Bree Elrod Interview: Everything 'Red Rocket', From Rehearsals to Release
Sean Baker’s latest slice of life, ‘Red Rocket’, is a peepshow into the town of Texas City and its residents, the most jagged of them being Lexi, played by Bree Elrod. The theater-trained actress portrays the estranged and firecrackery ex-wife of Mikey (Simon Rex), a pornstar returning to his hometown roots, much to her chagrin. Elrod, a graduate of NYU’s grad acting program, gives a powerful performance, breathing volatility, heart, and a shatterproof quality into Lexi’s life. One of the most dynamic aspects of the film, Elrod centered her portrayal of Lexi’s character in her own personal experiences:
We didn't have a ton of rehearsals. A lot of it was just finding it as we went. I would say that I definitely [used] my own life experiences! There have been people that I've been in relationships with that have been a little toxic that I still am drawn to, and I feel like that's Lexi very much. [Mikey] is familiar to her. It's her childhood. It's what she knows. Even though he brings drama, there's some comfort in the drama. There's some comfort in their history. I certainly can identify with that.
Though Elrod’s acting work spans decades, filming ‘Red Rocket’ in the middle of 2020 was an experience that provided several challenges and intrigue for her and the crew. She talks about the realities, complications, and triumphs of shooting a feature length film with such limited mobility and restriction, as well as the lessons learned from the tiny on-location community that the production worked in during filming.
I thought it was such a gift for us as professional actors to engage with the community in that way, to have them actually in our world creating this world together... it was really so special. I'm from Topeka, Kansas, so I'm from an area of the country that a lot of people consider flyover or uninteresting, or why would anyone go there? So I was excited to share Texas City with people because I had the thought: "This is a community of people who are trying to live a good life, and we're just sharing one fictional story about this community.”
In our conversation she describes her most challenging scenes on set as Lexi’s quieter moments, and gives some advice to Lexi as she parts ways with ‘Red Rocket’.
Our full interview and transcript below.
FilmSpeak: First off, it's so nice talking to you!
Bree Elrod: Thank you!
FS: To me your performance in Red Rocket, [which I watched] a week or so ago, was one of the most dynamic elements of the movie. I know you have a background in theater, so I was wondering if that had played a role in your performance and if there were any challenges for you in tackling that role.
BE: Well, yes, certainlyI I definitely feel like my theater background aided me just in that I went to NYU grad acting, and we really tried to work on being the most in the given circumstances that you can so that you're able to play within that world. I feel like I really tried to inhabit Lexi’s world and have a sense of play, openness, and vulnerability in that world. So, yeah, I definitely feel like my theater background and just life experiences, where I am in my life and what I've experienced, [helped]. I just tried to bring all of that, what I needed or what I could use into exploring Lexi’s life.
FS: So when you were exploring her life in rehearsals, did you find anything within her character that you had recognized from your past that you wanted to bring in? Like places that you've lived, people that you've known?
BE: Definitely. Hilarious, though, that you said rehearsals. That's really funny because we had no rehearsals, unlike theater. Although I think some films do rehearse... Given the nature of this production, this project and the time we did not have, we didn't really have time to rehearse. When I first met Simon, we went through that first scene, I think, a few times, and it was at an Airbnb! It wasn't even at the set because we just were trying to explore what their history. We didn't have a ton of rehearsals. A lot of it was just finding it as we went. I would say that I definitely [used] my own life experiences! There have been people that I've been in relationships with that have been a little toxic that I still am drawn to, and I feel like that's Lexi very much. [Mikey] is familiar to her. It's her childhood. It's what she knows. Even though he brings drama, there's some comfort in the drama. There's some comfort in their history. I certainly can identify with that.
FS: Simon Rex's character is dropped into this world of women. I found that there was a really powerful feminine energy, an overcurrent throughout the whole movie. Was that something that you guys talked about or you worked in to your performance?
BE: Yeah, definitely. I think that's great because I feel that way about it. I think what Sean does so beautifully is that we get to see the reactions that these women have to Mikey in their world--- him dropped into their world and how they are forced to deal with him. And I think that that is very deliberate. You know how that opening scene, where they're in the kitchen and the camera is just on Lexi as Mikey is going on this long monologue about everything? You can kind of see the history, and you can kind of see how he is in her life. And the way that Sean focuses on June and the scene where Mikey comes and visits, you're watching the women's reactions to Mikey. So I think that there definitely is. And Strawberry too. There are some scenes where it's just on Strawberry, and I think that Sean is being very deliberate about how this guy is impacting these women and how are they reacting to him?
