We meet the Writer-Director behind ‘Riley’ Benjamin Howard. In our BFI Flare session we go one on one for an exclusive chat.
1. Riley was such a moving watch, beautifully shot, and effortlessly scripted. How did the concept for the film come about?
Thank you so much, we’re endlessly proud of it. Our cinematographer, Michael Thomas, is the craftsman behind the beautiful footage. I was so lucky to have his talents on this. The concept came straight from the lived experience. I wanted to tell something truthful, and I wanted it to feel as genuine and authentic as possible. An old writing adage is to write what you know, and I stuck to that advice in crafting this. In many ways, too, it allowed me to re-explore moments from my adolescence, and reconnect with a younger version of myself. I wanted to get back in his/my head, and see what pushed his/my buttons back then, and why. And setting it in the world I grew up in (high school football, East County San Diego, etc) allowed me to explore the character with a level of intimacy and specificity that I think aided in capturing something universal.
2. Tell us a bit about the casting process, there seemed to be real authentic chemistry between the lead actors Jake Holley and Colin McCalla, how important was this to you?
Yes!! Thank you so much; Jake and Colin are magical together. That chemistry was vital, not just for the characters, but for the whole movie, I think. The relationship between them is the crux of the film for me. And for Riley, the stakes in his friendship with Jaeden are essentially life or death, so I knew I needed two performers who could bring something real to their characters. I was so lucky to land Jake and Colin for the leads. Their effortless chemistry stems from their tight friendship in real life, before the film. When it came to casting, Jake was brought in first; we did a short film together in 2020, “Rendezvous”, which is essentially the proof of concept for “Riley”. He brought a vulnerability to that short that absolutely crushed, and when I wrote the feature, I wrote it with Jake in mind. Once we had a presentable draft of the script ready to try out, my producer Laura and I organized a table read, and I asked Jake to read for Dakota. He happily accepted, and invited Colin to read for Jaeden. Immediately, I knew we’d struck gold with them. Their real life friendship translated effortlessly, and made the collaboration on set less about finding the “right” performance, and more about leaning into their already comfortable rapport.
3. This film feels very much of the time, how important was it for you to get this film out there and made?
It’s mattered, more than anything, for us to get this story told. The film has taken up the greater part of my 20’s, and it’s been a behemoth to produce. But I know how important our story is, and how many young, queer kids are out there, athletes in particular, who would benefit from seeing it. And that has made everything worth it. As of this writing, there are currently no active players in the NFL who are openly gay. Carl Nassib, the trailblazer who became the first active player to come out in 2021, has retired from football. Statistically, we can assume there are gay players on active NFL rosters. But I think that “0” statistic is notable, and I hope that a film like ours can encourage athletes to live their most authentic lives.
4. What struggles did you come up against making the film?
We had our fair share of fires that are expected with any production, the biggest of which was our high school location falling-through just a couple weeks before shooting began. That was a low moment for us. There were a couple days, around then, where I seriously thought the movie wouldn’t get made. My producers, Tommy Anderson and Laura Scarno, along with our AD team, Mico Ramos and Shardin Johnson, were vital in making this happen too, since new schedules for actors and locations had to be completely restructured. Eventually, thanks to the generosity of the community opening up their locals around San Diego county, we were able to “Frankenstein” a high school together. Personally, though, the trickiest element to navigate was the level of vulnerability I was putting onto the page. I wondered if there was such a thing as getting too personal. But I stuck to my gut feeling that it would only work if it were truly as authentic as it could get. And I have no regrets about what we ended up putting together.
5. You are the Writer and Director of this film, was this an intentional creative decision?
Absolutely. I love writing, I love directing. Both things allow me to explore different facets of character. In the writing phase, for example, Riley talks a certain way, acts a certain way. I had Jake in mind to play the role, yes, but I still had preconceptions about how he would play it… and that helped mold Dakota into something specific on the page. But with directing, when you actually get on set and start playing with the words on the page, a new version of Dakota comes through, as the actor breathes their own life into things. This is my favorite part of directing, is seeing this happen in real-time, at video village. So yes, writing, directing– both things allow for wonderful explorations, and I really loved having the opportunity to approach the film from that “auteur” perspective.
6. How important was being acknowledged by BFI Flare to you?
It means the world!! BFI Flare is the most affirming “acceptance” we’ve been blessed to receive. It puts our queer story in a certain special camp, and gives the movie a creative validation that we believe it deserves, but still feel so lucky to have received. It’s still a shock to think we’re part of the BFI family, when you consider all the incredible cinema that has come before us. We can’t wait to get to London to watch the film in front of a SOLD OUT crowd!! And it’s the first time the movie will screen in front of a primarily queer audience, at a queer festival. There are so many special things to celebrate here, and we couldn’t be more excited to be included.
7. Thank you for taking the time out to speak to us. What advice would you have for up and coming film makers?
Ohhhh this question can stump me, because I don’t feel like I’m qualified to give any sort of profound advice. But some tips that have helped guide me in my stories: 1) keep it simple; simple stories can still be profound, but they can also be easier to make. And I’d rather a story get made and be simple, than not get made because it’s too much to tackle. 2) Keep it real. Write something authentic and truly yours, and lean into that, and you’ll find it makes for more effective, more personal, and more engaging storytelling. 3) And on that note: story comes first (even though it’s my third piece of advice here); every decision you make, creative or logistical, should be motivated by the story you’re trying to tell. Every camera move, lens choice, blocking, wardrobe, etc.
If you never vere from that, your story will come to life as intended.
