Amazon / Youtube 2020 – DisGraced
Five years after her big break turned out to be a big flop, a struggling actress asks herself how much humiliation she's willing to endure for another chance to make it.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Victoria Vertuga
Watch DisGraced here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Hi. I'm Victoria. And I'm a woman. A woman who happens to have blonde hair and big boobs (provided by genetics, not a hair salon and plastic surgeon) and a moderately pleasing face. I'm also a woman who chose to pursue a career as an actress. I know. How cliche. Over the years I have had extreme highs and even lower lows and some truly outlandish and wacky experiences. DisGraced is the watered-down version of many of these experiences because fact is always stranger than fiction.
DisGraced isn't about Harvey Weinstein level atrocities, but lands somewhere between unwanted Joe Biden hugs and uneven workplace pay. At its most basic core, DisGraced explores what it's like to be an actress trying to make it in Hollywood: emphasis on the actress. While the #MeToo movement has recently shined a light on some of the most extreme and dramatic ways women experience sexism in Hollywood, DisGraced is focused on the more mundane, commonplace, but no less insidious forms of sexism. The way young women with any degree of attractiveness are only allowed opportunities to be love interests, sex objects, and the endless variations of Hot Girl #1. It's being called honey, and sweetie, babe. It's being constantly told to lose ten pounds if you want to work in this business. It's being only offered roles with nudity but no substance and then being slut-shamed for accepting those roles. It is my hope and belief that women in any industry can undoubtedly relate to these everyday experiences of mistreatment and misjudgment.
Similarly, so many series and films explore the glamorous and enticing side of the industry: what it's like to be a big star with adoring fans and endless opportunity. But there are the names lining the marquees that constitute a tiny percentage of the industry and then there is everyone else. Grace Greene is someone firmly in the group "everyone else." She's your average "hot girl" in Hollywood, getting a little long in the teeth and reaching the hot girl expiration phase. She's had a tiny taste of success, but her day to day consists of countless indignities and insults and humiliations.
We wanted to walk the line between cringe humor and ridiculous humor; between surrealism and realism. We wanted DisGraced to be a series you can both laugh at and learn from. So enjoy sugar tits! But make sure you don't eat any popcorn while you watch. Carbs go straight to your waistline.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The same reason you should watch all good stories: to laugh, to cry, to think, to feel. Women especially should relate to Grace and anyone who has ever worked in the entertainment industry. But really anyone who has ever been mistreated, been insecure and unsure of themselves, felt like they had no control.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The wonderful thing about storytelling is that the more specific you are, the more relatable you become. By being honest, vulnerable, and specific about your experiences, so many other people can relate to them. The themes we explore are the sexism of Hollywood, the transactional nature of relationships, the way people are only as nice to you as what you can do for them or their careers, self-esteem, being a passive participant in your own life versus deciding to drive the train.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The idea came from a combination of my experiences as an actress and model in this business. We really wanted it to be honest and raw but also funny, even if it's in a dark and cringy, uncomfortable way at times. One of my favorite things about filmmaking is how collaborative it is. Everyone involved leaves their stamp and the finished product is the result of everyone's contributions, which is amazing.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been really positive, which has been amazing. I've had so many women tell me how much they relate, even if they're not actresses or don't work in Hollywood. My hope was that these experiences are truly universal. You may not have been in the exact same scenarios as Grace, but you've been through something similar enough where you can understand and relate to her.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
There's one episode, in particular, that seems to be extremely polarizing for people. It's a very uncomfortable episode to be sure, but people either love it and it's their favorite of the season, or they can barely make it through. It's been really interesting to see how varied the reactions are, where people's threshold for being uncomfortable is. I've also had a lot of surprise around the fact that these are real situations, in many cases toned-down versions of real experiences.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We want to get it out to more people so that we can share our hard work and our story, also connect with other content creators and purveyors of content in the industry to begin relationships for future projects.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All of the above!!!!!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We really want to get this out to people who can see it and relate. We feel strongly that this is a raw, non-glamorous portrayal of the industry that we don't really see represented. We also want to spark discussions about sexism, and just the way we treat each other (in Hollywood and in every industry) in general. Hopefully, by shining a light on that in an honest and comedic way, we can get people thinking and talking.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Does Hollywood treat people more poorly than other industries?
Is sexism more pervasive and deeply entrenched in Hollywood?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Victoria Vertuga & Eric Williford have multiple pilot scripts that we've been polishing. One is a dark comedy called Tithes and one is an hour-long drama called The Other City. We also have a feature-length horror film that we're looking to produce this year (COVID kind of put a damper in those plans). It will be starring Victoria and directed by Eric. It's a very dark, weird, fun script.
Interview: May 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
DisGraced
Five years after her big break turned out to be a big flop, a struggling actress asks herself how much humiliation she's willing to endure for another chance to make it.
Director: Victoria Vertuga, Eric Williford, Franklin Guerrero, Jr.
Producer: Victoria Vertuga & Eric Williford
Writer: Victoria Vertuga, Eric Williford
About the writer, director and producer:
ERIC WILLIFORD is a director, writer, producer editor originally from Virginia. After attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington he moved to the west coast. He's known for such films as Carver, The 8th Plague and Pack A Bag, Quick!
VICTORIA VERTUGA is an actress, writer, producer, lover of pitbulls, who splits her time between Atlanta and Los Angeles. She attended the University of Southern California where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. As an actress, she's been in dozens of national commercials, on the long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives, Dexter, If Loving You is Wrong, and The Trap on Netflix.
Key cast: Victoria Vertuga (Grace Greene), Jodie Bentley (Paulina), Danell Leyva (Derek Dashen), Thomas Hobson (Roman), Tal Berkovich (Shoshana), Susan Louise O'Connor (Tulip Luna Harvest), Felisha Michelle Cacho (Footsy), Laura Louise Richardson (Natalie), John Ryan McLaughlin (JonJon)
Looking for: sales agents, journalists, film festival directors, distributors, buyers, producers
Facebook: DisGraced the Web Series
Instagram: @disgracedtheseries
Hashtags used: #comedy #webseries #femalecontentcreators
Website: www.vicanderic.com/disgracedtheseries
Other: YouTube
Made in association with: Blame The Dog Productions, 95Forty Productions
Funders: IndieGoGO & Self Funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? YouTube and Amazon!