Candis Cayne, Michelle Peerali & Andrea Metz – Candis For President

By starrymag | November 20, 2018

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) This project came about when you sat down and started to discuss why doors weren’t being opened more for the LGBT community by networks. What are some the rejections and responses that have stuck with you that have received which are interwoven in your material?

 

Candis: Being in this community makes you have to re-think the way you present yourself and your ideas to most people and networks. I think that we heard multiple times that there was already a Trans Character on the network, or that they loved it BUT didn’t think their audience was ready for it yet.

 

Andrea: This project actually sprung from the reality of the multiple rejections we heard when Candis and I were pitching a scripted comedy I wrote called LadyParts, which had Candis as the lead. We heard everything from “we already have A Trans character on our network” to “our audience can’t relate to this, our demographic is middle America.” It was shocking to me- but not to Candis, who has experienced this her entire life- that we were still being hit with so much blatant Transphobia from networks and people who are doing such groundbreaking work in other areas.

 

 

Q) With the mid-term election previously looming, why was it important for you to put the short film out during this period of time? Will we continue on Candis’ campaign trail as we grow closer to 2020?

 

Michelle: I think it’s important we shared this at a time when people are desiring a change…whether it’s taking to the polls or taking to the small screen with action.

 

We’ve received really positive feedback on the short, and we may continue on the campaign trail with Candis, but it’s actually a smaller puzzle piece to a larger project that involves Candis and Andrea’s characters and the world they live in.

 

 

Q) During Candis’ campaign we encounter a curmudgeon who is intent on heckling Candis and deterring her from her aspirations. Does he represent a group at large or more of an inner voice?

 

Andrea: I think we need to do everything in our power to lift those in our own community instead of tearing each other down. The heckler in this piece represents that voice inside all of us that sometimes almost automatically goes to that wounded and judged place that rears its ugly, bitter head and thinks, ‘that person is not doing enough’ or ‘they are never going to make a difference’ or ‘why are they doing it this way or that way.’ Instead, I am looking forward to the day that we all can celebrate the positive impact of those who are trying to make a difference and putting themselves out there, even if it is different than how we may choose to do it.

 

 

Q) Candis, you are such a chameleon and beacon with the compelling characters we seem to innately connect with. You have broken down doors and smashed stereotypes. What are some of the ways you have dared to defy and what have you learned along the way from doing so?

 

Candis: I started in this industry because I had a passion for what I did. I also never allowed myself to be discouraged about how other people thought of me. I did the work no matter how many times I was told “no” and I would not give up. That’s what you have to do when your breaking down barriers.

 

 

 

Q) In the time of heavy darkness from an administration bent on trying to erase identities, gas light Americans, etc., why is there a need even more to push boundaries and put a spotlight on this industry epidemic?

 

Michelle: I think this epidemic is in every industry…beyond entertainment as we see inequality and discrimination in various sectors. The more we continue to tell our stories, the more I am hopeful of a commonplace for figures and voices who were often unseen or unheard.

 

 

Q) In the film you touch on struggles that seem to be insurmountable, but then you name drop these powerful resilient women with strong female character – Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. How do these women help drive you both in the industry and as individuals? What has them paving the way as prominent figures of feminism helped to ingrain in you?

 

 

Candis: Those women defied the odds, they are great because of their strength and achievements, and have been attacked for standing up for whats right for decades. The only reason they survived was because of their intelligence and tenacity, which is so inspiring.

 

 

Q) I love is that there is so much truth behind the comedy in the film, it kind of stings because it hits so many nails on the head and makes you think at the same time. How did you construct layering this honesty and not holding back or being afraid to really dig into these issues?

 

Andrea: I did not hold back in this piece because this is my truth and I am not one to run away from digging into issues that I think need to be addressed. I choose to use comedy to poke fun of the disappointments I feel in my own life, that is how I cope and that is the vehicle I use to hopefully elicit some form of change- even if it is just to get people to wonder what really did happen to Richard Simmons after all.

 

 

Q) How much influence do the everyday administration attacks fuel your need to fight back and do it with a ferocious fire?

 

Candis: I’ve always been political, I’ve marched and fought for the LGBTQI community for years but something visceral happened when Trump was elected. A greater need to stand up and to stand out. Our way of life is being attacked so we must fight for each other.

 

 

Q) As we look at the political climate with our rights being attacked how can those outside of the community use their platforms and privilege to amplify diversity and be allies to those who administrations seek to erase?

 

 

Candis: We are fighters, we have always had to be, but we are also a minority and all minorities need allies to stand with them when the majority tries to take away our rights. It’s so important that we all stand together and weather this bitch of a storm.

 

 

Q) How do we create multilayered complex characters who represent a well-rounded spectrum rather than a constant carbon copy?

 

Andrea: Each one of us is multi-layered and complex. I write what I know, and I use my scars and my reality to help tell a story and to hopefully help make people laugh or feel or not take themselves so seriously. I can only hope that using parts of myself in the characters I write, allows them to have depth, heart and humor and not be some carbon copy of what someone else thinks I should be.

 

 

Q) What kind of feedback and response have you received since putting the film out?

 

Michelle: The video has received an overwhelmingly positive response and by the comments we’ve received, our audience is craving for more!

 

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching and what is next for you as a team?

 

Andrea: Ultimately, I hope that this piece makes viewers laugh. But if it also makes anyone think or question why things are the way they are – or run for President, then that’s a bonus. What’s next for us? We are just going to continue making funny stuff and putting it out there and pitching ideas, that may or may not be rejected. But rejection is the highest form of flattery, right? Wait…that’s imitation.

 

Michelle: I hope people can take away a few witty lines from Andrea as her humor and writing cuts like a knife…a refreshing optimism of making anything happen as Candis is delightfully charismatic and charming to watch…a reminder to support each other as the two are evocative of a modern day Lucy/Ethel, Laverne/Shirley, Thelma/Louise pairing since they truly are Best Friends in real life. It would be a dream to continue to direct these incredibly talented women and produce as a team …we hope our first gesture blossoms into something larger and finds a home so the world can continue to watch.

 

Watch Candis For President: https://youtu.be/PG8nJeaCCfw