Written and directed by Hannah Marks, the unconventional romantic comedy Mark, Mary & Some Other People follows a young couple as they explore what it means to be in an open relationship. After Mark (Ben Rosenfield) and Mary (Hayley Law) quickly fall for each other, she suggests that they have a more polyamorous and less traditional marriage that ultimately leads them to question what they really want from each other.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Marks talked about why she wanted to branch out from acting into other behind-the-scenes aspects of the entertainment business, the appeal of directing, learning something new on each project, how this specific story evolved, why she made the decision not to write herself a role, casting the lead characters, and having to go through post-production during COVID. She also talked about directing Don’t Make Me Go, why the script appealed to her, and how that cast came together.
Collider: Now that you’ve done the whole directing thing a few times, do you feel like a director? Do you feel like you own that description, at this point?
HANNAH MARKS: I do. It’s what I love. I still love acting and writing and producing, but directing is a huge passion of mine, and I guess you’ve just gotta own it. There are definitely so many challenges that come along with it, but I’m trying to own it.
At what point did you decide or know that you wanted to try directing? Was it something that you feel like you’d always thought about or wondered about, or were there specific experiences you had that inspired you to try to do it?
MARKS: Yeah. I’ve always loved movies and TV, which is why I got into acting. I was always interested in entertainment and wanted to be an actress, but I think I really wanted to be an actor just because of how much I loved the medium. As you wait for auditions, as an actor, it can get really frustrating, so it felt like a way to take matters into my own hands. I really started becoming interested in the filmmaking side of things and being behind the camera when I was a teenager.
Did you officially shadow any directors, or was it more just trying to absorb everything you could when you were on set?
MARKS: Yeah, I always just watched and listened when I was on set, or I would be on set when it wasn’t my turn, which was probably annoying. I would never sit in the trailer. I would always be watching and asking questions. I didn’t shadow anyone necessarily, but I read as many books as I could and as many articles and studied as many movies and studied as much screenwriting as I could.
What do you remember about your first experience as a director? Do you vividly remember what it was like? Does it all feel like a bit of a blur? How did you feel the first time you walked onto the set as the director?
MARKS: It was really weird. I did a short film that I self-financed for very little money and I made the mistake of starring in it and writing it and producing it and directing, and also doing costumes and props and all of that stuff. It just was so much to take on, so fast. I think that was a huge learning experience. Even though it was really hard, I don’t regret any of it because it taught me to sow things down and maybe take on one job at a time before starting to combine everything.
How different does it feel, after that? Going into an experience like this, did you feel more assured? Are there ways that you feel more confident, or is it scary each time you do a new project because each project is different?
MARKS: I think the new things become harder. You take your past experiences with you. I learn something on every job and I try to pro-actively take what I’ve learned into the next one, but then, of course, there’s something else completely new that you weren’t realizing was gonna be hard. Sometimes I’ll experiment with voice-over or slow motion. For example, in Mark, Mary & Some Other People, I did music scenes where the character is in a band and I hadn’t done that before. I’m just always trying to grow and experiment, try things, and not be afraid of doing things just because I haven’t yet done them. Of course, it’s hard and it’s scary, but that’s part of the fun.
You’ve been on sets as an actress for a bit, so you knew how the whole directing thing works, but was there anything you learned about directing that you hadn’t realized until you were actually on set and doing it?
MARKS: Definitely. I learned how massively important it is for an actor to trust their director. I’ve always been an actor that has a lot of questions and saw things a certain way. I learned, from being in the director’s chair myself, how valuable it is when someone can just give you complete trust, and you give them an idea and they just try it. I was so lucky on Mark, Mary & Some Other People that all of the actors were so game to look silly and not be afraid to fail, so we all got to experiment together. That’s definitely something I learned, for the future, for myself as an actor, just to be as trusting as I can be because it makes the director’s job so much easier.
Going back to the beginning of this film, where did this start? Did it start with specific characters? Did it start with you wanting to explore a specific idea? When you sat down to write this, where did you start?
