Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Fox Adrift Productions, Hi, Olivia Nash

Hi Star Olivia Nash on Directorial Debut, Biggest Influence & Future

Hi writer and star Olivia Nash spoke to Bleeding Cool about what she learned from her directorial debut, Baz Luhrmann, and her future.

Olivia Nash is crafting her journey in Hollywood one step at a time, wearing multiple hats in the process, from acting, directing, writing, and producing. One of her first projects is the indie coming-of-age drama Hi for Fox Adrift, which she developed from proof of concept as her directorial feature debut. The film follows the intertwined journeys of Lavender Lark (Nash), a guarded yet fiercely creative young writer, and Dylan Odair (Paul Grant), a struggling author grappling with grief and responsibility. Returning home for the summer, Lavender must confront the lingering absence of her mother while searching for her own voice. Dylan, mourning his father's tragic death while caring for his ailing mother, wrestles with fears of failure and isolation. As their paths converge in a small fishing village, the pair discovers love, healing, and the courage to embrace life's uncertainties. Weaving humor, heartbreak, and hope, Hi explores themes of resilience, redemption, and the enduring power of connection through the lens of family, love, and personal growth. The Meteor star spoke to Bleeding Cool about the most invaluable lessons from her first feature, what her biggest influences are, and mulling over her next project.

"Hi" Writer and Star Olivia Nash on Her Directorial Debut, How Baz Luhrmann Influenced Her, and More

Since this is your directorial feature debut, what did you learn? What are the most valuable lessons that you've learned from the experience?

Pre-production, pre-production, and lots of pre-production. I feel like everybody says this, but the thing is, it's so true. I feel we were as prepared as we possibly could be, but the thing is, I always feel you can have more time and make sure to have the help that you need ahead of time. It was amazing what Lindsey [Goodwin] and I could pull because we worked hard during the pre-production part of it. What we did together to pull this off was great. In the future, I would definitely have pulled maybe another producer in ahead of time to make sure we had that extra help, because we were wearing so many hats. I would say my biggest lesson is to be so confident in your pre-production, and even though I felt good, I could have asked for more time.

What are your biggest influences?

Hmm. Influences in what aspect?

Creatively, since you're putting on multiple hats, I was wondering if there were directors, actors, and writers who influenced you?

I would say, I'm trying to think…I have people whom I really love, for sure. Like, one of my favorites is Baz [Luhrmann]. I love his directing style. He takes a lot of risks, and that's something that I really admire. I also appreciate the love that he has for his stories, and he deals with a lot of themes about love. I considered that for (Hi) as well, since a lot of our main theme in this story is about love. I'm trying to think if anyone else…I don't know about the influence on this specific story. I have (my personal) influences, but I don't know for the film itself if I really pulled from different directors or actors for that.

What's next for you? Are you going to do something similar where you write, direct, and act, or would you focus on doing one or the other?

I love all of filmmaking. I would love to direct and act again. I am focused on the story, right now. I'm looking at the next story, the next idea, and which one do I want to move forward with, since I have a couple of ideas in the works. It's also picking something, is this story where I'm going to direct and act in it? Maybe I want to find someone who is going to direct this when I act in it. There are so many different things I could choose from, because ultimately, when I make those decisions, it's on what's best for the story, what's best for the characters, what's for the film, and not really like, "Because I want to," right? It's like, "Will this work? Do I feel like this is meant for me, or is this meant for somebody else?"

Hi, which also stars Chase Pollock, Charles Edwin Powell, Brandie Louck, Lorelei Linklater, and Floriana Azemi, is available on-demand on AppleTV and Prime Video.

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