Conversations with Jennifer Gouchoe and Natalie Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Gouchoe and Natalie Brown.

Hi Jennifer and Natalie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Natalie – I think I’ll tell my version of the story that I don’t think even Jennifer has heard and I am going to try to remember every detail. I was brand new to LA, didn’t really know if I wanted to live here, and had no idea how to accomplish any of the broad ideas in my head. The day I arrived here, I was so exhausted from moving I told one of my friends to just find us a place to eat and we will go. He said, “Beachwood Cafe or…?” I said, “The Harry Styles song?” So we went. We drove up Beachwood Canyon and I saw the Hollywood sign and, for sure dissociating, had no idea what to feel. “Where am I?” “LA?” “What have I done?” Were the thoughts running through my head. And some tears. We got to Beachwood, and it was mostly empty. I remember the food was AMAZING.

Anyway, I kept going there to break up with flings, makeup with long-lost friends, and it was always PACKED. Jennifer was a host – and I had been a host at a super busy restaurant before so I felt for her – and she was super kind and she had my mom’s name… AND I wanted to be sat faster so I befriended her. She made that super easy to do. I told her about my breakup there, and she told me Harry Styles got broken up with at Beachwood (is that lore or truth, Jen?) One morning, she wrote her Instagram on our receipt and I still have it hanging on my wall to this day.

We DMed each other for about a year trying to play tennis until one day we finally could (turns out all the courts were booked, so we opted for talking over smoothie bowls instead). I had quit my job and had just gotten back from a trip to New York. On that plane ride, I was writing a short film. I thought – Jen, I need you to act in it. We were standing in Lazy Bird and I still remember her voice when she said, “Actually… I have a script, and I need a director.” I said, “I’ll direct it.” In my head, it was a done deal. I knew I needed to create something again, and I hadn’t even read it yet.

She emailed it to me. I read it the next day, texted my DP, “Have a project, shooting in three weeks.” I sent the preliminary shooting schedule back to Jennifer that day and said, “We are shooting next month.” She paused – she is less impulsive than I am and it serves our team well. But she relented and we were off into pre-production. I storyboarded the entire script the week I went home to my family for Thanksgiving, zoomed with Jen, and we got our crew list in order. We held auditions in her apartment in Beachwood Canyon. I met Gray during my trip to New York, so we had him come in. Turns out our editor, Jonah Rubin, lived with him, and Gray blew me away during his audition. I audibly squealed. He was hilarious and disconcerting.

We hired him, Jen already had cast Kayla Fast and Grady Eldridge for the other lead roles, so I got to meet my future actors. We scouted manholes all over the city and did location scouts over the course of two days. We worked very fast. We set up a Go Fund Me and raised 5.5k within less than two weeks.

Finally, the day had come. Our first shoot day. Beachwood Cafe, where it all started. 5am – it was dark and rainy. We had a smaller crew that day. Slut Chain was off the ground. What started as a project where I just wanted to remember how to be on set again, and how to create and get back into directing, turned into a project that has truly impacted me as an amateur artist, and has fulfilled me as a human.

Jen and I said it the day we went to play tennis standing behind her car as we left: “Natalie, between your network and mine, we got this.” I nodded then and knew how much work we had to do. But she was right – between her friends and mine, this project would not have been possible without the most hardworking, passionate, and loving friends ever. I feel so grateful to have met Jen to have made so many friends who were willing to work with us and support us and make something together.

Maybe there is something to say about Beachwood being the first restaurant I went to the day I got to LA and the restaurant that would serendipitously connect me with the incredible Jen, writer and lead of SLUT CHAIN, baby. Like, out of everyone I have met in LA who has been so talented, wonderful, Jen and Beachwood take the bait. We really made something together and I have a feeling I will know her until we are old and gray.

Jennifer – I started working as a hostess at Beachwood Cafe when there were still only outdoor tables due to COVID. I would put on my eyeliner and mask and come to work ready to face the ravenous crowd of Harry Styles fans with my clipboard and pen, writing people’s names down on a piece of paper and hoping my time estimate for their table was somewhat accurate. During that time, I grew increasingly frustrated with the Los Angeles weekend brunch crowd – you have never met someone more impatient than a hangry tourist who wants a full stack of pancakes after hiking up to the Hollywood sign.

Natalie was always a beacon of light during my shifts. I think Natalie remembers our first encounter more clearly, but as she started coming in more regularly, we would always strike up a conversation. I loved how direct and honest she was, and we barely knew each other, but I knew we vibed. She told me that she came to Beachwood Cafe to break up with people, and I told her I thought that was iconic.

