At least that’s what Danni Sanders says in Hulu’s new dark comedy, Not good. The unlikable female protagonist is played by Zoey Deutch, who also serves as the project’s executive producer. The film is 27-year-old Quinn Shephard’s second project after her first film, Blame, a psychological drama released in 2017.
“I wanted to talk about what was going on socially and politically in the world around me and also talk about the internet in a way that felt really personal to me and also to a lot of people my age,” Shephard told Gayety. .
We caught up with the Not good director as well as actress and fiancée Nadia Alexander on satirical comedy, working together on set again, and the misdeeds they committed behind the scenes.
Why is Danni Sanders unwell?
Not good follows Danni Sanders, a lost young woman desperate for friends and fame. When she fakes a trip to Paris to impress a guy (hi, Dylan O’Brien), she finds herself in the spotlight like she’s always wanted. But when a horrific terrorist attack hits Paris, Danni goes from internet famous to globally hated and canceled.
The film’s tagline is “This film contains an unlikable female protagonist”. It’s a unique way of introducing the main character and one that didn’t happen without a lot of thought.
“I feel like I haven’t seen enough female-fronted critical satire. I’ve seen a lot of that genre done with male leads, and I grew up with those movies and loved those movies. , but it was exciting to explore these topics with a woman at the center.
Not good Depicts what it is like to be a human today
Not only does the film address influencer culture and the effects of social media on generations, it also nods to societal issues such as gun violence and the treatment of minority groups.
“I was writing this at a time when I was very aware of what was happening with gun violence in our country, and it’s even more relevant now.”
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Shephard continued, “Having a platform as a young white woman, it’s really important to talk about the privilege and microaggressions that many white women perpetuate on the internet. And so Danni felt like a great way to go like, ‘What the Zillennial Karen?’
Danni has no friends, no followers and no promotions at work. So when she has the opportunity to be the center of attention, even if it’s wrong, she takes it.
“I think, unfortunately, a lot of us have a little spark of Danni somewhere inside of us that we have to do our best to root out. And many of us know a Colin, or have hung out with a Colin, or had a friend who texted a Colin too many times at 2am.
Colin is a blonde Dylan O’Brien with a stacked Instagram following who is always seen with a puff of smoke around his face. It’s a beautiful nightmare.
Quinn and Nadia’s love story
Shephard met Nadia Alexander on the set of her first movie. Now, five years later, the two are newly engaged. Alexander’s character, Harper, is Danni’s nemesis, who eventually sniffs out his lies. Shephard said she wrote the character with her partner in mind. In fact, they worked together to shape Harper’s background.
“Her intelligence and her tenacity, but also the fact that she is a moral person at the end of the day, are things that I was really adamant about with Quinn,” Alexander said.
Alexander proposed to Shephard on the set of Not good after the team finished production. She gave him a beautiful engagement necklace at 1 a.m., surrounded by their friends and colleagues.
Watch the full interviews where Alexander and Shephard talk about sending thirst traps to Dylan O’Brien and the movie’s not-so-happy ending.
“I think by watching this movie, you really get a sense of who has the final say and why that matters,” Alexander concluded.
Not Okay is distributed by Searchlight Pictures and is available to stream now on Hulu.
