A Downtrodden LA Corner Inspires Comedy And Friendship In 'Tangerine'
Originally published on July 21, 2015 9:48 pm
Fresh Air - host Terry Gross
http://nhpr.org/post/downtrodden-la-corner-inspires-comedy-and-friendship-tangerine (http://nhpr.org/post/downtrodden-la-corner-inspires-comedy-and-friendship-tangerine)
When film director Sean Baker moved to Los Angeles three years ago, he found himself drawn to one of the city's most infamous intersections. The corner of Highland Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard is "an unofficial red light district," Baker tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. But Baker's interest in the area went beyond the usual transactions: "I thought there must be some incredible stories that take place on that corner."
Baker wanted to tell those stories, so he and co-screenwriter Chris Bergoch began walking the streets in search of a collaborator who could act as their "passport" into an unfamiliar world.
Many of the women Baker and Bergoch approached assumed they were cops and refused to talk. But then they met Mya Taylor and something clicked: "There was just something about Mya — she attracted our attention from 40 feet away — and we went up to her and introduced ourselves and started talking about this project and it was that 'eureka' moment where she expressed just as much enthusiasm back to us. ... She was that collaborator we were looking for."