As I continued working at Beachwood, I became close with one of my co-workers, Kayla Fast. I had a sticker on my water bottle that said, “It’s Charli baby,” to which Kayla told me, “You know Charli XCX used to eat here all the time.” We initially bonded over our similar music taste, and as the years have gone on, Kayla has become one of my closest and most loyal friends. We agreed that once acting classes resumed in person, we would join an acting class together. In the fall of 2021, I joined the Ivana Chubbuck Studio, and Kayla soon followed. It was only a matter of a few months before we ended up in the same class with our beloved teacher, Aleks Popovic.

Now, to jump ahead a little bit, in early 2022 I started co-writing a short film with one of my oldest friends, Adam Riegler. It started off as a story that was loosely inspired by a horrible date I’d had, but we ultimately put the script on the back burner.

During the summer of 2022, Kayla needed to film a scene of her choice for an audition. I told Kayla, “Hey, I have this script I wrote — if you like it, you could film that for your audition.” So we put it on tape, and once I saw Kayla and her impeccable comedic timing, I knew the direction this script needed to take. Kayla inspires me as an actress in so many ways — from watching her in class to now seeing the final product of Slut Chain, she has a true talent, full of fire and passion — and she isn’t afraid to go to dark and extreme places — a skill that most actors lack. If I hadn’t seen Kayla perform that one scene, I don’t know if I would have finished writing this script.

Thanks to my community in acting class, including one of my dear friends, Augie Dannehl, who read the first draft of the script, I finished writing Slut Chain. Now, the question was: how do I make this happen as soon as possible? I knew I wanted to act in it, but I didn’t think I would be able to direct it. I wanted to find a director who could take this script to the next level and come at it with fresh eyes. That’s when Natalie and I serendipitously met for tennis in November of 2022. At this point, I had almost accepted the fact that I would probably have to wait until the new year to produce the shorts. Finding a good team and enough money to get through production seemed like a daunting task. However, once I emailed Natalie the script, she responded immediately with a shooting schedule. It was going to happen.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Natalie – Of course, there were many challenges that we faced to get this project started, working, and finished. But I would say that Slut Chain has been one of the best and most prepared projects I have worked on thus far. I did not want to be in any way unprepared for shooting, I tried to think of every detail; everything that could possibly go wrong. Every outfit, accessory, each shot. I had nightmares about not being prepared, about freezing on set.

I think our struggles came solely from inexperience – and that’s fine. The entire point of this project wasn’t even to put it into festivals but to learn. I can honestly say my largest struggle with this was the credits. They are really difficult to input, scroll, move around in Da Vinci. So for anyone reading, don’t use Da Vinci to edit credits – or find someone who can manhandle that program! I told Jennifer I will literally hire someone solely for credits next project – from beginning to end – to make sure we have smooth and correct credits. I think my brain was tired after scoring, sound designing, coloring, editing, exporting, etc. It was a race to the finish line and I could barely read by the end.

Jennifer – Making Slut Chain was not a smooth road, but it has been the most fulfilling project I have ever worked on to date.

The night before our first shoot day, I had to get all the G&E equipment from Chapman University, where we thankfully were able to get a good deal on gear. However, neither Natalie nor I had a car big enough to fit all the gear. It was a busy Sunday at Beachwood Cafe, and I was going back and forth between serving people with a smile on my face to crying in the bathroom and calling friends to see if they had a big SUV I could borrow. Thankfully, my lovely coworker Jaya (who was also the key hair stylist on Slut Chain) let me borrow her Honda CRV. (Blake, my other coworker, was driving Jaya’s car while she was in New York; he gave me the keys and said, “Just make sure you don’t drive over 65 miles per hour or the engine will overheat.”)

I asked my trusty location scout/best friend/unit production manager, Gray Christie, to accompany me on the equipment pickup run. He drove the CRV down to Orange County while I answered texts and phone calls — I was in full producer mode. As we were driving down the freeway, we felt Jaya’s car shaking — but at this point, I didn’t care how we got there as long as we got all the equipment back to LA safely. And we did!

Indie filmmaking is full of struggles, let me tell you. It requires trust and good faith to work on an ultra low-budget passion project, and I am so grateful to our entire team who helped problem solve and work around any issues we encountered. I’m especially grateful to Kayla Fast, Tia Greenfield (first AD), Gray Christie, and Natalie — they knew how to calm me down when I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown during filming. We all worked hard and invested a good chunk of time in this project, and now that we have our final product, I am beyond grateful. It wasn’t a smooth road, but it was worth every bump along the way. And I believe every bump along the way was a valuable learning lesson. It’s true what they say; nothing good comes easy, or whatever that saying is.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Jennifer – I moved to LA to pursue my acting career, but in the almost three years I’ve been out here, my path has evolved in ways I couldn’t ever have imagined.

