everyday, but we were fortunate enough that everything just fell into place really quickly. He had a relationship, previously, with Linda Gray, from Dallas, and she wanted to direct a project, so we thought about doing that one instead of Expecting Mary, but we couldn't make the numbers happen with the amount of money we had. So we regrouped and this other project that already had executive producers fell through, so we picked it up, we loved it anyway, and took it from there.
nthWORD: How did you feel about the script after reading it for the first time?
KW: It's funny because I read scripts all the time, and you get to page four or five and you can tell if you're going to make it through the end or not. But when I started reading this one, I just couldn't stop reading it. I loved it. It's a feel good movie. It's a family movie. And it hit a chord in me as a viewer; I wanted to see it on the screen without necessarily thinking about the profitability. And then on top of that, I thought it would be a great financial prospect.
nthWORD: Can you compare your vision of the film before and after shooting?
KW: When I first read it, it was quick and fast and funny, and as we started filming we found the heart. The movie took on a different dimension, for the better. The humor is still there, but there's a lot of compassion and heartwarming moments.
nthWORD: You only had eighteen days to shoot this feature--
KW: We did, because that's all the money we had.
nthWORD: That's not a lot of time. What were some of the challenges you faced as a producer and for the team as a whole?
KW: Well, it meant that everybody was going to be working extra hard and extra quickly and for not a lot of money. And it also meant that our director was really going to have to do his job and keep everything flowing really quickly. And he did. Dan Gordon is just amazing. How he got this done, I have no idea, how we did it, but Dan was the catalyst for making it all flow and move. He did a brilliant job. The movie is wonderful. I've seen it several times now. We got lucky too with the elements. There were no weather issues. It was magical.
nthWORD: In the interviews on Entertainment Tonight, cast members said this was a very fun set to work on. What made it so much fun?
KW: I think because everyone got along. You have a lot of personalities on set. There were 142 crewmembers and a lot of cast, and that's a lot of personalities that could sometimes clash, but we didn't have that. Everyone got along with everybody. There were no issues. It was kind of weird. It took on a life of its own. That says a lot for the project. I think that the crew loved the project and they enjoyed reading it and wanted to make it come to life. Everybody was willing to work that hard; so again that speaks to Dan Gordon.
nthWORD: What was it like working with Cybill Shepherd and Elliott Gould and Linda Gray?
KW: It was awesome. They're so good at their craft and each one of them different, in their own respects. They were pleasant, happy to be there. They couldn't have been more accommodating. No one asked for anything unusual. We were blessed. And them too -- they loved the script so much and they were happy to be working. The cool thing is we were employing a lot of people over the age of fifty and they don't get a lot of work these days. Everybody was really happy to be on the set.
nthWORD: Gene Simmons is a rock star, not an actor. What was it like working with him on this film?
KW: When you watch him in this, he's brilliant. He knows what he's doing. He might be a rock star, but he's a very smart man. He's a great businessman. He brings in this De Niro type of performance and you'll be amazed. He's really good. And he was so worried -- he doesn't play a very nice person in this, but he was worried more about how his daughter was going to view him after this. He was like, my daughter is going to be so mad at me! The whole crew was on their best behavior, because Gene Simmons is coming to work today. It was exciting having him around. It was exciting having everyone around.
nthWORD: How does producing this movie compare to projects you've worked on in the past?
KW: They're all different. The one I did before this one I was flying in a helicopter and shooting aboard a war ship. Every project is different. You just have to be open and prepared and go with the flow.
nthWORD: What do you think viewers will take away from this movie?
KW: The world is in a really weird place right now -- the economy is bad. I think people will watch this movie and feel really good about who they are and they'll go home and have their family and appreciate where they are and who they have in their life.
nthWORD: What's next for Expecting Mary? When can we expect the premiere?
KW: We hope to get this out in theaters in April, 2010.
nthWORD: What's next for you?
KW: We are looking at scripts right now. We have a few we are looking at, and we're just trying to see if we can make them work, money wise. We're hoping for another great story, something people want to see.
nthWORD: Kim, thank you so much for speaking with us today.
KW: Thank you!
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