Jennifer Aspen – Nowhere Girl

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) How did you get involved with the movie Nowhere Girl?

A) My husband and I are friends with the producers on the movie and we play Justin and Michelle in the film (who are based on actual people). The guy who Justin is based on went to high school with my husband. So, we were also friends with the producers of the movie and we knew the director (Jed Rigney) as well. I was shopping for baby food at Target and they called me up to say, “What do you think about doing this movie. You’d go to San Francisco for a few weeks to do it,” and I thought that sounded great. Then, it was like, “What if David played your husband?” It was the perfect family affair for me.

Q) Please tell us the premise for the film.

A) I think the movie is a cute, funny, quirky film with a twist. I am really proud of the comedic work that I did in it because often I play characters and this wasn’t really a character. For this, there was no accent, limp or anything like that. I even had my natural hair. It was Jennifer natural with a really good bleach job. I was proud of what I was able to do and I liked that the movie had a little crazy. Sometimes people have a crazy moment. Sometimes your friends are on the edge. What do we do about that? Do we need to freak that and get them committed to a hospital or do we just kind of go with it and say, “He’s going through something and he’ll come out the other end of it, I’m sure.” I liked this approach to the story. Yes, your friend is acting crazy. What are you going to do about it? I think it takes the sensitive approach without brushing it off. It’s going through the motions and thinking what is best for your friend.

Q) Did you feel there was a romantic connection between Michelle and Tyler?

A) The only way I could see that is because she is kind of an ideal wife and mother. For a lonely guy who can’t seem to find the right woman for him, I could see how you could crush on your friend in that situation. I certainly did not have that going in the other direction. I cared for him like a son and a friend and I did care he got through this thing because I was very concerned for him. I remember really wanting him to come through this moment to the other side and be happy. There was concern for him, for sure, but there was no sexual or romantic feelings.

Q) The movie also has a lot of comedic moments interspersed. What did you enjoy playing about the levity that comes through amongst the tense moments?

A) I loved it! What I loved about the comedic moments in this film was that they were truly based on a real situation that a real person is in and doesn’t know what to do. And it’s incredibly awkward. The way it was written, most of the time you have no idea what to say and it feels very real in that way. There is no right answer. It’s just you in a situation with your friend who comes home with an imaginary girlfriend who he totally thinks is there. I would have no idea what would happen or what to do. I think the comedy comes from that real situation.

Q) Jed is the writer and director of the film. What kind of guidance and advice did he give since this was really so personal?

A) He’s a light touch guy, which I really like. I don’t like someone that talks a lot about what a moment is or is not. He has this light touch of “let’s play with a scene and see what happens.” What if we do it this way and see what happens? There is a lot of, “Let’s see what could happen. Let’s try it,” as opposed to pontificating about it. I very much like that approach. He doesn’t feel like he has to have his hands all over you and you can’t even move anymore because you have too many thoughts about what should be.

Q) There are lots of layers to the film. Talk about how the lighthearted moments and then the film goes left with drama.

A) I think that is like life. We go about our life and most of the time it is just going about your business and your routine, but then something happens. It takes a left turn and how do we deal with that left turn is what is interesting about life. We all have that. We all have something that turns things upside down for a moment. I certainly have. It’s interesting to watch people deal with something that completely makes their lives a different experience. It shows you what you are made of when you come across that.

Q) It feels almost like there is a dysfunctional family element on top of having this friendship.

A) This is a real thing that happened to Jed. He had a bad breakup and went and stayed with Justin for a while. That really happened and they did become that dysfunctional family. How do you nurse your friend through that and when is it a little too much time on the couch? You say, “We love you man, but don’t want to be a part of this dysfunction for so long.” Michelle particularly pushes him to start experiencing life again and then he has this crazy break in his mind she thinks maybe she pushed him too far too fast. She tried to make things better and now he has an imaginary girlfriend. It is a dysfunctional family dynamic for sure. It’s interesting because around that time a really good friend of ours got a divorce and I was like, “Well, maybe they could come live with us for a while.” It didn’t actually happen, but it was interesting it happened around the same time as the movie.

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching Nowhere Girl?

A) Well, it’s that I’m amazing! [laughs] The real reason why I said “yes” to this film was because life happens. Sometimes it is uncomfortable what people are going through, but if you are just there for them and care for them they will come out the other side. Have patience with them! I think that is what I would like people to come away with. We don’t need to overreact or over criticize a person going through a moment in their life. If we truly love them and care about them, we just sort of do what we can to help them through the moment because the truth is we all have them. We all have a moment in our lives where we are shitty or we are a little bit crazy and the people who really love you will understand that and help you through it.

Q) Is there any hope for a new season of “Los Angeles Right Now?”

A) Nobody wants to do Evelyn Stanhope more than me! My husband’s company produces, shoots and edits the whole thing. They have been so busy they have no time for me. You’d think I’d have some pull. [laughs] They don’t care about me! I’ve called them out for their non-caring. [laughs] They just won this big Alamo campaign and now my husband is in Italy shooting his beautiful movie In Search For Fellini with Maria Bello. So, these guys have a lot on their plate and I just keep trying to tell them to do this for me. We have a great concept for the second season that I freaking love! If we could find a way where we all would be available at the same time…We almost were ready to shoot this at the beginning of summer, but then I ended up going to Atlanta for “Devious Maids” and going to New Orleans for “Scream Queens.” I went to Sacramento. The problem with side projects where no one is making any money and we’re just doing it because we love it is that these other things take precedence. And the second season is more complicated because of logistics. We’re taking Evelyn out on the road. I have kind of set it up with the episode I did with Kristin Chenoweth about how Evelyn has gone rogue and is doing the show. So, the second season is really about her crashing and finding celebrity interviews. The logistics of that take a lot of time to coordinate with people, but I have not given up. It is going to happen! It’s just tough to get everyone where they need to be at the time they need to be there.