Bunnylovr I Variety Sundance Studio 2025 Presented by Audible

Variety

Today’s most notable creatives join Variety at Sundance for exclusive in-depth conversations across various entertainment mediums, presented by Audible.

Transcript

00:00This has been like our whole friendship is like we sit there and we're like we're making this happen

00:04I feel that way with all my best friends like it's like no one

00:08Believes in you like your friends believe in you and you literally just have to look at each other and be like it's happening

00:13It's happening. It's happening. We're doing it

00:30So Katerina you wrote directed and star in this film and so

00:36How did you choose this to be your your first feature?

00:39How did you come around to the topic and when did you start working on the script? Oh my gosh

00:43I feel like there's no choice. Like I feel like it's like the only thing that I knew to like write about really

00:50but I

00:53Don't know I feel like I grew up on the internet

00:55I was so online as like most I think like 29 year olds grew up on the internet

01:01and I was interested in exploring I

01:05Guess I've been a lot of like connection in digital spaces like a lot of connection a lot of

01:09Validation and like agency that I wasn't finding in real life. So I was interested in exploring that sort of

01:17that juxtaposed with like the reality of a

01:21Real life relationship and like the painful awkward reality oftentimes of a real-life relationship

01:30And so your character is a cam girl and and why was that your way into the story and kind of

01:38Navigating the the digital online space. I mean, I think I was just interested in

01:45the sort of

01:47Like transactional

01:50Relationship between like a cam girl and her client and also the sort of

01:57Like, you know

02:00on

02:01one side of the coin, it's very

02:04empowering to like

02:06You know be it's very empowering and validating but on the other side it also is you know, like

02:12There's a question of how much agency you have

02:16And I think that was what really interested me in terms of like the cam girl

02:23Yeah making her a camera

02:26So, what was it like filming the movie in New York City, what are some of the challenges of

02:33Shooting there. Oh my gosh. I mean it was it was cuckoo. It was it was amazing. It was perfect

02:38It was like exactly, you know

02:39it was just like run-and-gun girl style shooting like dodging people on the street and like having people like in the shot that are just

02:46Like like mouths wide open yawning like walking down the firemen too. Oh, yes. Yes

02:51But we were we were filming where we would crop like walk across the fire station and every time they were like

02:57We're in the movie and we were like amazing

03:00So just for one take if you could not scream we're in the movie, but it was it's fun. It's fun

03:06Yeah, it's and I think it's like, you know

03:08That energy just contributes so much to the film and like adds to the texture of the film and like, you know

03:14We had this amazing fixer in Chinatown named Jeannie and she just like knew every establishment knew every like brought in all these like

03:24Like street cast all of these people or just basically just like paid people to cut like stay where they were

03:29You know and like be in our like card game scene. It was really really really special. Yeah. Yeah

03:35What was it? Like the the scenes in the park the card games?

03:38What was that like? I mean, I I love filming in New York New York City is a character, you know

03:43you work with the city, so it's such a joy and

03:46And I knew some of the people that were in Chinatown just by chance they're sitting there and I'm like, oh my god

03:51Joe's here, you know

03:52And so and they just happen to just be there playing cards and all these other people hanging out that are extras

03:58They're like do we have to move? I mean like well if you could stay there for two hours, you don't have to move

04:02So it's it's just super fun the energy of New York City, I don't know

04:06There's I mean there must be other cities like Paris or Tokyo or something, you know, but New York City is special

04:13And Rachel, I know you and Katerina are longtime friends

04:17And so I'm sure the rapport comes naturally, but is it ever I don't want to say a challenge

04:22But working with a friend where you do have to be the boss as well

04:26What is that like when you are directing a friend?

