#BlessedProduction: Ingrid Goes West Director and Stars Talk Instagram Marketing, Social Media Creepiness and More

elizabetholsenig: It’s funny to talk about both of our characters back to back, because they’re both coming from the same place, of wanting a connection, of wanting to be noticed and seen. I just think Taylor is actually getting the attention, and she really likes it, and she’s not going to feel bad about it. She’s someone who’s taking opportunities, and is genuine, but at the same time, is solely focused on how she comes across to people, as opposed to having real connections with people. That’s where some of the humor comes from. That’s also why she doesn’t catch on to your character: If you say something that to the audience is seemingly creepy, because they know what’s going on, she just thinks you’re hilarious.

plazadeaubrey: @elizabetholsenig Yeah, your character does think Ingrid is really funny.

elizabetholsenig: @plazadeaubrey Yeah, she thinks you’re funny and that you’re just so nice to her, and so supportive, because she’s just thinking about herself most of the time. She’s not really paying attention to the details about you, so she misses it.

moviemakermag: @plazadeaubrey @elizabetholsenig is either of them worse than the other? Of course, clearly Ingrid’s approach is a little more hands on. #ThrowingShade 

elizabetholsenig: Yeah, Taylor has some narcissistic tendencies and might not be the most authentic, genuine person at the same time.

plazadeaubrey: Yeah, I think that Ingrid could be worse for other people than Taylor could be, but Taylor could be worse to herself probably, in the same way.

moviemakermag: @plazadeaubrey @hellomattspicer Who is Ingrid underneath her antics and why is social media so toxic for her? #SheIsNotOkay 

plazadeaubrey: I thought a lot about how for someone like her, who maybe has borderline personality disorder or some kind of unstable mental condition, Instagram could be the worst thing to happen to [her]. In the hands of someone like that, who doesn’t have great boundaries, and isn’t taking care of themselves in a healthy way, Instagram can feed on their worst impulses. It already can be very toxic for anyone, but for someone like Ingrid, it could be the end of her, because it can just spiral out of control.

hellomattspicer: David and I talked about our own feelings about Instagram and we had very conflicting feelings about it. As I said, I love social media, I enjoy using it, but it also makes me feel bad about myself and brings about the worst in me sometimes. We wanted to create a character that we could funnel all of our own insecurities and our positive and negative feelings about Instagram into. We asked ourselves, “Who’s the type of person for whom Instagram would be the worst thing to happen to them?” We sort of reverse-engineered it that way: “Who’s this person who is looking for validation, looking for love and looking for acceptance in all the wrong places?” Instagram is kind of the worst and best place to look for that stuff, because you get that instant validation when someone likes one of your photos, you get that little hit off the crack pipe in a sense, but then at the same time, what does that really mean? Where does this need come from? You’re not really addressing the core issue of why you’re seeking this validation outside of yourself.

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