Meet Alice & Nikki

While I previously said I'm not quite ready to classify Black Light in many ways, it's safe to say that it's a character-driven movie. At its heart is the relationship between Nikki the stripper and Alice the dinosaur girl, and while the most technically complicated scenes happen at Club Castaway, capturing a believable intimacy between the two characters is for me the most daunting thing about making the movie. And it's a lot to ask two actresses as well - to be naked is, I think, nothing compared to communicating the intensity of Nikki and Alice's connection, to coherently portray what happens in and outside of the bedroom as two haves of one ongoing conversation. So naturally, the process of casting each character could not have been more different.

There's been an Alice literally before there was a script. When I was still finding the movie from a vague idea born out of locations and subject matter, I felt like the basic concept - a nerdy guy at a dinosaur shop meets cute with an exotic dancer - was missing something. At the same time, I was struggling to find a role for my friend Jessica Conger. Jess and I became friends on our first weekend at school, when we both lagged behind a mandatory hike up Mt. Greylock and spent three hours discussing musicals, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and how much living away from home was going to rule. I realized later that school year, at a production of The Vagina Monologues, that she was a genuine hidden talent - Jess, who will tell you frequently and emphatically that she has no desire to have kids, delivered a monologue filled with gooey imagery about the wonder of childbirth with conviction and a believable sense of awe. I knew then that I wanted her to be my De Niro (or Bruce Campbell, if you prefer). She was going to play the female lead in Worlds a sci-fi screenplay I wrote with my future wife (also named Jess) that we could never quite crack. A few years ago we made a minimalist, dialogue-free short called Chrissie; we were both on the same wavelength creatively and in our lives, so we made it with a near-wordless understanding of what it was about, and after one take we agreed that we'd gotten it. Not everyone agrees, of course - one of my fondest memories of Jess is the first time we showed Chrissie to friends, and Jess nearly had to be physically restrained from attacking someone asked, "Is it supposed to be about something?"

Because of all this, I wanted to find something meatier for Jess than the best friend of the guy. And then it clicked - stripper falls in love with girl at the dino store. It immediately opened up a world of possibilities, and not because gay automatically equals substance. For one, it gave me a window into the story, as for whatever reason, I've always tended to personalize female characters. I'm not saying I'm ready to start the hormone treatments, but I've always had more female than male friends, and have difficulty relating to other testicle-bearing humans. Though the character isn't supposed to be me (a point we'll discuss in more detail in a future post), using a woman to voice my perspective on the story allows me to be truer to my own instincts, which can be (not to put too fine a point on it) kind of girly. And though Jess and I have a lot in common, we're also different in some ways - she's more sardonic and pragmatic, and has an unwavering love of Troll II. Writing Alice with her in mind, I could hear Jess' voice like a constant bullshit detector, forcing me to sharpen every moment. Despite (or perhaps because of) the role's many challenges, her enthusiasm and commitment has never flagged; when I asked her a while ago why we'd stuck with the movie when many more conventionally "hot" actors had chickened out, she responded smartly, "Because we don't have anything to lose."

Finding a Nikki was a longer and more complicated process. It began with Kate, my lifelong friend, accepting the part last summer while I was still writing and before I'd actually offered it to her. But I took her enthusiasm as a good sign, and as with Jess, having Kate in mind helped me to find the character as I was writing. Kate stayed with the movie for about a year, coming to readings and rehearsals and helping to further shape the character. Then, a few months ago, we went for a long, aimless car ride as she explained that her life was taking her in a different direction, towards writing and focusing on her family, and she just couldn't do it. I couldn't fault her honesty, and it was a good conversation; that said, when Jess and I got together that weekend to talk about the movie, our enthusiasm was muted. Neither of us said so, but I think she'd agree that it felt a bit like getting dumped, and the prospect of finding a new Nikki was a daunting one.

A few weeks later I put some ads up on Craigslist and New England Film, and got a number of promising responses, though none seemed to be quite right for Nikki. Then I got an e-mail from a woman named Bella Vendetta, asking if I was still looking for anyone. Bella's a true Renaissance Woman, an award-winning writer, fashion designer, filmmaker actress, dancer and porn star, one of the few people who can list both Edith Wharton Writing Society and AVN Award-winning projects on her resume. Her attitude towards sex and performance was perfectly complimentary for the character and material; plus, as a co-worker put it when I asked if Bella was her type, "She's everyone's type." I went for broke and wrote an embarassingly gushy response; after a few weeks I hadn't heard much, so I figured she wasn't interested, as I always assume pretty women are put off by me (it's actually still amazing to me that I'm married).

Then, after talking to Jessica (for clarity's sake, my friend will be Jess and my wife will be Jessica) about the script, a friend of mine - also named Kate - expressed interest. Kate's a great actress who has worked in films and plays most of her life; she's one of the smartest people I know, and very serious about her craft. I sent her the script; her reaction was mixed, but led to a great extended conversation about the issues the movie raises and what it would mean in the context of her career and life to play a part so drastically different from what she's usually offered. There were some issues to be figured out, not the least of which was the fact that Kate and her family live in Kentucky; but as my (hopefully) last audition approached, she was leaning towards accepting. So, of course, Bella got in touch to let me know she'd be coming to the audition. So now, after months of no Nikki, I found myself with two options for Nikki that were interesting for completely different reasons.

Bella came to the audition, did strong auditions for several different characters, and knocked Nikki out of the ballpark capturing her evasiveness, curiosity and essential sweetness. Problem is, she had a prior commitment to be out of town for three days in the middle of the schedule. I figure this makes my decision between two very strong actresses easier, so when I get home I officially offer Kate the role. And she promptly turns it down - very sweetly and apologetically, but it's just not the right time. I can't blame her, I'm sure we'll work together at some point, and clearly this role is not meant for anyone named Kate. So I decide to bite the bullet, rearrange the schedule, and offer Bella the role, which she enthusiastically accepts. A while later, using the internet for voyeuristic purposes, I stumble upon her livejournal and find this:

"Went to whately for a movie audition. Its this awesome lesbian love story. I REALLY want the lead role. The lead is Nikki Blue, shes a fucked up stripper sick of men who ends up falling for a kind of butch dyke. the director said he was really impressed with how I rad the part and that I seemed made for it. And he didnt even see me dance yet! [...] I think the movie is really importnt and is gonna do really well..."

And then, from that morning, the sort of thing that warms a director's heart:

"I got the part!!!!!!!

say hello to the new Miss Nikki Blue!!!!"