While a certain 1936 self-help book by Dale Carnegie may have sold over 30 million copies worldwide, many people would admit that establishing new friendships as an adult is far from easy, and when filmmaker Taylor Thompson was told in no uncertain terms he needed to find more friends, rather than reaching for a battered copy of the perennially popular tome decided to make a toe-curlingly awkward film about the subject instead. People Person is a superbly funny wild ride through the most wonderfully odd characters and situations, where you’ll find yourself exploding with laughter and cringing into yourself in equal measure. After his lacking friend roster was pointed out, Thomspon wasted no time forming the film’s script from every awkward social situation he could imagine, which he further exaggerated, then paired with a brilliant cringe-inducing turn from actor Joseph Schwartz and surprisingly found himself suddenly with friends (albeit temporary) and a completed short film! As part of DN’s premiere of People Person today, we sat down with the now socially brilliant writer/director to chat about the satisfying irony of connecting with people over a film about not being able to do so, how he brought together his incredible off-kilter cast and why he equates filmmaking to standing naked in front of an audience.
So, what inspired the character of Dennis?
I didn’t want to make this movie, but my life gave me no other option. The idea was gifted to me like socks on Christmas. It all started when someone sat me down for one of those talks. I could tell it was something serious. But I was caught off guard when she explained her dire situation. She told me I had no friends, and that she felt exhausted by bearing the weight of my entire social life. She asked that I make an effort to change this. Find a friend, spend time with someone else, leave me alone. I did my best to laugh it off, I have friends right? I definitely did, but nevertheless, there was some truth to what she said, and her words started to itch me like a mosquito bite.
Friendship is one of those things that’s supposed to happen by accident, and I learned quickly it’s nearly impossible to make an accident happen on purpose.
So I decided to humble myself and make an effort. The task would prove harder than I expected. Have you ever asked somebody to be your friend? I have, it’s very uncomfortable, and in my experience it never works. Friendship is one of those things that’s supposed to happen by accident, and I learned quickly it’s nearly impossible to make an accident happen on purpose. Everyone I spoke with would be internally scanned in my brain for potential friendship, I learned then I’m a bit pickier than I expected. It seemed the only people who naturally engaged with me were people I wanted absolutely nothing to do with. And the people I was interested in, well it seemed they had a similar problem. My effort was proving a complete failure. So instead of continuing to address the problem and grow as a human being, I decided to make a film about it.
I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a ‘based on a true story’ more. How did you then go about making it into a film?
Once I decided I would fictionalize my experience and examine why it’s so hard to make friends as an adult, I began writing the script with my co-writer Luigi Sarracino, and we drafted for nearly six months. The script grew into an exaggerated depiction of everyone’s worst social nightmare. Dennis is the personification of my battle between social anxiety and desperate need for human connection. The hard part about making a movie is you can’t do it all by yourself. That meant I had to talk to people. I asked favors from everyone I knew, the majority of the crew being my friends (see I told you I had friends – sure we never hang out, but we’re still friends okay).
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Next thing I know we have a crew of eight people, and we’re working non-stop for five days, making this goofy little movie like our lives depended on it. It was perhaps the best week of my life, I can’t even tell you why, but I always think back on it and wish I could return. By the time I shared the finished product I was quite shocked to find, a lot of people know just what I’ve gone through. They know how it feels. We spend so much time trying to prove how unique we are, but there’s a special kind of comfort in acknowledging our sameness. That’s what this film does well I think. It shows us a completely repulsive chatterbox desperately failing for 15 minutes straight, and somehow it makes us all feel seen. Life is a comedy, and the irony of this joke is that my failure to connect with people led me to make a film which in turn brought me a solution to the problem I started with. Luckily I’m quite a flawed person, so if I follow this formula I should have quite the fruitful career.
It shows us a completely repulsive chatterbox desperately failing for 15 minutes straight, and somehow it makes us all feel seen.
Do you find it challenging to separate the personal from the creative?
Perhaps I’m not the most creative filmmaker, I tend to borrow directly from my life. For as long as I can remember I’ve been using movies to understand my life. Whether by watching them or making them, it’s how I learn about myself. I don’t really believe in separating the personal from the creative. Making a film should feel like being naked in front of an audience, you know it’s good if you feel humiliated. I’m not sure this is the healthiest approach, but it’s how I work for now.
It’s a lot cooler to ask someone to be your co-writer than it is to ask them to be your friend.
Why did you bring on a writing partner and what did your collaboration with Luigi bring to the surface?
My thought process can often be a little chaotic and disorganized, on top of that I’m quite insecure. By bringing in Luigi I found someone to help organize my thoughts and provide the necessary criticisms and encouragement to write a good script. I found him especially helpful when pitching ideas, he was a great barometer to learn the relatability of a certain scene, etc. Long story short, I need the approval of others to be productive, and I trust his opinions, when I earned his approval I knew I had done well. Also, like I mentioned before, I was trying to make a friend and it’s a lot cooler to ask someone to be your co-writer than it is to ask them to be your friend.
The collection of scenarios are absurdly brilliant, were they they just as enjoyable to dream up?
