Emily Goss – Season of Love

By: MJ Asuncion

Q) When you first heard about this film, then subsequently began to dive more into the script, what about the story or the project itself really resonated with you? 

A) This group of women felt familiar to me. I’m lucky to know a lot of smart, funny, interesting women and the characters in this movie reminded me of people I hang out with or would want to hang out with. I think that speaks to Kat Trammell’s brilliant writing and her ability to capture the beautiful, funny and utterly human aspects of our lives, as women, in 2019. This is how we talk, this is how we act and this is how we could fall in love. I’m really proud to be part of an ensemble that represents and celebrates women.

Q) The hallmark of rom-coms is this balance of laughter and love, and how that feels so pure. Even during all of the drama, we know that whatever the couple endures, they will come out on the other side. What is it about Season of Love that that arms hearts while tugging at them too and makes you root for these individuals regardless of these rollercoaster moments in their relationships?

A) I love what you say about the purity of a rom-com. And isn’t it nice to know that and feel that in a queer story? So rarely do queer characters have happy endings. And because Season of Love is the first holiday rom com to center LGBTQ+ women’s stories, it is instantly different from all the other holiday rom-coms that have come before it. Queer relationships are not just heterosexual relationships between two women (or two men, or etc., etc.). Our stories are unique and so the unique circumstances and dynamics in this film engage us in that rollercoaster.

Q) The film has a great ability of tugging at your heart strings and then tickling them as well. So much gets packed into this beautiful movie, but every minute is filled with emotion, angst, humor and drama. How does the film and these themes balance these powerful, poignancy moments so well with its audience?

A) I’m so glad that was your experience watching our movie! I think that balance is a credit to our director Christin Baker and the level of detail she paid to every moment. Despite the 14-day game of Sudoku that was our shooting schedule, Christin knew our story and the purpose of each beat inside out so she could always keep us on track. She and our Director of Photography, David Chung, knew they were “building a universe” since this movie is the first of its kind. That phrase that became a bit of a joke on set because of how often it came up. But instead of sitting back on any laurels, they used that as fuel to make every moment as rich, active, personal and cinematic as possible.

Q) You and Laur Allen have such immense chemistry together. Can you talk about the dynamic way you two worked so well off of one another?

A) Thank you! Laur and I have become good friends and I’m so grateful that I got to work with her! She’s a dream of a scene partner and right this second, we are texting about our outfits for the LA Premiere (Laur is going to look amazing. I don’t know what I’m wearing yet). Before production I asked her to coffee so we could get to know each other – I always like to do that if it’s possible. Then, I remember our first scene together was just about the emotional climax for Iris and Mardou: Iris and Mardou bounce into the house on Christmas Day, on cloud nine, and are confronted with something that jerks them roughly back to earth. When we were waiting outside the house at the beginning of each take I would rapid-fire silly questions at her. This was the first day on set so she could have been very turned off by this. Fortunately, Laur loves to play and is super open-minded. We were able to make our entrance, laughing and enjoying ourselves, more naturally.

Q) We see your character Iris struggle a lot with keeping up with expectations and appearances. It takes her breakup with Theo and a reminder from Mardou to figure out what she really wants. What is it about Mardou that allows Iris to be open and find herself again?

A) You know, it’s not very romantic (which sometimes is the most romantic thing though, isn’t it?) but I think Iris can be herself around Mardou because initially she doesn’t care what Mardou thinks about her. Mardou hasn’t been much of a blip on Iris’s radar before this. That person with whom we simply feel safe and seen tends to be the most special in my opinion. Iris knows what it’s like to be worshipped and admired, but because Mardou meets her where she is Iris finally has the space to look inside and ask herself the big questions.

Q) There were moments in the film where I literally found myself laughing out loud. Were there similar moments on set for you or your castmates? And can you share any of these behind the scenes stories?

A) So happy to hear!! Oh absolutely. The scene in which Lou and Janey (Janelle Marie) deal with “Drunk Iris” was very fun. That was my first time meeting Jessica [Clark] and Janelle, so talk about immediate intimacy. Every take was different and wild. Once I ran too hard into a wall. Once I spat out a stream of champagne – think drunk fountain statue. Working with David was really fun in that scene – improvising this dance with the camera. Suffice it to say, Christin and I discovered the essence of comedy that night: one sock.

Q) What do you hope viewers will take away from watching this holiday romantic comedy?

A) I hope viewers will enjoy this movie and share it with people they love. Season of Love‘s existence is political and therefore the movie doesn’t need to educational or any heavier than that. We all deserve to relax, laugh, and celebrate love, especially those of us in the queer community who are often pressed to make everything an important point. I hope this movie feels like a beautiful vacation and becomes part of people’s holiday traditions. Let us all know what you think!