Disability is often a tricky subject to tackle on film, but Parker Smith and Spencer Cook tap into their own real-life relationship in their comedy drama short ACT OF GOD.
Film And TV Now spoke with the pair about their film.
FILM AND TV NOW: The tone of the film reflects both perception and perspective from two sides, the able-bodied and disabled. What was the start-off point for the script?
PARKER SMITH: The writing of the film was inspired by our everyday existence – Spencer is disabled and I was his live-in caretaker. It’s a really interesting dynamic. You’re room-mates, friends, employer-employee… adding co-writers to that list wasn’t easy.
Spencer’s character finding the $100 bill and not being able to pick it up was the starting off point. That really happened to him. The trick was to find the rest of the story and tell it in a way that covered a lot of ground without feeling too cramped or bloated.
SPENCER COOK: The short was initially inspired by something that happened to me a few years ago.
One morning, as I was commuting to work in my wheelchair, I found a $100 bill. Because I can’t really bend down to pick things up due to my disability I just Insta-gramed it and… left it there. Disabled life puts you in many situations like that- funny and maybe even poetic but also sad, especially to the uninitiated.
Parker and I had been living as room-mates for many years by that point and so we were pretty comfortable with the inherent comedy of disabled living. We wanted to bring audiences in on the joke and allow them to laugh at something that might have made the uncomfortable before.
FTVN: How has your relationship evolved since your first meeting?
PS: We met through a mutual friend who was Spencer’s live-in caretaker at the time. Spencer’s place felt like a mix between an artist incubator and a frat house, so when a room became available I jumped in. I didn’t take on any caretaking duties for the first year and a half or so. I was kind of eased into it, the opposite of what happens to the character in the film. I lived there for almost seven years and only moved out after we finished the film.
SC: When Parker moved in, he was just a friend and roommate- someone else was taking care of my back then. Over the years, he saw what the job entailed and eventually took over that role. It’s definitely not an easy position because I rely on my caregiver for pretty much everything.
It’s an unusual situation to say the least, and one that for better or worse puts you both in some extremely challenging situations… let’s just say you get to know each other pretty well. Though we didn’t set out to make films together, I think our history has made us into unusually good collaborators.
Refreshingly, this is a more involving story for somebody affected by their disability. What did you focus on initially when developing the narrative?
PS: We really wanted to show the humor of living with a disability. Finding a $100 dollar bill and not being able to pick it up is funny.
There’s plenty of hardships to endure, but that’s really the same for everybody. And just like everyone else, there are times when he just can’t do something by himself and has to ask for help.
SC: I don’t think we were trying to make the film for the a disabled audience if that’s what you’re suggesting but we certainly wanted it to feel authentic to that experience. We focused on plotting and inserting as much humor as we could.
FTVN: Tell us about your cast.
PS: Everyone in the cast was incredible and the usual response we get to the film is that it has really great performances.
Having Steve Way in the film was crucial. His character on the Hulu series Ramy was a real inspiration in the writing process. We filmed his scenes on the first day of shooting so Spencer and I were really nervous about being exposed as amateurs. It was a real boost of confidence when he came up to us at the end of the day and told us he was impressed with our production. We rode that wave the rest of the shoot.
We auditioned a lot of people for the caretaker, Paul, including some close friends, but Tinus Seaux seemed to bring the most personality to the character. We might’ve under-written that role but it didn’t matter. He added so much sweetness and care to his performance… I really don’t think the film would work without him.
SC: I played Stuart, the lead. Besides some improv this was my first time acting, so no one could be certain I’d be able to pull it off.
Tinus Seaux played Paul, my caregiver in the short. He (the actor) is an extremely warm and gentle guy which is exactly what we needed for the part. Like us, he’s based in Austin.
We were incredibly excited to work with Steve Way (on Hulu’s Ramy), who’s had more on-set experience than probably everyone else combined. He flew himself down to work on our little film and was in general just a great, generous guy.
FTVN: Tell us about your production team.
PS: Neither of us had ever been in charge of any real film productions, so without a great crew we would’ve been stuck without a movie. We were lucky enough to have plenty of extremely talented friends in Austin, like our DP Taylor Camarot.
He was great at rolling with the punches and put up with a lot of foolishness, all while shooting some beautiful footage. Same with our production designer Sam Robinson, who added so much to the mise-en-scene that Spencer and I didn’t even have to think about it. She also added the hermit crab to the film, which is one of my favourite parts. An awesome metaphor that went right over my head until we actually shot the scene.
SC: With the exception of Steve, our entire everyone who worked on the project was based in Austin at the time. It was really difficult finding crew because we just happened to pick the busiest week of the year to shoot but luckily, we made it work.
Parker and I wrote, directed, and edited it together. Having a co-director turned out to be invaluable for me due to the fact that I was also acting. Parker really stepped up when I felt fried, which was frequently.
Sam Robinson was our production designer and did a really fantastic job.
Taylor Camarot was our DP, a joy to work with. He was extremely patient with me, even as I was trying to convince him that yes, the camera will be FINE mounted to my wheelchair. I mean, why can’t we just set it on a pillow and then strap it to my lap? Would’ve totally worked.
FTVN: Where did you shoot and for how long?
PS: We shot all around East Austin for five days.
