Washington [US], July 5 : Actor Jennifer Esposito, who is known for playing CIA Deputy Director Susan Raynor in the Amazon series 'The Boys', opened up on the challenges of making her directorial debut 'Fresh Kills', reported People.
The writer, director and star of 'Fresh Kills' appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark, where 'The Boys' actor revealed she "produced it and paid for most of" the film herself. "I mortgaged my home," she said.
"Oh, my God, you've been busy," shared Kelly Ripa. Addressing the audience, the host added, "Guys, you have to see this movie! It is your moral obligation to see this movie!"
The 'Blue Bloods' actor's feature directorial debut, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is a Staten Island-set murder drama in which she plays a family matriarch with Emily Bader, Odessa A'zion, Nick Cirillo, and Annabella Sciorra. According to the synopsis, Bader portrays "an inquisitive young girl who discovers her father (Domenick Lombardozzi) is an emerging mafia kingpin. Rose's growing desire to break free from the path set before her soon threatens her existence and alienates her from her closest allies."
Esposito shared that 'Fresh Kills' "is the first film in the mafia genre where we're seeing the point of view from the women." Born in Brooklyn but raised in Staten Island, the filmmaker said she was inspired by seeing "young women really violently angry" whose families were involved in criminal activity.
"I realized, it's really more about choice," she continued. "I kept going back to [the script] when I would hit roadblocks in either my career or my life and think, 'That's where that rage came from.' It's about the boxes we're put in and they didn't have a choice."
As for "wearing all the different hats" on set, as Ripa said, Esposito admitted that she "definitely went a little insane."
"No one wanted to make it. I couldn't even get people to read it. And then when [they] did read it, it was like, 'We'll give you $5 million if you cast it with a big-name man. Because females don't sell movies.' "
She suggested financing the film to her husband, Jesper Vesterstrom, in 2020. "I went to my nice husband and was like, 'Hey, I got an idea. What do you think about mortgaging the house?' I do believe if you don't bet on yourself, who is going to bet on you?" 'Fresh Kills' is in theatres now, reported People.
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