DF: It is a literal metaphor in that Alison’s character is extremely buttoned up at the very beginning of the film.
AB: Could I be wearing any more clothes? [laughs]
DF: And then by the end…
AB: What you see in that final scene is so real. We shot it at the Serenity Mountain Retreat.
DF: It is the oldest nudist club west of the Mississippi, and we actually scouted it during one of their biggest days of the year. They were holding a big festival, so there were more nudists in attendance than there generally are there. When you first walk into that kind of situation, there’s a little bit of trepidation in not being sure how to conduct oneself, but almost immediately, we felt so at ease. It’s just such a warm, welcoming environment, to the point where the festival went on through the weekend and we had crew members going back just to hang out and be a part of the good vibes!
AB: The people at this nudist club are the most joyful people I have ever met in my life. They are so comfortable with themselves in who they are, and it was a great spirit with which to infuse our whole movie.
DF: Yes, and it is shown through that character Ally interviews at the end, who is very much inspired by us just visiting the actual retreat.
I could watch a whole movie about the dynamic between Alison’s character and her mother, played hilariously here by Julie Hagerty, who has starred in so many of the all-time greatest comedies. Did you write the role of the mother specifically for her?
DF: Essentially yes.
AB: We wrote the role with her in mind. It’s always helpful to have people in your mind when you are writing just to give yourself a sense of who that person is, and we one hundred percent wrote that with Julie Hagerty in mind.
DF: There are certain actors whom you just watch while thinking to yourself, “That’s my mom.” We both felt that about Julie Hagerty at different points.
AB: And now we feel that even more. I do feel like she is my mom now.
DF: Her character, aside from her sexual proclivities, is somewhat based on my mom, just in terms of her essence, her quirkiness and the fact that she is just very funny in a way that escapes her own awareness, which is very warmhearted.
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