Crystal Hunt – Mood Swings

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) Please tell us the premise for your series “Mood Swings.”

A) This sitcom revolves around the wild world of Farrah Hunter and all of those that surround her. Newly divorced, after catching her high-powered, executive husband amid a torrid love triangle between his secretary and his boss’ pitbull of a divorce attorney. How convenient for him! She’s awarded the house in the divorce settlement and a piddly amount of child support to care for their eight-year-old son, not a penny more. Begrudgingly having to join the workforce, to try and maintain the lofty expenses that come with a large home, she realizes quickly that an average paycheck just isn’t going to cut it. After giving it some thought and serious consideration, she decides to place an add on Craig’s List for house-mates. Women only. After all, she has to look out for the safety of her son.

Q) How did you come up with the concept for it?

A) Well, I’ve always been a massive “I Love Lucy” and “Golden Girls” fan and felt it had been far too long since there had been any comedies of that same vein. I was determined to change that – resulting in my take on a modern “Golden Girls” with some fun, unexpected twists. Instead of it being all women of the same age group, the “golden” group, I wanted ladies to include one woman from each decade. Coming from a large family, with so many diverse ages, I know how much more entertaining it is to have a diverse group of estrogen levels together in one room. Let alone, in one house, cohabitating.

Q) Did you always have yourself in mind to play the role of Farrah?

A) From the very beginning, I had written the concept and treatment for Donna Mills and myself to portray the mother and daughter roles. After that, everything else fell into place quite nicely.  Though generations apart, somehow, Donna and I had quite similar experiences in that; once we had a bit of drama work under our belt, it would take a near act of God to prove we can actually be funny too.

Q) How involved were you in the casting of the show?

A) 100% of it.  However, for a lot of the roles we didn’t even hold a casting session.  Incidentally, I found myself naturally developing several of the characters with certain friends of mine as the mental picture I’d see as each character, which didn’t mean that they HAD to take the job…but it would undoubtedly be hard to shake that image you’d had in your head for so long. Thankfully, I was able to hire the majority of them, all of which had extensive experience and could handle our crazy shooting schedule with ease.  Not everyone is capable of working under these conditions and constraints. The actors I already had in my arsenal more than rose to the occasion.

Q) Was there something that surprised you most about the process of creating a series?

A) What was surprising was all of the different tasks, jobs, and departments that existed and needed staffing. There are so many facets you DO see as an actor and even more that you DON’T unless you’re also the executive producer.  I’d have to wear my producer hat and, in a moment’s notice, take that hat off for the director call “Action!”  I learned to go from left to right brain in a flash.  It was, without a doubt, the most eye-opening yet rewarding challenge.

Q) What are some of your favorite scenes you filmed for “Mood Swings?”

A) Great question. That’s not easy when you are so attached to the entire project via the writing process. For my character I really enjoyed the improvisational work I did with Brian Palermo (Groundlings) in the Dr. Sitwell scenes.  The “Teri with an i” scenes were an absolute blast to shoot as well!

Q) You are a part of social media. What kind of feedback have you been receiving to the series?

A) I kind of figured that women would be ready for another show like this, but I’ve been mind-blown by the amount of male attention it’s getting!  I would never have predicted that. Everyone seems to be intrigued by the show and the concept as a whole. I guess I wasn’t the only one who was ready for a female-driven comedy.

Q) What other projects do you have coming up?

A) Honestly, I’ve been putting all of my efforts and brainpower into this show being a success. It would be unfair not to devote my attention to the show and its success. Half of the episodes have aired and we have four more left. After that, my brain can move onto future endeavors and, hopefully, Season 2!!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work that you do?

A) I can’t thank each one of you enough for sticking by me and supporting everything I do, even through uncharted territory like this. I look forward to everything that’s to come!