intelligent, relevant content
fueled by gay and lesbian characters. “As a gay
filmmaker, I do feel it’s important to speak to
my audience about ideas and issues relevant specifically
to us,” she says. “There are very real experiences
directly related to sexual orientation such as the complexities
of starting a family, marriage, etc., and make us markedly
different than our heterosexual counterparts. I’m
drawn to explore those fundamental differences and the
circumstances and consequences we find ourselves dealing
with as a product of those differences.”
Actress-musician Danielle Egnew concurs.
“Make no mistake, this is a lesbian film, featuring
a lesbian couple, and the gay aspect is an important
part of the film, but it can also cross over. Susan
wrote some tremendous characters that are so real and
rich and complex that I think everyone can relate.”
Egnew’s character is a former rock star who got
dumped off her label and was forced to take a job, something
the actress can definitely relate to. As a member of
the well-known act Pope Jane, Danielle was a bona fide
rock star back in the late 90’s. “We were
really kicking it, touring and going strong, selling
tons of albums. Dreamworks, MCA and Maverick were all
after us, and then the industry collapsed and they all
disappeared. So I could definitely relate to what Peg
was going through.”
Jenny Sherwin is Egnew’s real-life
girlfriend and plays the part of Stef, a struggling
comic and Molly’s best friend. “She provides
humor, sarcasm, and cynicism in Molly’s life,”
explains Sherwin. “I’m like that in many
people’s lives. The part was actually rewritten
for me.” In addition to acting in the film, Sherwin
is an Associate Producer on CS, and is also famous for
her career in radio. She was a host on popular L.A.
station KLSX with Howard Stern for almost seven years,
gaining a huge following as on-air personality Sheena
Metal. “Still, I wanted to do my own thing, so
I eventually left and started Music Radio Highway in
2004. It’s now syndicated on over 700 stations,
has 126 million listeners, and can be heard internationally.”
She and Egnew are a great match, with strong mutual
respect and admiration for each other’s talent.
“She’s a complete genius,” says Sherwin
of her girlfriend, “with anything that has to
do with sound.” The two artists take on as many
projects as they can together and seem to love the journey,
side by side. “ It’s fantastic!” says
Shewin. “It’s really fun. Danielle and I
have been together almost five years and we try to do
as many things as we can together. That way we can be
crazy workaholics and still spend all our time together.”
Actress Lane West, who has hundreds
of TV, radio and gaming credits, portrays Peg’s
partner in the movie, Molly. Lane has been acting for
over 20 years in film, television and theatre, and co-produced
Changing Spots while starring in the film. West loved
the challenge of playing such a complex, multi-layered
character. “It was both fascinating and frustrating
to play a character who just does not know how to communicate
or forgive,” she says. “I kept discovering
new things about her and, in turn, about myself. The
most difficult part was remembering where she ended
and I began because, honestly, there were some 12-hour
days of intense scene work where those lines tended
to blur.” West speaks highly of director Turley,
who is also her real-life lover, partner, and best friend.
“I love Susan’s directing style —
she lets an actor explore and always has great notes
to aid in the exploration. Because we’ve worked
together on so many films now, it’s become a very
natural, collaborative process.”
So what about the love scenes? “The
experience of doing a love scene with another woman
while your partner directs you is not something I would
recommend to everyone,” admits West. Despite her
impressive list of credits, she is humble and truly
appreciative of the experience. “I feel very fortunate
that we had an amazing cast and crew that helped bring
this passionate story to life and created a work that
has already made my team so proud.”
