Erin Cardillo is a woman of many talents: she acts, directs, produces, and writes, and her latest project is the highly anticipated rom-com, Isn’t It Romantic. Erin wrote the screenplay which spreads a powerful message of inclusivity, diversity, and self-love, the perfect film for Valentine’s Day.
PC: Tell us about Isn’t It Romantic. What inspired the story?
Erin: A bad breakup! Well, it was actually a good breakup, but it was heartbreaking and I was in a dark place about it. I wanted love to be as magical as it was in the movies and up until that point, that had not been my experience, so I was kind of mad at rom-coms, but I was also hopeful that there was a great love story out there for me. Interestingly, I started dating my husband while I was writing the outline.
PC: Walk us through the creative process from initial concept to New Line buying your script.
Erin: I shared the initial concept of “girl wakes up in a rom-com” with Gina Matthews (producer) during a general meeting and we immediately clicked over it. She’d produced What Women Want and 13 Going on 30, so she knew the magical element could work. We spent a lot of time deconstructing rom-coms after that, re-watching everything we loved and finding ways to poke fun at them, but also celebrate the genre. We developed it on spec while doing other projects, so it took a couple years to complete. When it was done, she brought it to Todd Garner and together they got it to New Line. The spec sold in 2013.
PC: How have romantic comedies evolved? What role does Isn’t It Romantic play in that change?
Erin: I think people have really been craving movies that reflect their experiences. Rom-coms used to be about a beautiful white girl with one quirky flaw meeting charming white man with an equal but opposite flaw completing each other and living happily-ever-after. But, that story is only real for a very tiny part of the population. There have been some amazing strides made by studios and independent producers to show more diverse and inclusive versions of love stories over the years in the genre. I think Isn’t It Romantic continues the conversation, mainly by having it directly in the film. It takes a character who has been affected by the genre in a negative way—someone who has become a cynic because she never saw herself reflected in the movies—and allows her to experience the world she so wanted to be a part of, realize its flaws, and find her own power and love for herself in the process. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s playing with all that has come before in a new way and I hope people will not only enjoy it, but also relate to it.
PC: You’ve written for television and film. What are some of the similarities and differences between the two mediums?
Erin: In TV, writers are involved from concept all the way through the process until it hits the screen. There is really not one decision the writer doesn’t weigh in on. In film, you sell a script, and unless you are also a producer on it (which is not all that common), you say goodbye after the movie is greenlit (sometimes before) and the studio attaches talent, a director (sometimes other writers), and they take it and run. In this case, I’m thrilled with everything that happened after my job was done, but that’s not all that common either. What’s similar is that it’s all collaborative and it’s all storytelling and everyone involved is just trying to get it right to make it connect with an audience. There is a lot of guesswork involved and a lot of deferring to whoever is higher up, but when you get the right combination of people, you can end up with a little bit of magic.
PC: What were some of your favorite romantic comedies growing up? Did any influence Isn’t It Romantic?
Erin: My hands-down favorite is The Princess Bride. It’s not a traditional rom-com, but that’s why I loved it. It got to send up the romance genre while also telling a great love story and in that one way, I hope this movie is similar. Close seconds are When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, and Love Actually, but I’ve got a long list of more films that influenced this movie and I hope people have fun guessing which tropes are from which films.
PC: What do you hope audiences take away?
Erin: I really just hope people laugh and enjoy their popcorn. The world is full of horrors at the moment and if this movie can just provide people an hour and half of joy, I’d be good with that.
PC: If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have three things, what would they be and why?
Erin: My husband, because he did Outward Bound; our son, because I can’t be away from him for extended periods of time without being incredibly sad; and avocados, because they are the perfect food.
PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Erin: Killing Eve
PC: Last person you called or texted?
Erin: My nanny who just sent me a video of my son pooping in the potty for the first time.
PC: Place you’d like to visit?
Erin: Bali
PC: A person you’d like to meet dead or alive?
Erin: Nora Ephron
Keep up with Erin by following her on Twitter and Instagram, and catch Isn’t It Romantic in theaters now!
Photo Credit: Storm Santos
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