FS: You guys filmed during 2020, right?
BE: Yeah!
FS: How was that for you?
BE: Crazy! I mean it was precarious! We were very safe. We did all the COVID protocols that we [could]. We were masked when we weren't doing scenes. We were staying by ourselves. We were driving ourselves to and from set. Everyone was masked, the camera, the crew. It was a very small crew. This is the most people I been around in during the whole pandemic, so I was nervous. We all drove there and it really the stakes were so high because honestly, if somebody would have gotten sick, we may not have finished this film. I mean, It was such a low budget, but that's why it's so exciting to be here, because I can't believe the film was even made! It really was a miracle. There were so many things stacked against us. It was like even to the point where they were doing scouting and the hurricane came and they were like, "Oh, we gotta go back to L.A., there's a hurricane". There are so many things! We got into an accident on the way down! There were just so many things that happened that the fact that this movie was even filmed during such a hard and devastating time in our world is really just miraculous.
FS: And you guys are filmed in the local community down there, right?
BE: Yeah.
FS: What is the one thing, or maybe it's a couple of things, that you would learn from the community that you were filming in.
BE: To be fair, most of my scenes were filmed in the house or around the house, so I didn't have a ton of interaction with people in the community. But the interactions I did have, with the people who are first time actors, were so wonderful. The area itself is like a character in this film. And I loved it. I loved the people in the community. I loved what they brought to the film. I thought it was such a gift for us as professional actors to engage with the community in that way, to have them actually in our world creating this world together... it was really so special. I'm from Topeka, Kansas, so I'm from an area of the country that a lot of people consider flyover or uninteresting, or why would anyone go there? So I was excited to share Texas City with people because I had the thought: "This is a community of people who are trying to live a good life, and we're just sharing one fictional story about this community.”
FS: I also grew up in a very like rural. underrated part of the country like that so I also recognize that stuff. I feel like the way that you had portrayed Lexi was very organic and very jagged, almost like a walking pair of scissors.
BE: I love that! That's great!
FS: I was wondering what was the scene that you found most challenging?
BE: Well, that's a good question…. There were a lot of challenges. But I would say that probably one of the biggest challenges was the scene in which Mikey is saying that he's going to leave. Sean and Chris wrote it without Lexi having any dialog. So as an artist and as an actor, I think it was a great challenge to have to inhabit Lexi's body and world without using language. How do you how do you react to someone who's dropping a bomb in such a way without yelling at them without saying things back at them? Really it's just connected to the breath. I felt like I tried to kind of breathe into what Lexi must be feeling at that moment. It was a challenge, though, It's funny when people watch it because people are like, "I thought as soon as he said that, that the curtains were going to be ripped down! The place is going to be set on fire; I thought Lexi was going to freak out, you know? I think it's gorgeously written that she doesn't. I think that was a real challenge to me as an actor. You don't have language, so how do you share what she's experiencing? And I tried to breathe into that.
FS: If you were to give Lexi one piece of advice or knowledge or have a certain conversation with her as yourself, what would that be?
BE: Gosh! I would say, "You are stronger than you think you are." I would tell her that she has so much good in her to offer and that if she really just follows what makes her happy, then she will find some joy in her life. Find your strength and believe in it more and that you can do it on your own. You've done it on your own before and you can do it on your own now.
FS: What are you most excited for people to experience with the film?
BE: I am excited for people to experience the story of some people in a community that may not be largely shown and spotlights a marginalized group of people who are getting some time to share their stories. I hope that people will experience that and see that these are people who are just trying to live their best lives in this world. One of my favorite moments from the festival is [when] a guy in Memphis stood up and he just after the show and said "This is where I grew up. These are the people that I know, and I rarely get to see them on film." It really is beautiful to me to see people that I know in the world that I know shown in a way that's authentic, genuine, and not exploitative. I hope that people just get to see a slice of life that maybe they're not used to seeing.