Andrea Bowen discusses the responsibilities of playing a character written for her
Meet Tanner and Brent. They are two gay best friends. Brent longs for the spotlight and believes that coming out will make him instantly popular as this year’s must-have teen girl accessory; North Gateway High’s very first G.B.F. (or Gay Best Friend). Tanner on the other hand, would rather fly under the radar and finish high school without ever being noticed.When things don’t go according to plan and Tanner is outed instead of Brent, the two boys go from B.F.Fs to instant frenemies. Enter the three most popular girls in school — queen-of-mean bombshell Fawcett, drama club diva Caprice, and sweet, Mormon good-girl ‘Shley, who launch an all-out social war to win Tanner’s status-enhancing friendship.
Ahead of the home entertainment release of G.B.F. The Fan Carpet‘s Paul Risker had an opportunity to speak with one of the films three high school queen bees, Andrea Bowen.
She spoke to us about the responsibilities of playing a character written for her, G.B.F’s journey to the screen, the questions facing actors, writers and directors, and the important place G.B.F occupies within her body of work…
How did you become involved in the project, and what was it in particular that attracted you to the character?
I was very lucky that I was brought on during the early stages of the film. Writer George Northy who had written the role with me in mind reached out to my manager. So I immediately read the script and I fell in love with both the film and the role of ‘Shely Osgoode. This was a number of years prior to the film being made, and we went through a series of different workshops and readings to try and get people interested in funding the film. Now that’s it complete it is exciting that we finally get to share it with everyone.
Does the knowledge that the part was written for you change your mindset?
As an actor you always become attached to any character you play, and so I became very attached and territorial towards ‘Shely. It definitely plays a role in the way you approach the character, the way you tell the story, if only because you feel a certain amount of trust from the writer. Obviously it is nice to go into any project and feel that they have the confidence in you and your ability to portray somebody that they have created.
You’ve previously spoken of the way this character twists and turns throughout the narrative. Is that one of the things that appeals to you as an actress tackling a character who is on a journey?
Absolutely, and when you are working on a project you want to play characters that are filled with depth, and which examine the different sides of themselves, which is the most relatable. That’s how we are as humans, and that’s the way everyone’s story is in the film. They are rich, interesting, confusing and conflicting.
Often in the teen comedy realm, you don’t get many dynamic characters. Instead you get these stereotypical ideas of how high school is, and of course everybody has their role. There is the popular kid, the geeks, and the alternative people. You are labelled as that type of a person and then you don’t have room to explore that label.
So we poke fun at that. We have these characters that seem to fall into the categories that are common for this sub-genre of films, but then we play around with it. Everyone is conflicted, and everyone is on their own journey. Essentially everyone is in the closet about their own life, or about something or another. The main protagonist of our film has issues that just happens to be about her sexuality. Aside from her every character is struggling with something about themselves, but it is all dealt with and wrapped up in this colourful, fun and exciting package.
Would you rather have a film that plays it safe; a film that is entertaining and ticks all the boxes or would you prefer a film that doesn’t play it safe, but takes some chances, and in doing so it might not wholly succeed? It is an interesting confrontation for audience and filmmakers alike.
It’s a great question, and it’s something everybody in the industry has to think about whether you are an actor, a performer, writer or director. There is definitely an easier route to take that can be very alluring, which is to stay with the safer options, and is sometimes not a bad thing.
There are universally appealing themes, plot devices and such that you can go to and create art within, and that’s fine. I fall into the latter category of wanting to pick out things that don’t necessarily play by the rules, and do not entirely play it safe. Maybe the payoff in return is not something that is immediately considered a success. But to me it is so enriching in my life, and something I consider a success when you get to tackle a project that you feel has both worth and an interesting story or stories to tell.
Whilst working on Desperate Housewives you were set schooled. How did that impact your impression of school in contrast to the other cast members, as well as the ability to draw on that experience for your character?
I would talk to the other actors on set about it if only a little, but there were a few of us who grew up in the industry. I know both Sasha [Pieterse] and I did. Neither of us had the typical school experience to draw upon to compare the story to. So I was listening to the experiences of high school from others which I would then relate to the story.
Even when I was in school, I was lucky enough to grow up in Manhattan. So this was a foreign concept to me. I also went to a performing arts school where the level of acceptance just existed. It’s not a thing, it’s not talked about, and it’s not something people are aware of or something they deal with. It’s just as much accepted as anything else about a person, and because I didn’t experience it personally, I had to lean on the other cast members to find that element.
Film is one of the great collaborative art forms. It invites everyone to contribute, and in so doing everyone shapes the film. Listening to you discuss G.B.F, it sounds as if this is your experience of the project?
The other thing to mention when talking about the idea of something being so entirely collaborative is working in the indie film world. You don’t have the freedom, you don’t have as much time, and you certainly don’t have the resources to work with as you would with a bigger budget.
From day one, everybody who was working on the set and working on the project are initially bonded just by the fact we are all their for the love of the story as well as the strong desire to make the film. That is something that bonds you from the get go.
You’re right that there are not that many mediums in life where something can be so completely collaborative in such a beautiful way. It’s something that is special, and on this project I felt that more than I have ever felt it before.
In previous interviews you have also spoken of G.B.F as a timely and important film. You start off with the film being about one subject, but as film as the habit of doing it spirals outward to become about more than just that one subject.
Definitely, though it’s not necessarily what you expect. There are these surprises, and little sub-stories throughout. It is very much an ensemble piece. George [Northy] did such a wonderful job writing the film and exploring the many different types of characters so that there is something to relate to with everyone.
How do you view this film within your body of work, and what has it taught you moving forward?
Well it taught me a lot. I was definitely in new territory with this project having not done much comedy work. There were some comedy elements to Desperate Housewives, but prior to Housewives and the other projects that I worked on during the run of the show, my work has tended to be mostly drama.
As I always gravitate towards drama, the chance to do something that was just so funny when I first read the script that it had me laughing out load was wonderful. It was a great experience for me as an actor to get the opportunity to spread my wings for the first time in that regard. So that will always be a benchmark in my career from here on out as something that was meaningful.
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G.B.F IS OUT NOW ON BLU-RAY AND DVD FROM PECCADILLO PICTURES