by Stephen Vagg
Lou Sanz, the writer of the new Australian comedy, Audrey.
So, tell us about Audrey?
“Audrey is this oddly relatable Aussie dark comedy about Ronnie Lipsick (Jackie van Beek), a former soap star who crowned herself ‘Mother of the Year’ but is stuck in the slow-burn hell of unfulfilled dreams and suburban purgatory. Her acting career fizzled out early, thanks to a pregnancy that wasn’t exactly planned. Now she’s got a husband who’s more disengaged than a bad Wi-Fi connection and kids who seem to think that she’s just there to do laundry. Then her eldest daughter, Audrey (Josephine Blazier), conveniently falls into a coma, and Ronnie takes the chance to finally become the star she was always meant to be — by living Audrey’s life. Meanwhile, her husband (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) gets his bi-groove back by producing Christian porn – of course, and their younger daughter Nora (Hannah Diviney) thrives in the limelight that Audrey’s coma has left behind. Basically, everyone’s lives improve when Audrey checks out.”
How did you become involved?
“Ha, yeah, I dragged everyone else into it — because it’s my idea, my story, my script. I wrote what became Audrey a while ago, and it floated around for years, getting a bit of attention here and there. But nothing really clicked until I met [director] Natalie Bailey. She was the missing piece to get the whole thing rolling, and it’s how we ended up with the film we made and the ridiculously talented cast and crew who made it possible.”
At the risk of defamation, were there any real-life inspirations?
“No, not directly. But sure, people might see themselves in there. Isn’t that the whole point of art? To reflect the world that we see — or maybe, the world we want to see? Audrey is influenced by the struggles and stories around me and what I see in the media: fame, failure, shame, redemption, love… exhaustion. Are they people I know? Nope. But let’s be real, I’ve yet to meet a narcissist who wasn’t a little into me.”
Tell us about yourself; one paragraph, and no cheating with your paragraph lengths?
“Well, you asked, so… I’m a writer. (pauses) Fine—I’m a writer who knew I wanted to be a screenwriter after watching the US indie scene explode in the late ‘90s. Films like Happiness, But I’m a Cheerleader, Clerks, Before Sunrise… let’s be honest, you couldn’t throw a stick back then without hitting a great screenplay. Here in Australia, we had our own gems too — Two Hands, Muriel’s Wedding, The Castle (Aussies have always been suckers for a good laugh). But if you’re wondering what kind of weird childhood inspired this? Well, I wasn’t allowed to watch Neighbours growing up (mum didn’t trust cul-de-sacs), but I was allowed to binge Magnum PI, LA Law, and Remington Steele — oh, and whatever bootlegged Spanish film my dad snuck in. Mum finally caved when my Nan said it was affecting my social standing at school – not being able to watch Neighbours. So, I got Neighbours, supervised. As for writing, I’m drawn to stories that subvert expectations, but honestly, most outsiders do that naturally just by existing. And that’s my POV in everything I write.”
How did the script change over time?
“It’s definitely evolved. When I first wrote it, I was younger and probably saw more of myself in Norah and her relationship with her sister. But then, life happened — I got older, had a kid, watched my career stall a bit, and suddenly Ronnie became a lot more relatable. I started seeing her with a level of empathy and understanding that I didn’t have before. My work kind of grows up with me — it’s all connected. Eventually, I made Ronnie the focus in a way that I’m still figuring out how to do for myself.”
What was the development process like?
“Once Natalie came on board and introduced me to producer Michael Wrenn, we were able to secure funding so I could really focus on developing the script. I also started working with Keith Thompson, who’s a bit of a legend in the industry, as the script editor. It was pretty seamless. Everything I wanted to write or explore was supported, which is basically every writer’s dream. That’s not to say that there wasn’t strong feedback — there definitely was — but when you’re trusted with your own vision, you welcome that kind of critique. It only makes the work better.”
You met the director at an industry speed dating event, yes? Do those things actually work?
“I think taking risks works. I met Natalie that day — she was my last ‘date’. I went in with a mix of optimism and trepidation. At the time, I’d just been told by people who were supposed to be in my corner that I didn’t have a career in this country, and frankly, never would. They even said no one in the Australian film and TV industry wanted to work with me. But I wasn’t completely convinced. So, I signed up for this event, met Natalie, and fangirled over her because, well, she’s worked with French and Saunders and Armando Iannucci. I mentioned Audrey in passing, but at the time, another director was attached. Fate, however, had other plans, and less than a year later, Natalie was officially on board to direct. So yeah, sometimes those things work — but mostly, I think it’s about trusting your gut and sticking around long enough for the ‘no’ to turn into a ‘yes’.”