MARKS: Well, I’ve always loved rom-coms. I love When Harry Met Sally, and I felt there was an opportunity to tell the modern open relationship version of that type of story because I felt like I hadn’t seen a ton of movies like that. It really started with that, as the idea behind it. And then, it evolved as I realized, “I wanna try to make this for a small amount of money and I wanna make it with my friends, so how can that be possible and how can we pull this off in L.A.?” It really evolved from a logistical standpoint. And then, I wanted to examine woke culture and the conversations that we’re having right now, by making Mark a little more traditional or old-fashioned and Mary a little bit more progressive. I thought that was a fun way to explore the current discourse.
When you set out to write this, did you know all of the points of the journey that you wanted to take these characters on and did you know where they would end up, or was it a little more fluid than that? Do you try to stay open to where the characters take you?
MARKS: I actually did know where it was gonna end up, but I didn’t know the exact journey it was gonna take and I didn’t know all of the specifics. I would go back and add in new layers and colors and different details, as I went, but I did always know what the ending was gonna be.
Had you ever, at any point, considered writing this for yourself or did you always know that that was not something you wanted to do for this?
MARKS: I always knew that I wanted Mary to be a woman of color, and I also knew I wanted her to be a singer and someone who could play instruments, so I never really considered myself for the role, even though there’s a ton of my personality in her character. I just thought that the best thing for the movie would be to cast someone that’s actually a singer and a songwriter, just because that’s a certain essence that you either have or you don’t.
I love the title of this movie because it really perfectly encapsulates what the movie is. Did you have those character names, from day one? Were these characters always Mark and Mary, or did that develop later?
MARKS: They were always Mark and Mary, for some reason. I wasn’t anticipating that would make it difficult to read the script because their names are only one letter apart, so that got confusing sometimes. But for some reason, the way it all unfolded just came to me. I just felt inspired and got going.
What was your casting process like for this? Did you have things that you were looking for? What was it about Ben Rosenfield and Hayley Law that really made them who you wanted?
MARKS: I worked with wonderful casting directors, Amber Horn and Danielle Aufiero, who I’ve known as an actor since I was little. I’ve been auditioning for them, for forever, and they were so nice to take this on with me. We knew that we wanted to just take a risk and offer Mark and Mary to people we felt would be right for it. We didn’t have a ton of time to hold an extended casting process. I had seen Ben in Boardwalk Empire and Six Years, and I just thought he was so versatile and he felt so much like the character. I Zoomed with him and we got along great, and that was really that. And then, my friend Brian Duffield made a movie called Spontaneous, and Hayley Law was the best friend in it. She was so terrific, and I just remember thinking, “This girl shouldn’t be the best friend. She should be the lead.” I knew they were the same age, I felt like they would have a good vibe, and I just went for it. Thankfully, they both said yes, and thankfully, the casting directors and producers and everyone agreed that they felt right. From there, we auditioned all of the people in the movie that aren’t my friends. Most of the people in the movie, though, are people that I already knew was friends with.
This movie is tricky because it’s one of those stories where the characters could become insufferable, and yet somehow they’re endearing and you find yourself rooting for them. That’s partly to do with the writing, but also partly to do with chemistry and who you cast. Was that something that you thought a lot about? Did you feel like casting really played a crucial role in what you wanted with this?
MARKS: Oh, definitely. Especially because we did so much improv in the movie, I knew I wanted actors that were comfortable with improvising and comfortable with getting weird. I really like actors that are a little bit left of center, who don’t feel too polished or television-y. Though there’s so much great television out there right now, I probably can’t even say that anymore. I just loved how weird everyone was, and everyone brought themselves to it, which is exactly what I hoped for. That was the main thought process with casting. It was about who’s willing to let their freak flag fly.
What was the post-production process like on this? Are you someone who is very clear on what you want, and can stay focused and make that happen, or do you agonize over having to cut scenes, especially with the acting background that you have?
MARKS: That’s a great question. Post on this was a little strange because we wrapped right before the pandemic. We wrapped at the end of January and the pandemic really started full force in March, so the entire editing process was over Zoom and that was completely new for me. But the one bright side to that was that we did get to take our time a bit because the whole world was shut down. We had some time to explore and try different things. As always, there’s a vision when you start and it evolves into something else. Once you have the actual material, it becomes its own its own beast. It’s like writing the script again, but with all of the performances. It’s really your biggest rewrite.
