Filmmaker and actress Jessica Anderson sits with us to discuss her new short films, 'Money Back Guarantee' and 'Mommas Boy'. Anderson chats to us about playing different roles on set, horror movies that she loves to watch and dream jobs that she would love to direct.

Hi Jessica! Thank you so much for chatting with us today. Let's begin by asking, what you can tell us about your recent project ‘Money Back Guarantee’? 

Hi there. Thank you so much for having me. “Money Back Guarantee” is part satire, part horror, and a lot of fun. The film explores how we see ourselves and how we can think we're one way, like being a good person, but then when it actually comes down to it, we may not be.

What drew you to the role of Christine Dolores? And how would you describe her character? 

I wrote the character Christine Dolores to exemplify the modern idea of being a good, or at least an aware, person. She believes in firm boundaries, the protection of one’s own energy, listens to the “right” news stations, practices yoga, and only consumes health-minded foods. In her world, she is doing all the right things, but even with all these thoughtful lifestyle choices, when it really comes down to it, does that make her a good person? She’s an emblematic character in the story, and it seemed like it would be fun to play her.

The film is 10 minutes long. You’ve got a very short amount of time to put a story together for that long. Were there any parts from filming that you loved that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film? 

Yes, there were things we had to cut to keep the time down. We wanted to make a shorter short with impact. My favorite part we cut was a chunk of dialogue I had written for the Becky Bright character (the podcaster). At least, I thought it was really, really funny. My favorite bit I had her do was an ad for what I think is a fake product called "Colon Blast," and it was hilarious. But again, we were trying to make it short and didn’t want to lose effectiveness, so the ad got cut. Maybe it will resurface at some point.

Do you like to watch films with horror/gore aspects, or such darkly themed movies similar to this one? If so, which is your favourite one? 

I am obsessed with horror films, like really obsessed. I particularly love ’80s horror, but I don’t discriminate. I love gore, I love grit, and I love the bizarre. Horror is an incredibly creative and innovative genre, and I love it all. Some of my favorites are “Re-Animator,” “Society,” “Brain Damage,” and “House of 1000 Corpses.” I’m actually just wrapping an ’80s-style horror short, and I have two completed screenplays for horror features.

 You’ve also got another project you have starred in and directed called ‘Momma’s Boy’. What can you tell us about this movie? 

“Momma’s Boy,” which is available for streaming on Amazon, Tubi, and Google Play, is a darker romantic comedy. I like to describe it as a late coming-of-age story with a sci-fi twist. It was originally meant to play like a “Black Mirror” episode, but as I wrote it, it got lighter, and the humor got a bit campy—intentionally campy, of course. It’s a really fun movie with a great soundtrack.

You had two roles while making this project- Director and Actor. What did you learn from this? Was it a challenge juggling these two elements? 

Yes, directing and acting in your own feature can be a lot to take on and certainly presented its challenges. Like, in scenes that I’m in, I would have to check playback to see if I liked the way it was going or the frame, and that obviously can eat up a lot of time. So I had to learn to just trust a lot—trust the shot lists, trust myself, trust the other actors, trust my makeup artist, and mainly trust Joey, my DP, who helped immensely. We worked very hands-on leading up to filming, going over the script and what I wanted from each scene, and going over the shot lists so he could help capture what I wanted while I was on camera.

Have you been able to learn any lessons while crafting this project? 

Yes, I learned many lessons, some harder than others. For example, everything takes longer and costs more than expected. And maybe cut down the dialogue a bit? People don’t always need to talk so much, but you learn by doing.

Do you have any advice for aspiring actors and filmmakers who hope to pursue careers similar to yours? 

Just do it. Finish it, move forward, and find a way. If that’s what you want to do, do it. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it never will be. So make the thing and put it out there. The more you do, the better you’ll get at it. We all start from somewhere. And, of course, this isn’t unique to filmmaking—it can be said for anything you’re trying to do. Also, don’t wait for other people.

As an actor and a filmmaker, what is your dream role or project that you would love to star in and direct?

As far as filmmaking is concerned, I’m mainly focused on horror films. I would love to be a prolific horror filmmaker/director—that would be the dream. But I would be happy with a bit of a following or just to be able to make the movies I want to make and not have to do anything else but that and act. As far as acting is concerned, I would love to be the lead in more significant films. I like getting the chance to act in different genres—dramas, thrillers, romance, and horror. I’m not so specific. Acting to me is always such an incredible experience, and I love getting to do it.