Alia and Alex wait for "ACTION!"

Played by a less experienced actor, ‘Billie’ could come across as whiney, self-obsessed and unlikable.  Played by an experienced actor, Billie could be independent, ambitious, and believable.  Anna and Brenda needed a talented, young actor who could capture the paradox of being afraid to show vulnerability while experiencing her greatest internal struggle.  This actor had to be young enough to believably play a teenager but strong enough to carry the movie.

Alia Shawkat relaxes between takes.

To help cast the film, particularly the role of Billie, Anna and Brenda sought a casting director who shared their vision for the characters and who loved the story as much as they did. They found the synergy they were looking for in Bonnie Gillespie.  When Bonnie asked for their casting suggestions for Billie, Anna’s top choice was Alia Shawkat.  Alia’s previous successes in film and television, including her series regular role on the Emmy-award winning ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, and her work in REBOUND and THREE KINGS, proved that Alia was an impressive young talent who could handle drama as easily as comedy.  Alia was the dream actor for this role.

Bonnie, Brenda and Anna sent Alia the script and were thrilled when she responded to the material; she loved QUEEN OF CACTUS COVE as much as they did.  Alia accepted the role, and QUEEN had its Billie.

Nina, Marilyn Rising, is almost ready to go.

Bonnie also brought Marilyn Rising to the table for the role of Nina, Billie’s mom.  Immediately, Anna knew that Marilyn could bring a perfect combination of energy and comic timing to the character.  If overdone, Nina’s quirkiness could turn this film into a cheesy, after-school special … something Anna was particularly concerned about.  Marilyn’s ability to generate tender moments that were subtle and honest put Anna’s fears to rest.  Besides, Marilyn already owned her own roller skates!

Jill met Anna and Brenda and they instantly fell in love with her for the role of Evelyn.  She arrived at the audition dressed as Evelyn, which was surprisingly similar to Anna and Brenda’s imaginings of the character. This showed them that she understood the character from simply reading the script.  Jill’s range and experience made casting her a no-brainer.

Achak, Alex Frost, feels the silence.

The role of Achak presented Bonnie, Brenda and Anna with a challenge.  They wanted someone understated, collected, and more mature than his age - a James Dean type.  Again, it was difficult to find a performer who was young enough to believably play a teenager but who had the acting chops to render a subtle performance.

As the shoot dates drew nearer, the team became nervous when no one they auditioned for Achak came close to what they were looking for.  Then Bonnie brought Alex Frost to them.  After less than an hour of talking to Alex, the filmmakers knew they had found their Achak and were thanking the universe for sending him to them.  They loved him as a person and loved him for the character. He was the gem who, when joined with Alia, would make this movie special.

Billie asks Evelyn, Jill Andre, for advice.

Most of Anna’s rehearsal process was centered on relaxed conversations with key members of the cast.  The actual rehearsals from the script were kept to a minimum of one day on AFI’s campus.  Anna’s main concern was to give Alia and Alex a chance to become comfortable with each other in order to ensure their onscreen friendship would feel genuine to an audience; the actors were encouraged to spend lots of time together, even without Anna.  A key element to their preparation was visiting a small chess tournament together.  In fact, on this visit Alia and Alex played their first game against one another (Alex won) and were coached by a chess grand master!