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SNL Writer Chris Kelly Teams Up With Molly Shannon for His First Movie, Other People
The comedy writer recalls his late mother who inspired his first movie.
Saturday Night Live writer, Chris Kelly joined forces with SNL alum, Molly Shannon for his first movie, Other People. The script was inspired by Kelly's mother whom he cared for as she was dying of cancer. Shannon stars as his mother opposite Jesse Plemons who plays the comedian at the beginning of his career, just after breaking up with his boyfriend.
"The time I spent living with her and my family while she was sick had such an enormous impact on me, that it just felt like that's what I should write about," he told NBC News. "Anytime I thought, 'What do I want to say in a movie? What do I care about?,' it always came back to my mother and my family and that time in my life."
It's obviously an important topic for Kelly. He had a specific vision for the film, including a particular cast. Having Shannon play his mother was a dream come true.
"I had told my managers years before that Molly Shannon was who I pictured to play the role of the mother, Joanne. I never thought I would actually get her, but I used her as an example of who I wanted," he said. "When she read the script and said she would do it, I went insane in my apartment. I really couldn't believe it."
Other People premieres September 9. Watch the trailer below:
