Tamal Kundu
‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ the highly anticipated comedy-drama, will start filming in New York in August 2023. Produced by Safdie Brothers for A24, it’s one of the projects to receive a waiver from SAG-AFTRA during the ongoing actors’ strike. Written and directed by Mary Bronstein (‘Yeast’), the film revolves around Linda, a Long Island-based therapist and mother whose life comes crashing down around her. She is forced to simultaneously deal with a plethora of issues, including her child’s mysterious illness, an absent husband, a missing person, a demolished home, and an increasingly complicated relationship with her own therapist. If that isn’t enough, she must also navigate the emotional minefields of her crisis-laden patients.
No announcement about the casting has been yet made, but it has been reported that the production is looking for a 6-10 years old Caucasian actress to serve as the co-lead and presumably portray Linda’s daughter. The character is described as “emotional, articulate and has a naturally joyful energy even in the midst of her current situation.” The casting call went on to add, “Looking for a girl who is dynamic and free in her acting and knows how to use physicality and voice instead of relying on facial expression. Child is delicate and thin, has dark hair, brown eyes, fair skin and resembles the lead actress.”
This most likely implies that the lead actress has been cast, but the news about it has been kept under wraps. ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ is Bronstein’s second feature film as a writer-director since the 2008 release ‘Yeast,’ in which she worked with Ignacio Carballo and Greta Gerwig. She has also made the 2009 short film ‘Round Town Girls.’ As an actress, Bronstein has appeared in ‘You Wont Miss Me,’ ‘The Jonestown Defense,’ and the TV series ‘Delusional Downtown Divas.’
The Safdie Brothers will reportedly produce the film through Elara Pictures with Fat City’s Sara Murphy and Ryan Zacarias. SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union in the US, launched its strike on July 14, 2023, over an ongoing labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The strike coincides with a Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which began on May 2, 2023.
For the first time since 1960, the two unions have gone on strikes simultaneously. As A24 is not part of AMPTP, several of its projects, including ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ received waivers from SAG-AFTRA. On July 27, 2023, the union started allowing casting-specific waivers, granting permission to its members to “audition and/or engage in negotiations regarding casting for these productions, but may not yet travel, rehearse, or otherwise begin rendering services for the production.”
New York has always been a popular filming destination. Projects like ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘The Prestige,’ ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Suits,’ and ‘Succession’ have been filmed there. In the coming months, we will likely get more updates on the casting, plot, and production of ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.’
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