Interview with Winning Screenwriter Dallas Rico (MARRED)

Matthew Toffolo: What is your screenplay about?

Dallas Rico: Marred is a dark comedy in which a depressed black nerd hired a hitwoman to kill him. She will kill him in 30 days. In the meantime, Mar completes a bucket list to live his best life until his self-appointed doomsday.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

My pilot is a dramedy.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Have you ever seen a show that centers on a black nerd? Have you ever seen a show that deals with the mental health of black men, both gay and straight? Once my show is produced, the answer to both of those questions will be “Yes.”

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

dark, geeky

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

The Devil Wears Prada

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

1 year

7. How many stories have you written?

I’ve written 6 screenplays. (1 feature film and 5 pilots)

8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Argh. This question is so difficult. It depends on my mood. Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” is one of my favs, though.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Figuring out the tone of this script was tricky. It’s a dramedy about a suicidal man. It could come off as cheesy or insensitive. I think over time I found the right balance.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Video games. My love of nerd culture always bleeds into my scripts, whether I want it to or not.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I’m a queer person of colour who loves Toronto. It was a no-brainer.
 

In the midst of a breakup, a gay Nuyorican drug dealer must retrieve his molly, stolen by a self-absorbed pretty boy, in order to help his father make rent.

CAST LIST:

Joy (white 30s)- 5 – Regan Brown
Zelda (30s) black- 11 – Georgia Grant
Narration – Allen Michael Brunet
Mar 20s black- 18 – Hartley O. Gyamfi
Kaleb (30s black) – 18 – Kevin Gabel