Gigi Burgdorf Interview

Gigi Burgdorf is an actress, director and screenwriter who will soon be appearing in The Family Plan 2. Could you tell us about your role alongside Michelle Monaghan and Mark Wahlberg?

I play the Sister-in-Law of Michelle Monaghan’s character Jessica – part of her big and boisterous family who get together to celebrate Thanksgiving. The director - Simon Cellan Jones - wanted the family scenes to be loose and jovial, so only the main dialogue was scripted, and the rest was improvised around that. We had a day’s rehearsal to get to know each other, so by the time we were filming, all the relationships and family dynamics had been established. I love that way of working, as improvising in character is always so much fun.

Can you share an amusing or memorable anecdote from the set of The Family Plan?

We had a spontaneous game of football in the back yard – seen through the window very briefly in a couple of shots. It was adults against kids, and the grown-ups took it very seriously – maybe a little too seriously! It was really muddy and everyone was sliding around, and when one of the dads fell over, we decided to call a truce before anyone got injured. It felt just like a real Thanksgiving.

You are also busy filming the comedy Preschool. Can you give us a sneak peek of the plot? What role will you be playing?

We’ve now finished filming on Preschool, and it was a joy from beginning to end. It’s an action comedy about two dads competing for the last remaining place in a prestigious preschool. One family is fairly wealthy and the other is more working class, and my character is the nanny of the wealthy family, played by Josh Duhamel and Charity Wakefield. Josh was directing as well as starring in it, and he created such a happy atmosphere on set. It was one of my best filming experiences to date, and I can’t wait to see the finished film, which I hope will be out next year.

You're not just doing comedies though, as you'll also be playing Pat in One Second After. What genre does Gigi, the director and screenwriter, prefer? What is the main difference you have noticed between playing a role as an actress and having to think about it as a screenwriter?

One Second After was a real departure from my recent projects, as it’s a post-apocalyptic thriller with a lot of action – a genre that’s pretty new to me. I tend to write mainly comedy and the same is true for directing, but as an actor I enjoy playing all sorts of roles. When I’m acting I only have to focus on one character, which means it’s easy to leave out the comedy if it’s not a comic person or a comedic situation, but with writing you have to think about all the characters, and I guess it’s hard for some of my natural comedic tone not to sneak into at least one of the characters when I’m writing. That’s probably the main difference between the two - your focus can be much narrower when you’re acting, whereas a writer has to keep a hold of all the characters’ personalities and perspectives and weave them in together.

As a director, you have made two short comedies: The Plan and Same Time Next Week, the latter of which develops science fiction themes. Where did the idea for your short films come from?

The first short I made - Same Time Next Week - was part of a 48 hour film project where you’re given a genre, a prop and a line of dialogue, and that helped me realize that I tend to do well with constraints, rather than starting with a completely blank slate. My second short, The Plan, came from a feeling rather than a whole story. I tend to start small and worry about the ending later on. I envy writers who can map out the entire plot before they even start writing. I usually start with dialogue and let the plot unfold as it goes. Maybe it’s because my writing evolved out of improvising, so when I write I’m basically just improvising all the characters in my head and seeing where it leads.

What inspires you when you have to identify with a role or create a character for your short films?

I usually find my way in through feelings – if I can identify with what a person is feeling, then that unlocks the rest of the character – for acting and for writing. And it means I can write or play a character who is quite different from my normal self, as long as I can find common ground with what they’re feeling. It also helps to imagine what they might look like and if I know anyone who’s like them, as that’s a great starting point for putting myself in their shoes. I often write with specific people in mind, as I can more easily picture how they might say something or what they might do next.

As we thank and say goodbye to Gigi, we have one last question: what are your next projects as a director, actress and screenwriter?

I’m writing a short comedy at the moment that I will act in as well, alongside Jennifer K Preston who I met on the set of The Family Plan 2. We’re in pre-production on that and are aiming to film in the next couple of months. And hopefully Preschool will be out soon, with One Second After following later in the year. They are pretty much opposite in terms of style and character, so I can’t wait for everyone to see them.