Posted in: Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Corey Fogelmanis, I Wish You All the Best, tommy dorfman

I Wish You All the Best Dir, Star on Non-Binary Coming-of-Age Story

I Wish You All the Best star Corey Fogelmanis and director Tommy Dorfman spoke to us about bringing the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story to life.

As times are getting more uncertain these days, LGBTQ+ coming-of-age stories like Lionsgate's I Wish You All the Best need to be told. The film, based on Mason Deaver's novel of the same name, follows Ben DeBacker (Corey Fogelmanis), a non-binary teen who tries to find their own way in a journey of self-discovery after getting kicked out by their parents. Taking them in is their sister Hannah (Alexandra Daddario) and her husband Thomas (Cole Sprouse), as tensions arise within the family. Fogelmanis (My Life with the Walter Boys) and writer Tommy Dorfman (13 Reasons Why), who's also making her directorial debut, spoke to Bleeding Cool about talking Deaver's novel, capturing the LGBTQ+ adolescent experience, the supporting ensemble cast, and more.

I Wish You All the Best: Dorfman and Fogelmanis on Forging Ben's Non-Binary Journey

BC: What intrigued you about I Wish You All the Best, and what made it ideal for your directorial debut?

Dorfman: I felt really uniquely qualified as a trans person from the South to bring Mason Deaver's novel to life on screen about a nonbinary kid in North Carolina, figuring out how to survive, but not just survive, also have as close to the teenage experience as their contemporaries as possible. I fell in love with this beautiful story of self-transformation and actualization.

Corey, what intrigued you about the film?

Fogelmanis: I'm really drawn to characters that are finding their place in the world, and this was unique in a lot of ways, because I'd never seen anything or read anything before Mason's book that had a non-binary character as the lead. I was looking forward to finding my way as Ben, collaborating with Tommy, bringing it to life, and creating something that is hopefully a light for people in this time.

Aside from Tommy's script, was there any additional inspiration that had to play Ben for you, Corey?

Fogelmanis: Inspiration…there was a lot of stuff. There were some podcasts that I listened to. I think it was important to fill myself up with a curiosity for the world, listening to people talk about their own experiences with their body, with their expression, the people in their lives, and self-love. That was something I was yearning for as Ben, and also as Corey. That drive to wake up each day, like who I see in the mirror, how I feel, who I surround myself with, and how I show up for people was also something that was driving me to be this person in this movie.

What is it like the rest of the cast, like Alexandra, Cole, Lena [Dunham], and anyone else, and why do they fit so well for the film?

Fogelmanis: What was it like? It felt like coming home, weirdly. We had such a family feeling as this story that we were creating, and I feel so lucky. Tommy did such a wonderful job of bringing together not just people on screen who were passionate about it, but all the department heads. You could really tell that we were here because we wanted to be. It never felt like a job. There was a personal sense of what we were doing for everybody involved.

Dorfman: Yeah, I was given the greatest gift of the most generous, humble, talented artists to work with in front of and behind the camera. Every single one from Alex, Cole, Lena, Corey, Miles [Gutierrez-Riley], Amy [Landecker], and the rest of our company of actors showed up with so much commitment, grace, love for each other and the material, and an ability to connect deeply immediately, without pretense and without a facade. In the same way that Ben needs so much love and support as a character in this film, I think so too do all the actors doing some of these more challenging scenes, some repeatedly. The process of coming out is exhausting, and Ben must do it in a few different ways and a few different times in this film. The same is true when you're an actor; replaying really intense and fraught scenes, or even joyful ones, can be as hard because any large expression of emotion is challenging to do repeatedly. I must commend all these actors who played their roles with love.

Tommy, what is the most invaluable lesson that you learn from your directorial debut?

Dorfman: My biggest takeaway is trust. Trusting the people I hired who wanted to do this job and not getting in their way. In the same way, building trust with actors and crew so they feel supported, they show up, and do the best work possible. That's something that I take with me on every job, but especially from making this movie, fostering a space of service to each other, showing up for each other, offering mutual aid at work with each other, and making sure that we're meeting the work we need to do with the people we are on any given day, which can look like a lot of different things. We can wake up feeling sick or have gone through a breakup. There is so much stuff we don't know and don't necessarily need to know in a professional setting, but allowing for grace to pivot as needed, based on the human capacity, on any given day, feels essential. I think you can only do that with trust in your collaborators.

I Wish You All the Best, which also stars Lexi Underwood, comes to theaters on November 7th.

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