Rhys in LA. Photo : Amos Mac
Rhys Ernst is an LA-based filmmaker who is currently casting a transman to play the role of another transman (a novel idea) in his upcoming film Tristan and Zooey! It may sound familiar from the official casting call post we put up earlier in the week. Rhys has most recently been named an HBO Point Foundation Scholar and has shown his films at over 30 different international and domestic film festivals, as well as on Mtv2, MtvU, Much Music, On Demand, Mtv.com… as well as in Original Plumbing art events in the Los Angeles area.
I sat down and talked to Rhys about his new film Tristan and Zooey, the casting process, and the trans community in LA vs. NYC.
OP: I was reading your HBO scholarship bio and thought it was so cool that you chose to leave high school and go on your own educational journey instead. I didn’t know that about you!
RHYS: Yeah, it’s my funny back story.
OP: You must have been seriously committed to the arts from a young age. Were your parents supportive of those choices?
RHYS: Yes they were. I’ve been unusually lucky with the parents I have. My dad’s a professor and my mom’s an artist and they just generally have always understood and supported me.
OP: Did you make films as a kid?
RHYS: No, I actually didn’t have access to a video or film camera until college. But I grew up drawing and painting constantly. I was always the “good drawer” in school. In middle school, especially when I started dealing with queerness and being different than my peers, I started playing and identifying with punk rock music really intently. I thought I would ultimately go to go to school for music. But I was still really interested in politics, storytelling, visual arts, etc so instead kept pursuing everything at once, which eventually led me to filmmaking in college because it could combine everything I was interested in. My first video was when I was around 18 or 19.
OP: What was that first video?
RHYS: It was a semi-lame group assignment in which we basically tried to rip off Memento, haha… actually it was a little more interesting than that. We used the same script three different times and tried to see if we could change the subtext and genre solely with camera language, music, etc.
OP: So Tristan & Zooey! How long have you worked on the script? And are any of the situations in the film (the cat UTI, the tumultuous roadtrip, etc) based on true events?
RHYS: I’ve worked on the script off and on for a while now, and have just recently started working with a co-writer. A lot of stuff about the road trip and in particular the cat are based on my own experiences. For instance, my cat has chronic UTI’s, I’ve driven cross-country with the cat and tried to get him to pee on the side of the road on a leash (with limited success), and I have lots of dysfunctional road trip experiences. A lot of real observations and anecdotes are going in there. But the characters are pretty fictional, albeit with bits and pieces of people I know mixed in. But the characters may totally shift once they’re cast. and in fact I’m interested in working with the people I cast on personalizing and developing the characters more fully.
OP: Will Tristan and Zooey be a short?
RHYS: Yeah probably 15 minutes.. any longer is harder to get out there and get programmed in festivals.
OP: I like how you’re looking for a boy-next-door type (sans tattoos). That may be SO HARD TO FIND in San Francisco!
RHYS: God I hope not! A few tattoos is totally fine. I have a few tattoos! I just want Tristan to be this open / earnest / innocent type.
OP: When do you get to San Francisco?
RHYS: Thursday the 26th and I’ll be there for about 10 days scouting the town and holding auditions for Tristan.
OP: How did you choose the name Tristan for this character? What about Ayden?
RHYS: Hahaha! Yeah I thought about how it was a chosen name, so it needed to be “cool” and kind of like a sensitive guy fantasy name and I’ve always really liked that name! I thought about it for myself when I changed my name years ago. Also it means sadness and I think there’s a bit of that in Tristan’s back story. And there’s Tristan and Isolde, the doomed couple, which was something I thought about.
OP: I love that the meaning of his name comes into play on so many levels – one thing I learned in so many film theory and film desconstruction was to always look up the name of the characters to get a new take on the meaning of their character.
RHYS: Totally!
OP: How is Tristan & Zooey different from other films you’ve worked on in the past?
