by Dov Kornits
One of the leads in improvised indie American Parent is part of a collective that is intent on making films in their home state of Kansas.
“Emily Railsback [left], the director, and I are friends and creative partners,” says Kristen Bush. “We had been trying to create more work together since our first short film, Fear Not, which we shot in our childhood home state of Kansas in 2017. American Parent came about as inevitable conversations of ‘what do we do next?’ evolved out of Fear Not – as well as Emily’s deeply personal experience during Covid. This was the first time – and may be the only – that I didn’t have to audition for a lead role in a film.
“I’ve known Emily since I was in high school and she was in grade school in rural Kansas,” Bush continues. “We went our separate ways until decades later when I was playing Yelena in Uncle Vanya at The Goodman and she was at Columbia College as a grad student in directing. On one of my days off – and over daytime margaritas – we talked about how we had each independently wanted to make films in our home state of Kansas, as we both shared a deep love of it – despite the fact that it’s known as a ‘flyover’ state and is deeply underrepresented in film.
“She was the directing collaborator I had always dreamed of… and I think she found something in me as an actor, as well. I was about to discover one of things that I’ve since come to love about Emily – and that is that she is bound and determined to make films… no matter what. So, since that first margarita date, we’ve collaborated on three shorts, two feature films, and have started a production company called Rural Women Films... all since 2017.”
Since American Parent, they have made a short film, The Game Camera. “It was my first-ever attempt at executive producing and writing… all while starring in a film,” says Bush. “We shot it in rural Kansas with a mostly female cast and crew which was largely funded by Kansas women who gave fifty bucks here, twenty bucks there. It’s the culmination of over two years of my life and I am inordinately proud of the experience and the outcome. It showcases the quiet beauty of the prairie landscape and the women who live there. And, naturally, Emily was integral to it, as she directed it and spent countless hours in the editing room, bringing the screenplay to life. As she says, we have two options: we can make movies or get a good night’s sleep. We’re opting for the former.”
A very appropriate comment considering the disrupted sleep for parents of a newborn.
American Parent is an affecting drama about a married lesbian couple struggling through Covid and the challenges of having it all – pursuing meaningful careers and relationships, first-time parenthood and the compromises in between.
I understand that the film was improvised. Was that prospect attractive or daunting?
“Attractive and daunting. I hadn’t ever been given the opportunity to improvise on film – or in any professional capacity, really. My experience with impro had been limited to grad school, where we did it quite a lot – and mostly in a dramatic, ’stay-true-in-the-moment’ kind of way. So, when Emily said she wanted the actors to improvise what they thought the characters would say, I was excited to dust off an old skill, but also very nervous. Honestly, I don’t know how well I did with it, but I’m so grateful for the chance to have done so, as it’s rare for actors to have that much influence on their character’s words.”
How did the whole improvising work? Was there an outline? Did the director shoot and shoot?
“We had an outline of what the scene had to accomplish, plot point-wise. Emily and her co-writer Doreen Bartoni had a definite arc of the characters and plot, but the nuances were left largely to Rebecca Ridenour and me. We would be changing in the dressing room (aka, Emily’s bedroom in real life, as we were shooting in her apartment) and Emily, Rebecca, and I would discuss loosely what needed to be said in the next scene as we were putting on our costumes. There was something so free and organic – and dare I say, gutsy – about it. And, yes, Emily shot a lot, but she tends to be the type of director who knows what she wants and, when she gets it, she moves on.”
How similar are you to Elsie?
“That’s one the lovely things about creating a role alongside the writers… I got to have a bit of say in who Elsie was. There were some definite similarities – self-described introverts, cautious, devoted to their work – but also some vast differences, she’s more cerebral than me, more interested in theological scholars, has a ’normal’ job. But I would like to think that I identify with her struggle to do what she thinks is the right thing for her, her family, and her career.”
Have you played many leading roles? How was that responsibility?
“I’ve rarely played the leading role on TV or film, although most of my stage roles have been leads. There’s that hackneyed phrase about there being no small parts, only small actors, but that’s inaccurate… or, at least misleading. It’s a huge honour to be on screen or on stage for large swaths of time and I guess the only way to do it well is to not pay attention to how big the role actually is. Just play the part, play the scene… and if you happened to be called on set more days than most, then show up and do the work. And relish it.”
Are you a parent? Do you want to be one? How did you relate to the dilemmas at the core of the film such as work vs parenting, queer marriage, financial pressures, Covid …?
“I am not a parent and, for better or for worse, will not be one. I have – and am developing – relationships with many young people that I will continue to grow, including Emily’s daughter, my nephews, and some local kids near me. I do, however, have a mini horse, a donkey, and three pigs, so my life is full in different ways than being a human parent. So, while I used my creative imagination for some of American Parent’s themes, I wasn’t acting when it came to Elsie dealing with financial pressure. The intensity of ‘making rent’ is a visceral, migraine-inducing kind of pressure and, sadly, one that so many Americans experience on a routine basis.”
What was your personal Covid experience like?
“I was living in Berlin when Covid hit. Sometime in early March of 2020, the then President said that Americans abroad must either come home or stay where they were… so I flew back home to rural Kansas to wait out Covid with my folks. Despite the intense fear of that time – not to mention the complete shut down of my industry for nearly two years – we were fortunate to stay healthy, and it ended up being incredibly special for my parents and me to have the unexpected gift of quality time together. I also got married during Covid… so I would say my pandemic experience was on the extremely positive end of the spectrum, and I thank my lucky stars for it.”
How did you go with the recent Actors Strike, was that tough?
“I’m not going to sugar-coat it: Covid plus the SAG strike, plus being in my forties as a woman doesn’t equate to an abundance of work. So, I’ve tried to do what everyone admonishes actors to do and make my own.”
American Parent screens at the Queer Screen Film Fest on 29 August 2024, and streams from 2-11 September 2024. Click here for more details.