SC: We shot for 5 days in East Austin.
FTVN: We understand that this was funded via a Kickstarter campaign. How long did it take to raise finance through this?
PS: The first breakthrough was a grant from the Austin Film Society.
That gave us a sort-of seal of approval and the push to move forward with the film. Our Kickstarter goal was pretty modest in hindsight, mostly because we had no idea how to budget a film and therefore no idea of how much we really needed.
I think we were trying to raise around thirteen thousand dollars… and we hit that mark in the first eight hours. The campaign was incredibly successful, and I can’t thank the backers enough. We raised tens of thousands of dollars more than we had hoped… and still managed to go over budget.
SC: We met our original goal of $13,000 within 24 hours. By the end of the month, we had raised $35,000.
FTVN: There is a lot of speculation in the industry about able-bodied actors taking disabled-based roles from people who are disabled. What more do you feel could be done to help disabled actors become more prolific in film and television?
PS: There needs to be more stories about disabled characters, but also more disabled actors cast in everyday roles. It’s sort of like when Peter Dinklage was cast as the villain in X-Men: Days of Future Past. His height had nothing to do with the character and was never mentioned- he was just another guy. An evil guy, sure, but you get the point.
SC: This might get me into trouble but I actually don’t have a problem with non-disabled actors playing disabled characters— I have a problem when it’s bad, which is most often the case.
Speaking only for myself, I don’t think there’s anything cringier than seeing disability portrayed badly. But, it can be done. I’ve seen it. Able bodied actors can play disabled characters well, as long as the part is well written and they do their homework.
But should they? From the perspective of a disabled actor, I have to say no. Because the roles we are capable of playing are already so limited, it feels crazy to give those parts to non-disabled actors.
It’s complicated. If we say that only disabled actors can ever play disabled characters, I worry that even fewer films about disability will get made.
All of this has almost nothing to do with the question of how to help people with disabilities break into the industry, which I agree is extremely important. If we want stories about disabled characters and we want them to be any good at all, we need the input of the disabled community.
First, you need to make sure to do the obvious (but often neglected) things like making sure sets are accessible and providing film workers with good, affordable health insurance. Beyond that, there needs to be more outreach into the disabled community. The film industry has been so inaccessible for so long that we need to be shown that things have changed.
FTVN: Given the sensitivity of the subject, what were the key challenges in making sure the story didn’t talk down or create controversy in these evolving times of woke?
PS: It had to come from the heart. As long as we were being honest, we weren’t at risk for saying the wrong thing. This is our real experience and we’re the people telling the story. So, if anybody wants to try to tell us that we’re wrong-headed… they’d be the ones talking down.
SC: That isn’t really something I worried about.
FTVN: Would you like to expand on the issues and themes explored in this short into a feature concept?
PS: After we wrapped post I think we were both pretty exhausted, and if you asked us then we’d probably have said no. But the response has been so positive and encouraging that I think we’re definitely warming up to the idea.
SC: Yes, We’ve been approached by a few people and are currently writing. We’re not yet sure if it will work better as a series or a feature but in either case, it will focus more on the relationship between disabled characters and those who help them than disability itself.
FTVN: Are there plans to show this film to Congress and disability charities to highlight and outline the challenges posed?
PS: There’s a lot of things I’d like to say to Congress, so… Sure.
SC: No, not at this time but that’s a great idea.
FTVN: Who and what are your key cinematic influences?
PS: Kelly Reichardt, for sure. Paul Thomas Anderson, but everybody says that. My favourite films are probably 2001: A Space Odyssey, Yi Yi, There Will Be Blood, and Wendy and Lucy. I’ve also spent a lot of time in documentary, so I’d list the Maysles Brothers and D.A. Pennebaker up there as well.
SC: I’m not sure who my influences are but I know what I like. I really admire Alexander Payne, Greta Gerwig, and Mike Mills. I love Heat and Mauvais Sang. The Player, Punch Drunk Love, and The Birdcage are some more all time favourites. It’s all over the place, but if any of that rubs off on me, I’m grateful.
FTVN: What issues and themes would you like to explore in future work?
PS: I’d like to make a film that’s not about something in my own life. Somehow I always ended up doing that, and while I’m proud of my films, I’d like to open things up a little bit.
SC: Pretty much every idea I come up with involves caregiving in some way or another. The fact that care is so obviously vital and yet so undervalued is really interesting to me. We live in a culture of toxic self reliance. Independence is a fantasy.
FTVN: How has the festival circuit helped?
PS: Getting out there and meeting other filmmakers has been huge. Seeing their films and feeling a sense of competitive camaraderie has been really inspiring.
SC: The film festival circuit has been wonderful. It’s been a great opportunity to connect with other film-makers who are at a similar stage in their careers. It’s also been fantastic to sit in the audience and hear strangers react to your film. We’ve been getting a lot of laughs and a few gasps which is very affirming.
FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of about this short?
PS: I think the film is about a lot of things but what shines through the most is the friendship between Paul and Stuart. It’s really the heart of the film and I think to have made something like that with my long time friend Spencer is truly special.
SC: I think I’m most proud of the fact that this is our first short film and people seem to like it. I’m also proud of how we all congealed as a team. I’ve never worked harder or had more fun.
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