Our own Steven Clark sat down with Saint Frances scribe, Kelly O’Sullivan to talk about her work.
For Saint Frances scribe, it’s about acceptance
With a lifetime of acting experience to draw from, Kelly O’Sullivan knew the winds of change were blowing. She wanted to write a screenplay. Spurred on by creative forces such as Greta Gerwig and Olivia Wilde, Kelly strongly felt it was her turn to say something important. That this was her time.
However, a problem existed.
“I didn’t know how to do it,” she admits. “I’d never taken a writing class, and I literally didn’t know how to write in screenplay format. I didn’t even know what on spec meant. I guess it means writing it for free, not knowing if it’ll ever get made?”
Saint Frances (now streaming on Amazon) picks up the trail of Bridget (O’Sullivan — she stars in the movie, too), a 34 year-old waitress, trudging through a middling existence, until she takes a job as a nanny for Frances, an energetic six-year-old. Throughout, Bridget navigates a younger lover, an abortion, menstruation, post-partum depression, and Frances’ mixed race lesbian parents.
Seems like some weighty issues for a first-time writer to tackle.
“I always knew I was going to write about those topics realistically and unapologetically. A huge intention of the film was to normalize experiences that might have been othered previously. Before I got my abortion, I didn’t know a medication abortion was possible or even legal. It made me angry that most of the TV and film I’d seen that depicted abortion made it seem scary and mysterious. So, starting from that place of lived experience, I knew I was going to show what that experience was like for me.”
To say Saint Frances removes the societal stigma/confusion associated with these topics is an understatement. O’Sullivan’s casual presentation makes them feel more akin to a fresh Spring breeze as opposed to ripping off a Band-Aid.
“There’s a cool sort of magic trick the movie plays where, if an audience member is saying ‘why’s there so much blood?’ or ‘why are the parents gay?’ it says far more about that audience member’s point of view about what should be onscreen.”
Still, the success and beauty of the film is it doesn’t emphasize these issues at all. Saint Frances relies more upon a theme of acceptance and, ultimately, perseverance. It’s Bridget’s journey from 34-year-old underachiever to, well, 34-year-old underachiever, albeit with a more enlightened perspective than she had going in. It’s something that resonates with its writer/star.
“Self-acceptance is something I’m constantly working on, in the context of be your best self and hurry culture. If we’re truly trying, I think we all need to cut ourselves some slack.”
An actor since the age of six, Kelly’s first role was one of the Hummel children in a production of Little Women at the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theater. From there, it was game on.
“I loved the drama of it. Hanging out in the greenroom with a bunch of kids and adults who loved the same nerdy things I did. Dreams!”
Her parents, though supportive, were understandably skeptical. “My parents were incredibly supportive of acting being my favorite hobby, although they worried when I chose acting as a career. Which I totally get. But they never tried to totally dissuade me. They still travel to see every play I’m in, and they’ve been so supportive of the movie. I’m incredibly lucky to have them.”
That’s not to say everything has been colored bubbles.
“Through rejection and lack of agency, I’ve had my heart broken about a million times. I’ve spent tons of time “in between” projects (unemployed) as an actor, but I never truly wanted to leave it. I just wanted more of a voice and control. Writing this screenplay was my first big departure from acting. I realize the irony in that since I wrote myself a starring part in the film, but writing was a way to expand on what I love while bypassing what I didn’t like about acting.”
Having received a fair amount of Oscar buzz, as well as being named an IndieWire Critics Pick and garnering O’Sullivan a Gotham nod, Saint Frances remains a work that “felt true to me,” she states, while fully aware of what it took to make it happen.
“I had an acting manager a few years ago who told me this: You’ve got a few more years left where this is either going to happen or it’s not. And I just thought – how can anybody in this industry or culture feel good about themselves if they’re staring down that very limiting and pressurized mindset?
“So, I left that manager and wrote something that felt true to me, not having any idea if audiences would respond to it. I think that is a kind of self-acceptance. To walk away from others’ expectations and follow your gut, letting that be enough.”
They have, and it is.
About The Interviewer: Based in upstate, NY, Steven Clark is the writer of over 30 short scripts, several of which are under option, in pre-production, or have already been made into films. On A Clear Night, a family Christmas feature aimed at a Hallmark Channel-type audience, is currently in the works. Steven can be reached at Steamroller138 (a) gmail. You can tweet @SACScreenwriter and check out his work on his website.