04:28I mean, I think it's just comes down to like communication and honesty and like understanding like your boundaries and respecting

04:35You know, you're someone else's boundaries. I think like

04:39Rachel such an incredible collaborator and friend and she's just like so

04:44Generous and open and like so such a heart like the hardest working person

04:49I know so I feel like it was so easy. Like I would I didn't have to do any you know, I was just like

04:53We just know actually I was there was no

04:57involved

04:59Stop don't ever say that but I I just will say like

05:03basically like the whole process like just from the beginning basically like I remember like being in New York

05:11Talking about the movie and we were just this has been like our whole friendship is like we sit there and we're like

05:16We're making this happen. I feel that way with all my best friends like it's like no one

05:21Believes in you like your friends believe in you and you literally just have to look at each other and be like it's happening

05:26It's happening. It's happening. We're doing it

05:29There were 10,000 phone calls from me to Rachel being like, I don't this person said no, I don't think it's gonna happen

05:35What if we can't do it by this time? What if we don't get the fun?

05:37She was like, it's it don't worry about it. It's happening. We're doing we're making a crazy person

05:43To be able to make it to make it you have like you have to be so like in it

05:48Yeah, and the thing is that Katerina is one of the hardest workers ever. She's so talented

05:53She's so smart like the other thing is like I came to set as like an actor

05:59When they were already in their flow and like every set is different

06:03You don't know especially when people already have like a rhythm or a vibe. You're like, I'm the new girl at school

06:09And so like I walk on and I was like, she had called to be

06:13You know what? I'm saying? I'll send you like I'm the new girl school

06:16I walked on and I was like she had created such an amazing environment

06:22Everybody respected her so much like I feel like you guys agree like it was like and it was a quiet set to where it

06:27Was like she would just be like, okay

06:29I think this and everyone's like leaning in like, uh-huh

06:32like it was so and that's amazing to see your friend do that and like step up to the

06:38Challenge because it's intimidating

06:41Um Austin what

06:43Had how did this script come to you and what appealed to you about playing?

06:48It just got emailed to me

06:52Agent was like no, it's a no

06:55Yeah

06:58Well, I mean

07:02Yeah, like trepidatious with like a first-time filmmaker because

07:07Essentially like acting just like you're sort of just gambling on something, you know, you're like, uh

07:12I don't know how it's gonna turn out. But I saw a short that she did and

07:18One I I loved the title and I looked at the title and then read the script and it was all super

07:24Cohesive and I was like, oh

07:26like a script that actually makes sense and has like a really deep point of view and

07:31It was just super fucking honest

07:35Very honest and you know in the story that I didn't know much about

07:40in the town, I didn't know much about and

07:44Then I saw the short and it was like eight minutes of

07:48people that were

07:50like didn't miss a beat, you know, it was like everybody was super authentic and

07:56The colors and she just had like a vibe. It was a cool vibe

08:01And I was like, oh I want to be a part of that

08:04it was like very

08:07particular and I

08:10Guess she cast me

08:13I

08:14Think that the question that people are gonna come out of this movie asking is

08:19Or any bunnies harmed in the making of it bunnies were harmed

08:23We had we had the bunny came with an entourage of like seven people

08:27It was like two people from the American humane the humane society

08:31like two

08:33Animal handlers the animal agent. We had to go through it. We went to animal

08:39There were two also two bunnies there were two but yeah

08:42Like the way that you switch out like a child actor like a like infant there were like two bunnies

08:48but but there was definitely like a very steep learning curve in terms of working with the bunny like this first day that we

08:54worked with the bunny it peed on the laptop and that was really like

08:57difficult, but by the end I think it was like I

09:00Understood sort of like what the bunny needed to feel comfortable and

09:06Yeah, would you recommend working with animals again good experience? Oh my god. I mean in my opinion it was worth it

09:12you know like in the it was worth it, but

09:16Just know that you're in for chaos. Yeah, which I think people do you know, you're just sort of like surfing their wave

09:23Yes, there's not really yes

09:27You're just like I'll just do whatever you do. Yes be ready to completely relinquish control

09:33Yeah, it's like an actor who makes crazy choices. You're like, that's a choice. Okay. Yeah. Well, we're doing that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah

09:40that's an interesting challenge as a director, but

09:44Thank you guys for for being here is all the time we have but it was so great to talk to you guys

09:48Thank you so much

09:56You

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