The culmination of the Blind Date Rules interviews is here! Over the past week, I’ve posted conversations I’ve had with director Christine Chen and co-writer and star Brie Eley. Today, I’m posting an interview I conducted with co-writer Angela Bennett. In this conversation, Bennett and I spoke about the writing process, issues with rom-coms and shaking up the rom-com game.
COLOR: What was the writing process like? How did you approach the characters in “Blind Date Rules”?
Angela Bennett: The idea for Blind Date Rules came from my personal dating experiences. Over the years I have been on numerous blind dates. The beginning of the writing process was easy, once I got the story out of my head, and put the words on paper I could actually see the story unfold. The lead actress had to be a non-white actress. I wanted someone that looked like me to tell my story. The rest of the characters were created based off what needed to happen to tell the story, and their relationship to the lead character.
I had asked Christine [Chen] and Brie [Eley] about working on a rom-com that has women from the writing room to the director’s chair and that Brie is the lead, which by itself is commendable since non-white actresses are hardly ever the leads in rom-coms. What was it like being a part of this film that shakes up the status quo?
You’re absolutely right non-white actresses are hardly ever the leads in rom-coms. I plan to continue producing projects that will give non-white actresses an opportunity to play leads in rom-coms. It was great working on this film with Brie and Christine. We all brought something different to the production, our different personal and professional experiences. We always made decisions that worked best for the production we worked as a team.
What was it like working with the cast?
The Blind Date Rules cast did a fantastic job. Working with the cast was a lot of fun. They were professional, showed up on time, respectful to each other and the crew, they were prepared for their scenes are ready to play. Basically they showed up and showed out!
How was it being an associate producer of the film?
Being an associate producer on the film was an honor. I loved being a part of the decision making process from pre-production to post-production. It was a great learning experience, which has prepared me for future projects.
If you could change anything in the rom-com genre or remake the genre, what would it be?
If I could change/remake the rom-com genre I would have more non-white actresses play the leading lady, she would be an average looking everyday women, with real dating issues that most women can relate to.
If someone is considering watching the film, what would you say to convince them to watch?
Blind Date Rules is a must see romantic comedy! The film follows Michelle as she goes on a journey to find her soul mate. She is looking for love in all the wrong faces. After going on several horrible blind dates, she created some rules to date by. Does she follow her own rules? Well you’re going to have to watch the film to find out.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
Blind dates are unpredictable; you don’t know who’s going to show up or what’s going to happen. If you’re going on blind dates you need to create some rules. Every now and then you’ll meet someone and your rules will change.
Do you have any film and/or writing projects in the works?
Yes I’m currently working on a feature film as one of the writers and producers. This film is another great comedy with women from the writing room to the director’s chair. We are in writing phase of the film.
Poster for Blind Date Rules. Credit: Marele Entertainment