Michaela Watkins on Menopause, Cuddle Parties, and the Magic of Indie Film
Coming to Ojai Playhouse March 9
Michaela Watkins and Charlie Gillespie in SUZE
I first saw the movie Suze, starring local Ojai resident Michaela Watkins, at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2024. It is a story about a newly single mom becoming an empty nester and reluctantly befriending her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, Gage, played by Charlie Gillespie. It is also a delightfully surprising narrative about finding meaning and purpose in unexpected relationships. The film was written and directed by husband-and-wife team Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and is steeped with nuance and levity, evoking misty eyes and audible laughs. I remember leaving the theatre with wet sleeves from drying my tears and sore cheeks from smiling so much, a coveted combo most often evoked from watching classic rom-coms on airplanes.
Suze will screen at The Ojai Playhouse on March 9 at 6:30 pm. In support of this gem of a film and in celebration of its star, a beloved member of our Ojai Community, I reached out to Michaela for an interview to learn more about her role and experience working on the production.
Cassandra: Suze explores the complexities of major life changes like infidelity, a child leaving home for the first time, and perimenopause, a subject that rarely finds its way on the mainstream silver screen. What aspects of Suze’s journey resonated with you, and why was it meaningful to portray this character at this stage of life?
Michaela: Growing up, I don’t remember women talking about perimenopause or menopause except in hushed tones. Now all my friends are at that age, and we are all talking to each other about it because no one spoke to us. We don’t understand what is happening to us. We don’t understand why we feel intense rage or like a furnace or even remember the word for a “furnace,” along with 30 other symptoms. It was not talked about openly, and somehow, there was a lot of shame around it because it pointed to “aging” or becoming infertile and therefore… irrelevant? Well, screw that. We have female writers and filmmakers who are not afraid to talk about this change, and I am an actress who refuses to feel condemned for being alive at 50.
I also went into menopause prematurely. I was given a uterine cancer diagnosis just under a month before filming Suze. I had to have an emergency hysterectomy, and while my character was going through the change, so was I. It was surreal.
Also, my friends are JUST starting to have kids leave the nest. (Some have teens who are equally hormonal and pissy as Sarah so beautifully demonstrated in the film as Suze’s daughter). It’s a wild shift. Watching families spill all their time, energy, resources, hopes, dreams, and love into their kids, and then one day, they just *boop* fly away. Meanwhile, it happens while women are having hormonal changes that make them feel like they’re losing their marbles. These are two major life transitions happening at once that no one really talked about on-screen until recently, with filmmakers speaking of their female experience. It’s YET ANOTHER reason why representation matters in the arts, and I’m here for it.
Suze’s relationship with Gage is unconventional. The two characters experience a simultaneous loss, both unceremoniously left by Suze’s daughter, Brooke, played by Sara Waisglass. To her dismay, your character is then briefly tasked with becoming Gage’s guardian, and a lovely and unexpected maternal bond unfolds. How did you and Charlie Gillespie build the chemistry necessary to make this unique relationship feel authentic and believable?
I met Charlie on a Zoom with the directors before filming. They wanted to see what the chemistry would be out of the gate because there would be zero time for rehearsal. Indie film budgets do not provide the luxury of time, so we knew we had to hit the ground running once I landed in Canada. As soon as he hung up from the call, I told Linsey and Dane that he was perfect. The meeting showed me we were all on the same page from the beginning. That is rare and special, and the more I got to know him, the more fond I became of him. It’s so easy to write someone off as young/old, silly/humorless, cocky/shy or what have you. We have lost the art of getting to know someone. The relationship felt authentic in large part because it was.
One of my favorite scenes in the film is Suze eating spaghetti solo on a couch at a cuddle party that Gage drags her to. People in warm embraces are curled up all around her while she slurps cold pasta from a paper plate in uncomfortable silence. Your character is so earnest and funny in her awkward loneliness until the tension is broken by Gage’s teacher, played by Rainbow Sun Francks, whom Suze is surprised to see at the event. What was your reaction when you first read that scene in the script, and what was the challenge or ease of making that awkwardness so genuinely comical?”
To be honest, I wasn’t psyched about the cuddle party scenes because it felt like a device to me. But the way the directors handled it felt real. In fact, everything we did felt real. That is why the film works so well. I believe everyone. I believe their relationship grew and never felt forced because of editing for the story or time. I believe that Suze is incredibly uncomfortable at the party. I believe she is longing to be touched but is too closed off to ask for it. I believe that Gage would suggest doing something odd and impulsive like, like attending this party with Suze. Also, Rainbow is a terrific actor who crash-landed into set mid-shooting and handled it all with such confidence and deftness. I’m so grateful he was cast.
What was your favorite scene to film and why?
The restaurant scene for obvious reasons. I don’t want to give anything away.
Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart are a husband-and-wife directing team. What was the dynamic like on set, and how did their collaborative process impact your performance?
They are such a solid unit. To have not one but two directors who have literally thought of EVERYTHING and to be that prepared to shoot the film is also uncommon. They took turns giving notes. There was no competition between them, so the best idea won. It was an embarrassment of riches to get them both. Someone told them that when directing, they should “never fight in front of the children.” If there were disagreements, we never saw them.
Suze has a limited run, and we were lucky to get a screening at the Ojai Playhouse. What are the key differences between working on a smaller, independent film like this versus larger productions you’ve been a part of?
Well, promotional budget is a big thing. As in — We don’t have one. So thank you, Cassandra and VORTEX, for taking the time and internet space to get Suze out there here in Ojai. Indies shoot fast and furiously for not really any money at all. So this film is all passion for me personally. Everyone — tip to tail — has worked their butt off in their respective departments without monetary support. So I’m deeply proud of what we made. I also feel like we are making the movie we want to make and not one that big studios think people want to see. In doing that, I think we ultimately made a film teeming with nuance instead of hitting the audience on the head with plot points and bad jokes. That said ILikeGettingPaidToWorkHireMePleasehahahaMarvelMoviesAreFunThanks.
Lastly, what future projects are you excited about?
I joined the cast of Hacks on MAX for their 4th season as a VERY different character than Suze. And I just had a fun cameo in the slasher/comedy Heart Eyes that just came out. I will also be recurring on the Netflix thriller series Night Agent for their upcoming season and filming that now.
OMG! I am a big fan of Hacks! I am excited to see you on that show. Until then, thank you, Michaela! I’m thrilled we had this chance to connect before Suze screens at the Ojai Playhouse on March 9. I hope our conversation helps spread the word about how great this film truly is. It’s smart and funny, with undeniable warmth, a story that pulls you in and leaves you feeling hopeful. That is something we all need right now.
It is also the perfect evening out to celebrate a talented local actor in our beautiful new art house theatre.
Get your tickets! — I predict a sell-out!
