Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with No Postage Necessary’s Charleene Closshey

Charleene Closshey is a multi-talented artist who can do it all. In addition to starring as the female protagonist in her latest project, No Postage Necessary, she also composed the film’s score, which allowed her to see the story from many different perspectives. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Charleene about her dual roles.

PC: Tell us about No Postage Necessary.
Charleene: No Postage Necessary is an indie, romantic comedy about two people, who for various reasons, have gotten stuck in their lives. It’s the story of them coming together and figuring out how to get unstuck. It also deals with cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and Blockchain.


In fact, it’s the first film to ever be released by a Blockchain technology—the first in history—which is really exciting. It’s neat how those themes tie into the story because our male protagonist, Sam, is a computer hacker. In a way, he’s like the Robin Hood of computer hacking. He’s trying to help people, but doesn’t go about it in the best way.

Sam serves some time in prison and finally gets out. Now, he’s on probation, but part of the terms of his probation is that he can’t access the internet. He’s not allowed to operate any equipment that can connect to the internet, which, when you stop and think about, is just about everything in life from your smartphone to your television. So, he winds up working part-time at this little small town ice cream shop called Twistee Treat.

He’s stuck and trying to figure out how to make his life make any sense because he has this passion and desire to help people, but he can’t use his unique set of skills. Then, we have our female protagonist, Josie, who’s stuck because her husband was killed six years ago in Afghanistan. He was in the military and she’s a war widow. To cope with the grief, she writes a letter a week to the tomb of an unknown soldier, which she does with beautifully crafted calligraphy letters.

In the past, she had dreams and aspirations to become a musician, but now she’s struggling to make it through the day. She’s having to deal with not only with her own grief, but also trying to be a mother for her six-year-old daughter who’s never met her father.

It’s an interesting story about these two characters coming together and trying to shape their next steps. It’s a daunting idea for anyone, especially when it takes us out of our comfort zones.

PC: What initially attracted you to this role and this project?
Charleene: It was definitely the humanity in the script. The story brings to life the issues and challenges that we all face at one point or another. It’s about stepping into who you are and why you’re here. It’s about the idea of making a choice. Choices are what, in many ways, separate us from other animals; it’s this power to choose.


In some ways, it’s a blessing and a curse, and it depends on how you deal with it. I really loved exploring that. Also, the Blockchain thing was super intriguing to me. The film was shot in 2016 when Blockchain and cryptocurrency were just starting to get on people’s radars.

PC: How similar or different would you say you are to your character?
Charleene: Well, she’s Josie, and I’m Charlene, so we’re very different. I think all actors will bring aspects of themselves to a character. If you played Macbeth and I played Macbeth, we’re both playing Macbeth and that’s the character, but they’re still going to have different flavors and feels.

Josie is really unique in that she grew up in a small town. She really stays close to this idea that everything she knew defines her entire world. That’s a major difference between us. I think a similarity obviously would be the music. That’s something we both have a great love for and it’s a huge part of who I am. I think in general, though, I was interested in this project because of how unique Josie is as a person.

PC: Not only are you starring in the film, you also did the film’s soundtrack. What was it like having dual roles on this project?
Charleene: It was amazing. I loved being able to see the story through different eyes. The first time that I read the script, I read it with an actor’s perspective. When I got on set, I was able to live through Josie’s eyes, understand her own story, and her story with Sam. Then, from a composing side, it was amazing to see this tapestry of life that’s woven together by all these colorful characters. Once it was all said and done, I was able to see it through the eyes of an audience member.

PC: How early on did you know that you were going to do the film’s soundtrack? How did that kind of come to fruition?
Charleene: I’ve worked with Jeremy Culver (director) on several projects in the past and that was always something from day one that we knew was going to happen, but we wanted to make sure we were serving the story and not the individual. That’s what our collaborations have always been about: it’s about how we serve the story.


So, knowing that I was probably going to compose the soundtrack from day one was really neat, but, as the composer that was never anything I brought into production. I couldn’t. The story’s really told through time. The story’s told in the script. The story is then told on set because the actors start changing and shifting aspects of the story. Then, it’s told a final time in editing.

It would have been premature to try to bring in the composer’s perspective at any other time other than when it was appropriate, which was when the story was locked in.

PC: It’s your first score for a film. Is the creative process different? What was probably the biggest take away from this experience?
Charleene: It’s unique. There are aspects that are similar to other music productions, but there are a lot of aspects of telling a story musically to support the film that are very unique to this particular genre. There’s a balance of determining how the music works with the moments happening in each scene. Is it leading the moments of the scene? Is it creating an environment where the scene is unfolding in front of you? Then, there are also different moods at different times.

PC: Is there a song that’s on the score that sticks out to you?
Charleene: There are so many that have fun stories. They’re all really diverse. One of the things that I loved about this soundtrack is the diversity of characters that the film brings together, which is then represented in the music. You have simple and striking. You have symphonically very open, and then you have Ocean’s Eleven and Pink Panther vibes whenever Sam’s sneaking around with his nefarious doings.


You also have the digital side as well, which takes us into the cyber world. One song that really sticks out is “Josie’s Theme”. I sat down one day and I just started thinking about her. I was sitting at the piano and it just came out, and Jeremy happened to be in the other room at the time. He came out and was like, “What’s that?” I said, “I think it’s ‘Josie’s Theme’”. He said, “I think you’re right.” It just flowed effortlessly.

I also have a really soft spot for the track, “Falling Backwards”. It’s kind of this sort of cyber rock world fusion that makes me happy every time I hear it. It’s one of those songs that just came out; we had the whole thing produced in about four hours. I thought, “Well, holy moly, what is this?” I took it to Jeremy and the editor and said, “Guys, try and edit to this”. They put it in, they’re like, “That’s it.” I always appreciate when I just get to be a vessel of the music that’s part of a greater story being told through me. There’s something really magical about that.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show or movie?
Charleene: I like period pieces and usually something that has British speakers and actors in it. [laughs] I just finished The Durrells in Corfu on PBS. I’m also really excited for Chris Pine’s Outlaw King.

PC: Favorite book?
Charleene: The Greatest Salesman in the World

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Charleene: Phantom of the Opera

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Charleene: Snatam Kaur

Make sure to follow Charleene on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and watch No Postage Necessary on VOD and pick up the soundtrack on iTunes or Amazon Music. Plus, check out her new Christmas single below: