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1.) Greetings and salutations from Vents Magazine to the uber-talented cast of the VERY funny film Questions! Before we get these proceedings underway, how have all of you been doing during what is a very unusual and different holiday season?
Avery Kidd Waddell: Well, considering 2020, I am doing very well. There is, of course, an air of worry that is always constant because of Covid. Worry about loved ones and myself, hoping that they don’t contract it, or if they do, hopefully, it’s mild, and they make a full recovery. The funny thing is, it has felt a little like a holiday season for almost a year now because of everything being shut down for a while and schools being closed. I have been spending so much time with my family in a way that we usually only get to do during holiday breaks, which has been pretty cool.
Derrex Brady: First, thank you so much for giving us this amazing collective interview. I’m excited for this interview and for you to meet much of the cast of our film” Questions.” I’ve been doing well, but there are definitely elements that bring concerns with people who are less fortunate, but there are also a number of things that give me hope. And at the same time, it’s currently both an exciting and blessed time in my life, but I’m missing my family emphatically. Although I am contractually obligated not to speak of the news until the network announces officially, I have been in Atlanta, GA, since November filming. So, I was not able to spend Thanksgiving with them; however, we are breaking for a week for Christmas, so I’m really excited to fly home to spend some catching up time with my wife and kids.
Carmen Serano: “Very unusual and different holiday season” is right! Usually, I’d be running around doing last-minute shopping and getting together with friends and family for our annual holiday bake nights! Instead, I just texted a screenshot of my negative Covid test results to my children in the hopes of seeing them for Christmas, tracking my Amazon orders online while sitting in sweat pants, eating too many cookies I baked myself! Yep, this is different, alright! But I’m in good Spirits!
2.) Questions – appropriately enough – posits many universal questions that we all have about life, relationships, and, most importantly, balance in our own lives. These are timeless things. Were these particular themes in the movie a big enticement for you to take the journey that these subjects demanded?
Avery Kidd Waddell: Those themes are universal, but I find rarely dealt with in an honest manner in film. In writing “Questions,” I tried to hold a magnifying glass up to all of the experiences the main characters go through. This turned out to be easy as long as I was honest. I say that because all of the four guy leads in the film are part of my personality. I have been each one of these guys at different points in my life. So to answer your question, yes.
Derrex Brady: Absolutely! For starters, in previous roles, I’ve played characters that are very career-driven or fine with a fast-paced life that may take away from some of the quality time in the relationship. I liked the idea of playing the role of Justin, whose primary focus is his relationship and building with his girlfriend, rather than the career-obsessed character that ends up trying to get back what he lost. In Justin’s case, he knows what he has and wants to cherish his relationship while he’s in it verses after he lost it. I also liked the position most of us find ourselves in, that we pretty much think we know what drives our partner and what makes them tick, but as a result of his best friend getting a writing assignment to secure a new job, he must really find out what’s in the mind of his girlfriend. He’s faced with really identifying if he knows her as much as he thinks he does or if he even knows her at all. This was the afflatus of what made going on the journey of Justin exciting.
Carmen Serano: Absolutely! I’ve never been one who’s been comfortable living on the surface. I always dig deep! So it was incredibly fitting that the character I had the honor of playing would be the one who delivers the “questions” that drive this story.
3.) Along a similar line, this film really seems to a deep dive into the old bromide that “men are from Mars, women are from Venus.” There’s a real fun exploration in the film about the different – and the like-minded – similarities between men and women. What is the endless appeal that we as a people have with relationships and how we do (or do not) get along with one another?
Avery Kidd Waddell: This is a good question. I think the endless appeal we have with relationships is the fact that they have to evolve to survive. Now that can mean a million different things and the search for those things is what keeps us fascinated by relationships.
Derrex Brady: I think one of the elements of the endless appeal of how like-minded as well as how different we are from the thinking of men and women is some things are simply so odd for each. There is some thinking; if you brought up a scenario to a group of women, the majority would agree and not understand how anyone could think differently. At the same time, this very scenario could also happen with a group of men. The irony of both sides is, at times, both men and women are totally surprised that the other gender would ever think of such a thing. There is the comedy as well as the confusion. I believe this allows for endless scenarios that spur laughter from both men and women.
Carmen Serano: I think as men and women, we are fascinated by one another, and I think we’re also very fascinated by watching the unfoldment of the relationships of others. I believe it’s because it gives us deep insight about ourselves.
4.) Questions is directed by respected actor Avery Waddell who also has a nice part in the film. For the actors: What was it like working with Avery as a director? For Avery: What was it like for you directing your first feature?
Avery Kidd Waddell: Directing myself was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I might add, I can’t wait to do it again. Lol. It’s one of these things where you have to keep switching modes. I have to lose myself in the character to bring him across. Then I have to switch that off and turn on director mode to analyze what I just did in actor mode and what everybody else did—having to be creative and analytical about everything at the same time. It was a challenge.
Derrex Brady: One of Avery’s strengths is he has a relaxed way of communicating and is consistently a solution-based thinker. So not a lot rattles him, not at least on the outside. He keeps it simple and keeps his direction to the actor simple. Meaning he’s specific with his direction. In addition, for myself, I was one of the lead actors as well as a producer on the film, so a lot of my focus outside of acting was facilitating elements to maintaining our momentum of making our day as well as navigating elements needed for us to approach our next day or location in the best way possible. That also means helping Avery as our director however possible. Avery and I are both positive and solution-oriented thinkers, so we work well together because we’re collectively trying to achieve the same goal, but with just different roles. He’s the director and actor, and I am the producer and actor. Avery’s strengths, aside from telling a story, are remaining calm in all circumstances and focused on the quality of the performances that communicate the story authentically.