I tell people I’m an actress, writer, and producer — in that order. Acting is my number one passion, and that’s still my top priority.

I think what sets me apart is my ambition and work ethic.

At the beginning of 2021, I created a YouTube series that I produced and hosted. When I realized that wasn’t the exact direction I wanted to pursue, I produced and acted in a five-minute short film called “Two Guardians”, which was a great learning experience since it prepared me for the narrative world of “Slut Chain.”

I’m definitely most proud of Slut Chain. It was the first script I had ever written that came to life on screen, and it’s been super exciting to gain confidence not only as an actor but as a writer, too.

I’m determined to achieve all my creative goals, and I’m not going to stop working. I am manifesting (yes, I’ve been in LA too long) that Slut Chain will do well in festivals and that it will be the start of something really important for both me, Natalie, and the whole team. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Natalie – I want to direct. I am most proud of Slut Chain (SO FAR). I do enjoy writing but have never wanted to pursue it professionally. Maybe one day.

What sets me apart… hmm. I get hyper-focused on my goals, on completing projects and while I am on set. As a director, I care about my crew. I care about their attitudes and how my attitude influences those around me. I want to make sure I am taking care of everyone I work with at all times. I want us to have fun while working hard. Vibes need to be spectacular. I respect my actors’ time and energy and my team’s collaboration over any of my selfish needs while on set.

The work is the best when everyone wants to be there and make it together.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Natalie – I am definitely a risk taker. I am a little impulsive, and that gets me into trouble sometimes. But ultimately, I think it helps me. I view taking risks as imperative to doing anything. You cannot write, direct, or put any small plan into action unless you take a risk on yourself. I quit my job and risked the comfort of a steady paycheck, and I think that has paid off in more ways than one – Slut Chain being an example of something that I am very proud of and happy I was able to work on, and now have an example of the work I can do as I take the next step in my career.

I risk rejection all the time – I put myself out there a lot whether that is professionally or personally; in friendships or romantic relationships. I think it can get hard when you feel that rejection over and over, but the risk usually pays off. Something good (or terribly bad) can come from risking yourself, your ego, your time, your dignity. No matter what happens, you will learn so much.

I truly believe that doing nothing is the worst thing you can do. Talking and talking and talking about everything you want to do or need to do – or what’s wrong in your life and about things – is not going to get you anywhere unless you take action and risk something. I would rather write 50 bad scripts than none at all; make a million “bad” films than talk about doing one. Slut Chain forced me to get out of my head, to ask people for favors, and put myself out there to be rejected over and over again. The film allowed me to continue to pursue a goal no matter how many people said no – I was leaving my ego at the door. If I ever paused, it was my fear talking to me. “What are people going to think?”, “You’re dumb for doing this”, “You’re crazy”, “This is pointless”, etc. I had to ignore those voices every step of the way or it was never going to get done. During post-production, when I made the first cut to the film… I had to close my eyes. “Oh god, this is so awful. What have we done.” By the time I had completed a first pass, I wasn’t cringing anymore. The film was something already. Jonah, my editor, did a pass, then we did another, then another. You have to remember that it is a process. Risking time and money, we now have a project that shows our value and our passion. Risk pays off.

Jennifer – As an actor, we’re told to take risks all the time. We’re told to make bold choices. We’re told to catch people’s attention within the first three seconds of a self-tape in hopes that casting directors will want to keep watching.

During the critique for one of my first scenes in class with my teacher Aleks, he asked me, “Jen, how far do you think you went? Out of 10?” I told him that I probably gave it a five and a half or a six. He told the entire class, “You will never book an audition as a six. You have to give 11/10.” I think that advice applies to more than just acting in a scene. Life is too short to not give it your all and take as many risks as possible.

I took a risk by moving to LA. There were definitely some people who told me how hard it would be — that they knew people who had tried the whole “acting thing” and given up after a year.

The truth is, I understand why some people give you negative warnings. You have to really want it to pursue a career in the arts. You have to be willing to make sacrifices. You have to be willing to take risks all the time — and I think it’s worth it. I can’t see myself doing anything else except acting, producing, writing, and hopefully one day, directing. Slut Chain was a risk, but I’m still only at the very beginning of my journey, and I know it will pay off somewhere down the line.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @slutchainfilm

 
Image Credits
Photographer: Gabe Knoos-Newton