‘Bottoms’ Director Emma Seligman On The Joy Of Making A Film “With Gay Characters Being Gay” But “That Not Having To Be The Plot” – Deadline Contenders L.A
deadline.comBottoms writer-director Emma Seligman and star Rachel Sennott came up with the idea for the raunchy teen comedy on a white board, putting down “everything we wanted to see in a movie on the board” from “punching” to “vagina” to “knitting,” said Sennott.
The duo, who worked together on Seligman’s debut feature Shiva Baby, were still in school and, “We just went all out, not thinking of any limits,” she said Saturday during a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film Los Angeles.
The film was taken up by producer Alison Small and landed at Orion after numerous rejections. Amazon MGM Studios released the R-rated comedy that became a sleeper hit with one of the biggest limited openings of the year, going on to pass $12 million at the box office.
Small called it one of the funniest, weirdest and smartest scripts she’d ever read. Everyone passed until Orion Pictures president Alana Mayo said yes, “and you only need one.” RELATED: ‘Bottoms’ Review: Rachel Sennott And Ayo Edebiri In Emma Seligman’s Comedy That’s Soaked In Blood, Sweat And Queerness – SXSW The vision, the joy, of the film, said all three women on the panel, was that being gay wasn’t subtext. “I’m tired of sort of having to find the clues myself.
