by Dov Kornits
“I started writing it during the early Covid days, but it was not meant to be an allegory for Covid per se,” says When I’m Ready writer, producer and leading man Andrew Ortenberg. He admits that the pandemic that enveloped the world gave him time to finish his first produced screenplay, but the film’s end of the world scenario wasn’t directly inspired by Covid.
“I’ve got a fatalistic, cynical outlook on things … or I did when I was younger, not anymore … but when I started writing this, I did want to write an end of the world story. There was an Australian film called The Rover,” he says of David Michod’s sophomore feature film. “I love that movie. And that really sparked my appreciation for end of the world cinema. I like to think that was the first domino that then ultimately led to us being here right now.”
Where we are is on a zoom call with Ortenberg and his co-star June Schreiner, promoting the home entertainment release of When I’m Ready in Australia and New Zealand.
When I’m Ready is a beautifully shot and acted virtual two-hander, following Michael (Ortenberg) and Rose (June Schreiner) as they travel through a desolate America, with news reporting that the world is about to end. It’s a simple but effective way to tell a story, as we discover more about these young lovers, and through them consider what we would do in such an existential crisis.
“We met at an acting school called the Baron Brown Studio,” chimes in June Schreiner, currently in Flint Michigan, getting ready to tread the boards as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire. “We met in the hallways and started to watch each other in our respective classes, admiring each other’s work. And then Andrew told me that he was writing this thing. I loved it and he was like, ‘would you be down to make this with me?’ And I said, ‘wow, this seems very ambitious. Can you pull this off?’ And he’s like, ‘yes I can.’ And then he did!
“Andrew was extremely generous in giving me the lines and the character in the script to do with it what felt the most natural for me. And that is really such a gift as an actor, to feel ownership over the language that’s coming out of your mouth.”
As we chat with the pair, it is evident that the characters lean into the actors’ respective personalities, with Schreiner’s Rose gregarious and Ortenberg’s Michael the strong silent type.
Ortenberg, who had appeared in small supporting roles before When I’m Ready, and who continues to work in film distribution – “my suit job,” he says (his father is legendary film distribution exec Tom Ortenberg) – admits that he wrote the film to showcase what he can do as an actor. “It was a lot of pragmatism. Me and June were both relatively early in our careers and both at the same acting studio grinding. June was already much more accomplished and further along in her career than I was. It’s a tough business. You have to go out and make your own stuff. It was like, ‘we need a vehicle for us.’ At first, it was originally conceived of as a short film, and then I accidentally wrote a 57 page script, so I just fleshed it out a little bit more and turned it into a feature film screenplay.”
Andrew Johnson joined as director, and then producer Jordan Dykstra came onboard to flesh out the behind-the-scenes team. All young and hungry to prove themselves.
After working in film distribution, Ortenberg knew that they needed hooks with the casting of the film, which was ticked when Dermot Mulroney signed on for a supporting role. “We were very lucky to have a connection to Dermot through my dad. Dermot’s son actually worked on the film, he was one of our most valuable crew members. Dermot did us a huge solid by coming on and absolutely crushing that part.”
Mulroney only appears in one scene, but it’s an impactful one. “He’s played a million roles, but I don’t think that he’s ever played a down on his luck drifter covered in dirt with tattered clothes before,” says Ortenberg.
Also appearing in a significant scene is Lauren Cohan, best known as Maggie in The Walking Dead franchise. “We just got super lucky with her,” admits Ortenberg. “We had no connection to her whatsoever. There was a different actress who was supposed to play that part. She had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts, and her manager, who was also Lauren’s manager, was just a fan of the script.”
“Working with Lauren was awesome,” says Schreiner. “We were getting our makeup done at the same time, and whenever I work with more of a celebrity or any time that I’m on a big job, especially if I’m not the lead, I’m just prepared for the other actors to be very quiet, to not engage with me and just do their work. But she was so excited to talk about the movie and ask me questions about Rose and talk about her own ideas with her character. She was really engaged, and she really wanted to make this movie. It was important to her, and she made that very clear to us on set. It was really cool to see her be as engaged with this film as we were.”
Next up for Schreiner is a lead role in horror Paradise, written and directed by Daniel Byers. “It’s about a coal mining town in West Virginia in the nineties,” says Schreiner. “It’s really spooky and beautiful, and I play a very different character than Rose.”
And for Ortenberg, his experience as a writer and producer on When I’m Ready is paving a path forward. “I’m writing another film. I’m very slow writer, but it’s inching along.
“I also produced another film, Nickels with Odessa A’zion and comedian Rob Riggle in a dramatic role. It’s a very touching grief movie.”
Andrew Ortenberg and June Schreiner also appear as supporting actors in Nickels, proving that they’ve got each other’s backs, prepared to write their personal and professional stories individually and sometimes together.
When I’m Ready is available now on Digital
