THE BEST WAY THROUGH GRIEF IS COMEDY AND FRIENDSHIP
Georgia Humphreys
FOUNDED by Kimberley and Amy Datnow in 2016, Clean Slate Productions is the only sister production company in the UK.
And the dynamic siblings hope that making their first feature film together – romantic comedy Daddy Issues – inspires other people.
“I don’t understand why more sisters don’t do productions together because your sister’s your oldest friend, the person you trust most,” notes actress and stand-up comic Kimberley, who has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy.
“We definitely have this dynamic; I’m the older sister and she’s the younger so we fell back into those family roles sometimes! But it was an amazing process.”
Kimberley stars in Daddy Issues as Henrietta, who is struggling to come to terms with her father’s death and regaining her prowess as a stand-up comic following his funeral.
After making the move from her native UK to LA to run the family business, she faces some issues; balancing trying to fit the mould of her late father’s career with her own wishes for life, whilst also trying to date. The quirky film explores Henrietta’s fragility, her past dysfunctional relationships, and the difficulties of adulthood.
The project is a “bit biographical”, says Kimberley. “We’ve definitely had dating mishaps!”
Through Henrietta’s college friends, the film shows a range of different types of “daddy issues”, based on stories the filmmakers had heard from friends. The sisters’ decision to write the film was also sparked by the sudden death of their own father; they were on other sides of the world when it happened, with Kimberley working as an actress in LA and Amy living in Israel.
“Our father did pass away, but really it (the film) comes from us just talking to our friends, talking to each other about our relationships,” explains Amy.
“The best way to get through any grief is comedy and friendship,” adds Kimberley.
“A lot of people don’t talk about grief and so I think this film is really good at this time when we’ve got the coronavirus pandemic, and everybody needs to watch romantic comedy to make themselves laugh.”
Did they find it cathartic to take a traumatic experience and channel it something creative?
“Yeah, it was such a good form of therapy for sure,” responds Amy.
“We tried to keep a lot of our personal things in it, like our dad’s jumper, and real photographs, to try to bring a personal touch to it.”
Amongst the cast is veteran American actor Peter Jason, star of Jurassic World, Hail
Caesar! And HBO series, Deadwood.
“There was a lot of set bonding,” says Kimberley, recalling how at the end of big scenes, Peter would sit with them and eat all the chocolate that was on set.
“He was so happy to be with a young crew and we were so excited to be with this Hollywood actor and hear his stories,” adds Amy.
As for what’s next for the pair, they’ve just finished writing another script together.
“We’re casting soon, and we will be shooting it in England, which is really exciting,” Amy reveals.