Laura Chinn’s debut film Suncoast is a bittersweet story that takes a look at the realities of dealing with terminal illness through the lens of a teenage girl.
Using her own life, Laura tells the story of Doris – played by Nico Parker – and we watch a young girl live the life of a teenager while carrying a weight beyond her years. Speaking to Laura and Nico, we explore the healing power of art and microaggressions we all know too well.
Laura, this is your debut and we know this is a semi-autobiographical story. Did you feel anxious having to put yourself back into a painful period of your life or was it almost healing?
Laura Chinn: Oh no it was tremendously healing. I think most of the personal emotions were felt in the writing of it, digging into those old feelings and trying to convey them. By the time we got to set, we now have these actors who have interpreted the story their own way and they're playing characters that are not real. Doris isn't me, Christine's not my mum, and Paul didn't exist. So I think that because you have these actors now interpreting it in their own way, it takes on a life of its own.
I think in the filming of it, it didn't feel as personal, but the writing felt very personal and then now in sharing it with people, it's both. It’s my story but the details are different, but it’s the kernel of truth I went through as a teenager. You have people reacting, relating and emoting to all those things, so it's incredibly healing because you realise you're not alone.
That’s great that it’s healing. Nico, even though Doris' story isn't Laura’s exact experience, it is based on her life. Did you feel any added pressure playing the role of Doris while Laura watching you every step of the way or did you feel completely removed from the true story?
Nico Parker: I think it definitely felt completely removed. I felt the pressure more so felt that I wanted to do that character justice. When I first read the script I literally was like "I can't meet with Laura", because I don't think I would be able to do that
Laura: She wouldn’t meet with me.
Nico: Yeah, because I hate her haha! I just wanted someone to do it that would do it to its fullest extent and do it justice. I didn't think that that could be me and then she wouldn't stop bothering me.
Laura: I stalked her.
Nico: She came to my house.
Laura: I just showed up at her window haha.
Nico: When we did meet and we spoke about it, I was like, "I have to do this" because it's just, she's so brilliant and so talented and so wonderful.
Laura: And because I threatened you, so you genuinely had to do it.
Nico: Haha but yes I definitely kept the two separate, but it was also the pressure of wanting to play that part and give Doris the energy, effort, pain, joy, and everything that she deserved. I just wanted to make you proud purely from a director sense. I just wanted you to be proud of me and what you had made. I wanted you to watch it at the end and feel like you had made the best version of the film that you wanted to make.
Laura: Well, you accomplished your mission because she just won an award at Sundance. I mean this kid is unbelievable.
So in the spirit of wanting to make Laura proud, what did you both do before filming to strengthen your relationship?
Nico: We went out for dinner when I first got to Charleston.
Laura: We Zoomed a lot.
Nico: We Zoomed a lot, we spoke a lot, we texted a bit. I sent her a playlist I made for the film, and what songs I was connecting Doris to. And so we spoke before and then I saw you in person in Charleston and I was just like, "I'm obsessed with you, will you adopt me?"
Laura: I was trying to get her to let me adopt her the whole time and then she turned 18 and I was very sad because I can’t adopt her anymore.
Nico: Damn. But yes we had constant chats
Laura: It was a lot of just hanging out and being around each other. And, and then me having to remember like, she's 17, you know, like she's not, my friend, you know, like I'm like talking to her about my life.
Nico: A lot of the time on set I think it’s the norm that the actors will hang out with the actors and the crew but more so because you’re constantly working the director is usually with the producers as it’s a really tough job, but I literally wouldn’t leave Laura alone. I would go and sit in her chair and be like “What you doing?”
Laura: And she also came on location scouts.
Nico: I literally wouldn’t leave her alone and was like we have to hang out all the time now.
Laura: It was such a mutual thing of just wanting her around because she has a really good energy and good vibes, you want to be around her all the time. What that unintentionally did was make it comfortable to be able to work together and trust each other.
Haha, I love that. The themes of this film are complex, which is why it’s such an emotional topic. But beyond the complexities it is just a coming-of-age story. There was a moment which triggered me when Doris was subjected to a pretty harsh microaggression where one of the girls said she would kill herself if she had curly hair. What was it like bringing that moment together and did it bring up any experiences from your own lives as mixed-race women?
Nico: I think I spent so much of my childhood with people being like, "I love your hair" and then putting their hands in immediately in and just grabbing and pulling. And I, yeah, it was, I mean, when I read that in the script, I laughed out loud because I was like this is too true to the situation.
Laura: Well I’m so happy you grew up with people saying they loved your hair…
Nico: Well I got a lot of “your hair is so frizzy”, frizzy would be the one and I remember realising from Patene ads that frizz isn’t a good thing and that was mind-blowing to me.
Laura: Realising those haven’t been compliments.
Nico: Because before I was like "yeah, frizzy hair – that’s me", the two go hand in hand but then I realised that no that’s not a compliment when people say that. So it was great to put that on screen. And I hope that people who have dealt with that can feel seen in the struggle.
I felt seen, and there was a bit nearer the end the friend was like “Was it something I said?” and I was shouting “You’ve said a lot!”
Laura: You’ve said a tonne! No, I’ve had people say to me "I would kill myself if I had curly hair" and I’ve had people say to me “You should straighten that shit.”
Nico: I’ve had that before “Why wouldn’t you just straighten it?” and you just get this eye twitch.
Laura: Like, why don’t you change everything about yourself?
You’re both at the beginning of your careers. Nico, you have many credits already but you have a very long career ahead and Laura – this is literally your debut! What is next for the both of you?
Nico: I'm doing How To Train Your Dragon, which is coming out in 2025. I literally can't say anything about it, but it's so much fun and everyone's so lovely and so talented and I'm so proud to be working alongside everyone. So I'm very excited for everyone to get to see that.
Laura: I wrote a book called Acne, it’s like a memoir and I’ve been looking at adapting parts of it. However, I’ve also just been looking forward to mentally and emotionally processing this for as many months as my bank account will allow.
Nico: Laura is going off the grid.
Laura: I really feel like I’m going to close off life and live in a box .
Nico: With me.
Laura: Yes, of course with Nico as my adopted adult child haha. The idea of “what's next?” makes me think “Wait, am I done?” can’t this just be something I live the rest of my life processing? But yes potentially I’ll be adapting my book.