Luigi and I approached the story with a sort of examiner’s mindset. We thought of the silent rules of social interactions, and focused on the moments that made us wonder, “Why is this not allowed?” Dennis is the sort of character that is propelled by his earnest optimism and can’t fathom why someone would ever see him in a negative light. At a certain point I started to adopt this mindset myself – I have no good answer as to why it’s inappropriate to talk to someone at the urinal. That’s what I love about Dennis, he represents the best possible version of society, he’s what could have been if people were entirely trustworthy and good.
I have no good answer as to why it’s inappropriate to talk to someone at the urinal.
As with the scenarios, the colourful cast of characters covers everyone I could hope for here. How on earth did you fill all those roles from non-professional actors and what were you giving them to work with?
I’m cursed with constantly viewing the world through the lens of filmmaking. If I like something, or someone, or somewhere, it’s because it likely has some sort of cinematic quality. I am especially attracted to the eccentric side of the population, I love the weirdos and oddballs. Do you have a big nose or a gap tooth? Birthmark or a missing finger? Then I’m probably fantasizing about putting you in front of a camera. I don’t know why I am this way, it’s just an instinct. Living in Los Angeles I am blessed to have met many people over the years, and even more blessed to have such lovely friends and acquaintances. When it came time to make the movie I had no money to properly cast it, so I was entirely dependent on asking favors of my friends. The people you see on screen are the people I know in my life. I wish I had a better answer for this, I’m just lucky I guess.
I do have one theory about good casting, I have never even auditioned, instead I prefer to meet the potential actor. Get to know them, find out what they offer in their face, their voice, and their mannerisms. And then write their role according to their natural offerings. Luckily I had the casting in mind during the writing process, I think this is why each character is able to shine, because their role was always meant for them and nobody else.
Was it always your intention to include a little romantic love interest in the film?
The subtle romance at play was never intended at the beginning. I actually see Dennis as a completely asexual character, I thought that would better underline his desperate pursuit to find a friend. Naturally, when Dennis started to interact with women, there’s an underlying expectation that if a man is talking to a woman that means he is pursuing her romantically. Obviously, this is not true, but we’re using the purity of Dennis to highlight the imperfections of our social norms. When it came time to write the character of Frankie it felt appropriate to push Dennis into this box and watch him squirm.
He understood so clearly how to differentiate the comedy and sincerity of each beat, an essential balance to my filmmaking.
I almost have no words for Joseph Schwartz’s brilliant awkwardness. Did you always have him in mind as Dennis?
I never once imagined anyone else in this role. I worked with Joe on my previous film Foulmouth. He was hired based on my editor’s recommendation to replace someone during a pickup day. It was a messy process, and Joe was brought on two days before that shoot and delivered exactly what I had hoped for. I became mesmerized by his face and acting ability. Ever since then I knew my next project would be with him in the lead. Luckily he fit the role of Dennis like a glove. Joe is one of the hardest-working actors I know and left me speechless every day. He really made my job easy, he understood so clearly how to differentiate the comedy and sincerity of each beat, an essential balance to my filmmaking. Everybody raves about Joe, and sometimes they try to attribute his performance to my directing, but really all I did was watch him in awe and laughter, it just felt like it was meant to be.
Celluloid sees the world differently than the human eye, and I think the separation of these perspectives allows us to understand and digest the film as something beyond reality.
Why did you want the grit of shooting on film and how did that affect your production with so many setups, situations and locations?
I’ve always been obsessed with shooting on film. I believe it to be the fastest way to achieve that elusive cinematic quality. Being a child of the 90s when I think of movies I think of 35mm shot at 2.35:1 – I wanted to go all in on this film, so 35mm was a requirement from the start. Aside from the aesthetics I think shooting on 35mm made the film better in a tonal sort of way. I often write worlds that are slightly larger than life, they’re familiar worlds, but they’re certainly exaggerated from reality. Celluloid sees the world differently than the human eye, and I think the separation of these perspectives allows us to understand and digest the film as something beyond reality, allowing us to suspend our disbelief and fall under the spell we’re casting.
Have you found any inspiration from Dale Carnegie’s supposed bible of human interaction?
I’m going to out myself as a bit of a fraud here, but I’ve only read maybe half of Dale Carnegie’s book. I picked it up during my whole not having friends crisis, but found Carnegie’s perspective to be a bit repulsive, and had little desire to explore his mindset of manipulation, etc. Nevertheless, I had to include it in the film, I mean the jokes right there, how could you not?
And finally, what’s going to be your next cathartic film exploration?
The next cathartic exploration… Since making this short I have written a feature version of the film that explores the contrast between the naive and idealistic perspective of Dennis and the complex reality of society. I showed People Person at a theater in Los Angeles last year. After the screening I was met with non-stop praise and adulation, I had never felt better about myself. And then the party was over and I went to bed alone depressed and mourning the fact that people wouldn’t love me this much as soon as tomorrow. I was a bit disgusted with myself, seeing how much I reveled in the attention.
Six days later I had a first draft of a feature film exploring the effect that success has on my ego. It’s a film that plots out the worst version of myself should I find any sort of success in my life. Why do I need to feel loved and cherished by all, it’s so pathetic and sometimes brings out the worst in me. I’m hoping that by writing this film it will prepare me to be a well adjusted person should I ever be fortunate enough to consider myself successful.