RHYS: One major difference is it will be the LEAST experimental film I’ll have ever made. This is intentional because of the subject matter. I had this vision of this weird, funny trans/queer couple on a really all-American road trip with like a 1950′s vibraphone soundtrack. The film is going to be geared towards a pretty wide audience because I’m really trying to deal with trans visibility in my work.
Rhys standing against the "plumbing wall" in LA. Photo by Amos Mac
OP: I love that. It’s so important that we make our own art. And I’m excited to see how the trans male character is presented, and the way in which the audience will find out about his identity.
RHYS: One thing I’m really interested in is NOT talking about trans issues or identity in the film. Sort of like the Almodavar model of just presenting trans and queer characters without justification or explanation.
OP: What about Zooey? Is she cast already?
RHYS: Nope not yet. I thought I would start by casting Tristan because it’s such a specific and limited pool of people and then base the casting decision of Zooey somewhat around Tristan. Since I’m in LA there’s like 10 million amazing (and also not so amazing) actresses, so there’s a big pool.
OP: I’m so proud and excited to know you and see how this project evolves! Do you remember when we met?
RHYS: Yeah, at Capones! Before it was Sugarland. I used to DJ there with Zan. Free pizzas! Remember?
OP: Yes and I used to DJ there with Erica!
RHYS: Oh yeah! And then we got a beer in Bushwick later.. at Northeast Kingdom?
OP: Yes, then I took those pervy-not-on-purpose photos of you holding a hose!
RHYS: Hahaha, TOTALLY! Our inauspicious beginnings…
OP: You were always doing to so much, with music and film. Do you think you’ll ever leave LA?
RHYS: I actually love LA. I really didn’t expect it when I moved out here to start grad school at Cal Arts. There’s this insane vendetta against LA among New Yorkers and so I was expecting Bay Watch when I got out here but it’s been totally the opposite. The art and film and music scenes here are AMAZING and the quality of life is so good. And it’s cheap! At least compared to SF and NYC. And the weather!
OP: What can you say is a major difference between the trans community in LA vs. NYC?
RHYS: Well, I hope I don’t offend any queer Angelinos, but I’ve found LA to be really super GAY and LESBIAN, but not particularly queer. There’s a pretty big trans woman community here and it seems like there’s little pockets of trans masculine scenes and people, but somehow I never run into it. I’m connected to the queer art scene and go to gay & lez bars but hardly ever see trans guys out. There’s not much awareness of trans in LA, I don’t think. Also just not much gender fluidity. I’m totally generalizing. I love to visit SF because it’s so different from LA and it’s my total GAYcation.
OP: YES it is a Gaycation spot! It is kind of the most beautiful place on earth.
RHYS: I know, I’m really looking forward to spending time up there next week.
OP: Enjoy it. I’ll see u there and we’ll hang out. I know you’ll find your Tristan! Anything else you’d like to add about the audition process for the role?
RHYS: I can pretty much audition anytime I want between the August 27th and September 5th. I wanted to get there and scout for a few days and then start setting up audition times during the week. It’s pretty flexible.
CONTACT : rhys.ernst@gmail.com
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Rhys! Hi, I am the guy who fixes up your Mom and Dads house. Judy and I were talking about a project she want to do. At the end of that meeting she mentioned you and filled me in on what you are up to these days. I felt an amazing sense of happiness for you. See, I have always embraced the feminine side of my self and in recent years come to understand that self better. I trust your parents completely so I mentioned my personal gender diversity to her knowing that she would understand. I love your comments about them in the interview with OP. They are wonderful people. Finding my place and balance has been a long process and it continues today. I look forward to talking more with you Mom about my whole life. And I hope I’ll get the chance to see your film Tristan and Zooey. I love the point and attitude I hear in your approach. Be well, maybe I’ll see you again one day. EA
Hey Rhys, Me again. I thought I was writing an email. If the previous comments don’t fit this forum, of course remove them, and or this one. ea