Tell us about the cast? Any standouts?
“Where do I start? They’re all brilliant. Jackie van Beek is an absolute masterclass in this film. Ronnie is a tough, complex character to pull off — let alone make likable (because, you know, for some reason we expect female characters to be ‘likable’). But Jackie makes Ronnie, with all her moral ambiguity, not only understandable but funny and empathetic. Jeremy Lindsay Taylor — what a revelation. The man is a natural clown – beautiful work as the crumpled Cormack finding his groove again. Hannah Diviney is uncompromising, fearless, and impossible to look away from. Josephine Blazier — she’s got this incredible ability to switch from vulnerable to hostile to totally relatable in the span of a single scene. Fraser Anderson as our doomed Romeo? Fantastic. Aaron Fa’aoso as Bourke? Wonderful. Gael Ballantyne as Lucinda? She blows me away — and slightly triggers me. But honestly, some of the smaller roles are the real gems for me — Jeanda St James, Tiare Brooks, Tracie Filmer, Wendi Locke, Ngoc Phan, Vivienne Abitia, Monette Lee — they all really held their own and brought so much to the film.”
Jackie van Beek is also a writer – how was she on script?
“If you’re asking whether she actually learned her lines, yes, she did. But the real advantage of having Jackie, from a writer’s point of view, is that she gets it. She understood why I made the choices I did when it came to Ronnie. Any suggestions she had were only ever to dig deeper into the ‘why’ and support the intent of the scene.”
You were (are?) an actor – how come you didn’t worm your way into this in front of the camera?
“Well, I quit stand-up because I realised I didn’t want people looking at me—a bit of a problem when it comes to performing. But, technically, I am in the film – as an extra. In the roof scenes, I’m standing behind Hannah — helping her not roll down the driveway. It was either me or a block of wood, and she opted for me, so Babs McNeel was born. Jackie and I even built this whole backstory for Babs between takes, but, tragically, none of it made it to the screen. Let’s just say Babs has layers.”
There’s a been a lot of talk – mostly from old white comics – about how “you can’t make fun of anything these days” but Audrey appears to have zero problems, taking some swings at taboo topics (eg people in wheelchairs) – how do you navigate that?
“Work smarter. Be funnier by being smarter. There’s no need to punch down when you can punch sideways – or even better, up! I’ve been asked how something so ‘politically incorrect’ managed to get funded, and my answer is simple — it’s not politically incorrect. This is the world we live in, and this is how people behave in it. If we want to talk about these things, have fun with them, and put them front and centre, we need to approach them differently. Comedy, at its core, is a radical act — so be radical. Don’t come from a place of fear — that’s a slippery slope into hate. Come from a place of curiosity, a desire to understand.”
How dark do you go in a dark comedy?
“As dark as the characters’ truth takes them. Honestly, I’m not sure that I’ve hit the darkest point yet, but I always make sure that there’s heart in there somewhere — heart in the darkness, heart in the heart of darkness… okay, I’ll stop. But really, it’s about balancing the two — when you go dark, you have to give people something to hold on to, otherwise, it’s just bleak.”
What had to be cut out that you hated cutting (i.e. what darlings did you kill)?
“We had a TikTok dance scene that got the chop. On paper, it was great, but in the edit, it became obvious we needed more time with Ronnie before she’s doing a TikTok trauma dance next to Audrey’s coma bed. Fun fact, that scene was inspired by a real video my husband sent me of a mum doing a trauma dance while her child was in the hospital. She’s now got her own reality TV show… I mean, you can’t make this stuff up (well, I can and do).”
Any particular funny memories from the shoot?
“Watching the crew slowly realise what kind of film we were making. Every day, their reactions were priceless — they’d be sneaking off during lunch breaks to read the script and find out what moral boundary we were going to push next. Aaron and Jeremy having a little dance party before some of their scenes made me laugh. They were just so at ease, grooving off to the side. Honestly, there wasn’t a day on set we didn’t laugh. Well, maybe one day — but that’s for the memoir.”
What are you up to at the moment, and what’s next for you?
“I’m developing a dark comedy TV series with my husband, John Kachoyan, loosely based on his experience with cancer. I’m also working on several film and TV projects here and in the US. They’re all my ideas, and they’ve all got that signature touch you’d expect from my work. I want to direct, keep producing, and, ideally, go on holiday to a place with a swim-up bar and a kids club (for my son, not me). I’ve been in this industry long enough, and now that the door is finally swinging open, I’m walking through it and taking every opportunity that comes my way.”
Audrey is in cinemas from 7 November 2024