Carmen Serano: All of my scenes were with Avery. He’s an actor’s director! He allowed me the space to create without any other distraction. And as an actor, he gave me so much to feed off of. It was certainly a pleasure- lol, no pun intended, playing the editor of Pleasure Magazine.
5.) Avery, prior to Questions you had three short films that you helmed – Confession, N.C.B.S. and Dreaming. What were the differences between directing a shorter length film versus a two hour plus feature?
Avery Kidd Waddell: The responsibility. With the shorts, the crews were very small. Very small, usually just 1 or 2 people. So I didn’t have to communicate my vision with a bunch of people trying to get a bunch of people on the same page. I was also just finding my way as a director, and everybody understood that, so there was no pressure. Also, I financed the shorts out of my own pocket, so there was no pressure there either. It was just, let’s see what happens if I do this, so to speak. With “Questions,” it was a whole different ball game. There was an actual crew! It wasn’t a huge crew by studio standards, but a crew of 8 to 12 people depending on the day was a big adjustment. There were investors in “Questions” that I had to cater to. That adds some pressure also; when you are helming a feature, no one cuts you any slack. It didn’t matter to anybody that “Questions” was my first feature as a director. That adds some pressure. Lol. Also, when you are directing a feature, you have to live with it for so long. Not only does it take much longer to shoot, but the post-production process is way way more involved and lengthy.
Derrex Brady: With regard to my previous work as a filmmaker, I produced a short film with my producer partner M.D. Walton titled “The Championship Rounds.” For me, the difference between producing a short film and producing a feature film as I did with “Questions”; I would say the scope in which we’re telling the story. The goal is the same in terms of telling an amazing story with the best efforts. However, the sheer scope of the two are majorly different in terms of the budget, time of filming, more casting of characters, locations, and on and on. Whenever you have a longer time frame of filming, there are additional opportunities for obstacles. In the end, the goal is the same; which is to tell an amazing story and complete it.
6.) By introducing the element of time into Questions – our protagonist has exactly one week to get his head on straight and figure out what exactly makes a woman tick – a dramatic tension is introduced into the story that adds a sense of urgency and high-stakes, a la Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset. Was this one week time frame always in the script Avery?
Avery Kidd Waddell: The one week time frame was not always there. There were many changes to the script from the first draft till the production draft. I had put the script down for a few years after writing the first couple of drafts and trying to get it produced to no avail. When I picked it back up, I was a more mature person and had learned a lot more about storytelling. So I added the timeframe to add a sense of urgency and to help keep the audience engaged.
Derrex Brady: This is a question mainly suited for Avery as he’s been with the script from the very beginning.
7.) Derrex, you knock it out of the ballpark with your portrayal of Justin. How did you approach this part, was it a type of character that you were familiar with in your own life that you were able to draw from, or was it a case of just relying on the script to get you where you needed to be as an actor?
Derrex Brady: Wow… Thank you. Sincerely for your comments regarding my work in “Questions.” I think the similarity I have with Justin is that we both love being in love, and also, the DNA of our nature is thoughtfulness. Other than that, we’re vastly different. [lol] Maybe in my early on relationships, I was a bit insecure like Justin, not sure of who I was or what I wanted. Like Justin, I wasn’t sure of my value or the value I brought to a relationship. So, I pulled from my early relationships and tried my best to bring to life what was written in the script. One thing I did not want to do is play him as just weak without a mind of his own. I wanted to play his innocence and his wanting to cherish his girlfriend while he had her, versus learning what he had after it was gone. Justin knew he was in a relationship with a beautiful, intelligent, and vibrant woman. And he wanted that relationship to grow into a lifelong relationship. I loved the idea of Justin knowing what he had but not understanding why his girlfriend didn’t see him the same. For many relationships, I think women at times think they may be able to change a man, only later to find out they can’t. I thought it was interesting for Justin to think he could change his girlfriend into what he wanted, only to find out he could not. It was exciting and fun to play the other side of that coin authentically.
7.) A – AHEM – “question” for all of you: What’s coming up in the future for this talented ensemble? What are your respective plans going forward?
Avery Kidd Waddell: Right now, there are just a few possibilities. Things are really just starting to ramp up again, so I’ve had a few meetings about a few different projects. We will see what ends up happening. I’m also working on developing “Questions” into a series. People who have seen “Questions” keep saying they want to live with the characters some more, so a series seems like a no-brainer. You can find me on social media by searching for “Avery Kidd Waddell.” I keep my social media pages updated with my upcoming projects.
Carmen Serano: In these “new normal” and ever-changing times, I’m currently self-taping auditions and life coaching via Zoom or phone sessions! I’m really happy about the success of “Questions,” and I’m grateful that I was chosen to be a part of it. The future is wide open, and the present is simply lovely.
Official Instagram links:
Avery Kidd Waddell
https://www.instagram.com/averykiddwaddell/
Derrex Brady
https://www.instagram.com/derrexbrady/
Carmen Serano
https://www.instagram.com/carmenserano/
“Questions” movie website: https://www.questionsfilm.com