Did you have any agonizing moments, where you loved a scene, but you had to cut it, or are you able to do that without agonizing over it?
MARKS: I can be pretty good at killing my darlings, I think that’s the saying. I like for the best idea to win. Sometimes it’s painful for a moment, but you’ve gotta make cuts for the greater good.
Does it gives you a different appreciation for the directors that you work with, as an actor, when all you can do is give your performance, and then it’s up to them to choose which takes they’re going to use?
MARKS: Definitely. It’s exactly what we were talking about before, in that it all comes down to trust. That was the most beautiful thing for me, that came out of this movie was. Ben and Hayley gave me so much trust and collaboration. Because we did so much improv, they had to take a lot of risks. That meant the world to me and is something I’m gonna keep with me and strive for in the future. I wanna be that easy actor to work with because they gave that to me and it made all the difference.
You’ve since directed another film with Don’t Make Me Go, which is a script that you didn’t write.
MARKS: Yeah, I’m actually watching the edit right now on mute. That’s happening on my computer as we talk.
How did that script come your way and what was it about that script that made you want to direct it without having written it yourself?
MARKS: I had met a producer named Peter Saraf, just generally, and I was a huge fan of his. He did Little Miss Sunshine and Adaptation, and a bunch of really brilliant movies. I don’t know. I guess he saw something in me that he thought would be right for this particular story. They didn’t have a director at the time, and I read it and just fell in love with it. It felt right up my alley. So, even though I didn’t write it, a woman named Vera Herbert, who is really, really talented, wrote it. It’s a pretty personal story to her, but I still felt a very deep connection to it. It’s a great challenge to direct something that’s not your own writing. I hope to keep doing it. I like to do both.
What can you say about what that film is about and what you were most interested in exploring with that story?
MARKS: It’s a father-daughter road trip movie. It’s a dramedy. It’s just a really special, personal tale. It’s about a father who’s sick and he’s trying to teach his daughter all of the things that she’s gonna need to know for life, as he takes her on the road and teachers her to drive. I was just really excited and interested in the idea of a father-daughter movie because there’s really not too many. I have my own personal connections to the movie, but it’s hard to talk abou because I don’t wanna give spoilers.
I love the work that both Kaya Scodelario and John Cho deliver with the roles that they play. What did you enjoy about working with them and seeing how they contributed to what you wanted from this?
MARKS: They’re terrific. I haven’t been asked questions about this yet, so I’m trying to think of how to answer. I was such a fan of both of theirs, so it was really exciting to get to work with them. I hadn’t worked with either of them before. The thing I love about John so much is that he can do comedy, he can do drama, he could do action, he can do sci-fi, he can do musicals. He has had such an amazing career. He’s a total veteran. I just have so much respect for him and I was so excited to get to work with his versatility. I had seen that movie Searching, which is all on a computer screen, and he’s so good in that movie, which I thought was such a feat. And then, with Kaya, I grew up watching Skins and I was such a fangirl of her from that. And I had seen her in the Zac Efron/Ted Bundy movie (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile), and I thought she was so good in that. Like John, she’s very versatile. That was so different from Effy in Skins. And she happened to be in New Zealand when we were filming, so she auditioned with John and was just so wonderful. It was a no-brainer.
Are you somebody who likes to have a bunch of projects in development at once? Do you have scripts you’re working on, or things that you’re looking at to possibly direct or act in, or do you prefer to stay focused on one thing until you’re finished?
MARKS: I’m usually a big multi-tasker. I love to work on as many things as I can. I definitely like to hustle and keep my brain as active as possible, but I’m trying to get better at saying no and not spreading myself too thin and just really focusing on the task at hand. That’s been a learning curve for me. I’m trying to take my time now and not put myself everywhere at once. I need to clone myself to do that.
Mark, Mary & Some Other People is now playing in theaters, On-Demand and Digital.