Recently we asked some questions of Actress and Screenwriter Michelle Lewis. Her current screenplay Thick and Thin is in Cosmic Film Festival, and others on the circuit.
Michelle's answers were so fun we thought we'd share them just as she gave them.
IFS: When did you get started in the Film Industry?
ML: I'll answer these questions, but just let me preface it by saying that I will try my best to not make my answers dull. Here we go... I started acting professionally about 13 years ago. I have wanted to be an actress since I was 5. (Stop yawning) When I saw the movie Poltergeist, I knew immediately that I wanted to do that. ( I said stop it..)Even as a 5-year old I knew it was fake, which is why I think it was so easy to make the choice to want to become an actor. I wanted to do what "Carrol-Anne" was doing. (The acting thing, not the being-abducted-by-ghosts-via-their-television thing) I began writing screenplays in 2017. I wrote a really crappy feature that actually ended up winning several festivals, but it was my first feature script (and my last) and it was absolute shit and the very thought of it clogs my bowels. Let's move on, shall we? (Hey, if nothing else, I hope the readers are still here...)
IFS: Was there something or someone that inspired you to create a screenplay for a film?
ML: No one really inspired me, per se, (not that I can recall at this time, anyway) but I and so many other independent filmmakers are sick of not being given the opportunities we feel we deserve and are capable of, so we make them ourselves.
IFS: What has been your biggest challenge?
ML: After writing the script and seeing it so clearly play out in your head, it's incredibly frustrating to not be able to get the film made. I refuse to have people volunteer for me to get this done. First of all, anyone willing to work in exchange for "IMDb credit and food served on set" is going to give you work that looks like it was paid for with "IMDb credit and food on set". (And not even something like Olive Garden. It's Lance crackers and juice boxes. Pizza if you're lucky) Being that I am a stay-at-home mom and college student, I have no time to work outside the home and it's just not feasible at this time to pay the crew/cast what they rightfully deserve so I will not even make an attempt until I know it can be done. For this script, however, knowing that it will take no more than a day (two is really stretching it, but I am a better safe than sorry kind of girl) I am assembling a small yet fantastic crew, with whom I have worked before and my co-star in the script will be Johnny Alonso, with whom I worked on the set of Harvey. He's a brilliant actor, and actually, when I wrote Thick and Thin, I had him in mind for it the whole time. The idea came to me like a dream and when I went to write it, I thought, "Johnny would play this perfectly!", so I wrote it (in less than an hour on the "notes" app on my phone, then transferred to my screenwriting software), let Johnny read it and he immediately said he wanted to put this together. I told him during a phone conversation that if he won't do it, then it won't get made. I'm just very set with what I want and I am so confident in his work that I have zero reservations about his skill. So, we are aiming for putting this together in June.
IFS: Do you have a favorite moment when everything clicked and you knew you were on the right path?
ML: When that happens, I'll be sure to give you the update as I'm still waiting for that moment. I'll be 42 in July and I still don't know where I belong. If it's not acting, it's going to be a career in forensics. That is currently my focus of study at school. I currently have a 4.0 and I am on the Dean's List, so it is a very promising endeavor should I decide to steer out of the filmmaking lane and attempt a new career field. I can go from spilling blood in my scripts to swabbing, collecting, and analyzing it in real life. Incidentally, blood spatter is actually pretty fascinating. And unless you have a mind that leans towards the "gross-yet-fascinating", don't google what "de-gloving" is. Actually, you know what? Google it. It's absolutely fascinating. And when you cringe and gag, think of me, will ya? Hey, did I mention I have severe ADHD?
IFS: Have you done it alone or had great support along the way?
ML: My husband, more than anyone has been my rock, my fortress, my biggest fan. I have my own cheering section online, but Derrick holds and maintains the brightest torch for me. Other than that, yeah, I'm alone. And for the most part, I prefer it that way. There's a much less substantial chance that I'll require bail money if I'm out here working solo. The local jailhouse most definitely does NOT accept IMDb credit and/or crackers as restitution.
IFS: What would be your dream project?
ML: Well, for major studio production, I want to play a badass character. For instance, someone like "The Bride" in Kill Bill. I would need a big budget just for my stunt doubles alone because my body forsakes me on a daily. I choke on my own spit and I trip over my own feet. I bruise like a peach and no joke, when I am on set, they have to edit out the pops and cracks that echo forth from my knees, trumpeting my approach. Otherwise, I'd also love to play a character like "Eleven" on Stranger Things. Any character with extraordinary abilities always appeals to me. It's fun to be on film, what you're not in real life, am I right?
IFS: What advice would you give to someone wanting to make a film or write a script?
ML: I always tell people, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." (This can be construed inappropriately, and honestly, yeah, it's funny to me. What? I'm a writer and we're twisted. Period. I said what I said.) And "for free" includes IMDb credits and food on set. (Again, the aforementioned inappropriate humor survives, much like the trendsetting Gloria Gaynor in her oft-covered song "I Will Survive" Great. Now I have that song in my head.)
IFS: Finally, anyone you’d like to thank or recognize, even if it's just someone who said you couldn’t get it done and that made you go harder?
ML: Sorry, the "made you go harder" got me distracted. I'll just continue forth: The progress I've made the last 13 years is proof to anyone who is hating on me or ever has, that I am more than capable. I've won so many awards with just this last script alone (21 to date) that I don't need anyone's support, approval, or validation. In the last couple of years, I have learned to clap for myself. I have been disappointed by too many people in recent years, so I'm pretty much a loner now, but the one who deserves the most credit for being an unyielding supporter is Derrick Lewis, my amazing husband. My momma has been there, of course, my whole life. There are also a few ladies who have offered their support for a decade or more and their names are April Shelburg, Christina Daugherty, Jen Miller, and Amanda McNolty. At the risk of hurting anyone unintentionally, I'll just stop there. But these are the women who have stood by my side for the majority of my life before I even attempted a career in filmmaking. There are more recent supporters who, within the last 3-5 years, have demonstrated a level of steadfast zeal that is most appreciated and they are Zivan Holloway, Jr., Sage Drake, Johnny Alonso, LeRon Rose, Jared Rush, and yes, most likely others, but I gotta cut this short because unlike with my scripts, I'm going to lose readers if I just keep naming names. I'll save that for my Oscar/Emmy acceptance speech.
IFS What else would you like us to know for this short article, that we may not have asked?
ML: Filmmaking is hard. It is not for the weak. It is not for the faint of heart. If you want things handed to you, then go to Olive Garden and order that soup and salad and those luscious breadsticks and let them hand it all to you, as it's all unlimited. But in this career field, if you want it, you have to put in that effort. People may not read your work. People may not see your films. Very few will, in fact. People may not like your work. But you don't (or shouldn't, anyway) do it for the fame and glory. You do it because your heart is in it. You do it because it's your passion. You do it because you are a storyteller and you have shit to say. SAY IT. It's long nights. It's several drafts of crappy stories that get carved into great ones after weeks, months, or even years of writing and saving up the money to have them produced. It's multiple rejections. But, much like those breadsticks, it's worth the wait. It's worth the effort. Do it. But if you're gonna do it, do it right.
And don't forget the alfredo sauce.
Find out more about Michelle Lewis by vising these links:
Facebook: facebook.com/michellelewis79
Instagram: michelle_lewis015
TikTok: Ladylew07
Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6088327/
www:imdb.me/Michellelewis19
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Michell95485709 Moon3.14
Don't forget the alfredo sauce with Michelle Lewis
Meet actress and screenwriter Michelle Lewis
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