Interview: Megan Park and Maisy Stella Talk All Things My Old Ass
Kyleigh Wanzelak ’26 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Spoilers ahead.
In preparation for My Old Ass’ recent Amazon Prime release, Amazon MGM studios held an online roundtable interview on October 28, allowing college students across the country to submit questions for director/writer Megan Park and leading actress Maisy Stella. Right off the bat, the duo’s energy was palpable, infectiously passionate about their work and the supporters of the film. As soon as they entered the Zoom, the two joked about the attendees being Maisy’s “youthful cohorts,” as they looked forward to answering questions coming from the kinds of people My Old Ass is focused on. While Stella has had an extensive press tour leading up to the film’s release, this was one of Park’s few in-depth discussions, garnering some incredibly insightful responses from the woman behind the scenes.
In terms of interview topics, attendees were given the opportunity to submit questions beforehand, which were then presented through a designated moderator. One of the first questions was from our very own, and the Emerson name-drop had Park raising an eyebrow, commenting, “Emerson? That’s very legit.”
MODERATOR: Can you talk about filming the “One Less Lonely Girl” scene? And was there an alternative song in mind in case that wasn’t available?
MEGAN: There was an alternative song in the script. But it was not clear because it was Disney, and it was a sequence where there was drug use involved, so obviously that was quickly axed. We spent a lot of time together. And then Maisy, I give all credit to Maisy for the Bieber suggestion.
MAISY: Yeah. I was speaking from personal experience for sure. Megan was like, “What is the performance that would really scratch that itch?” And immediately I was like, “One Less Lonely Girl”; for me personally. Or it was Camp Rock.
MEGAN: Bonfire? [laughs]
MAISY: No, the one where they were going like this, [slaps arms together]. I don’t know if any of you know this. They’re like, “Camp Rock!” and then, were like [slaps arms together]. I knew the significance [of One Less Lonely Girl]. And then Megan took a beat, and she was like, “You’re Bieber. And he’s the One Less Lonely Girl”, and I had goosebumps all over my body. Also, Maddie and Kerrice are both literally professional dancers, so they got me in a studio and taught me the whole thing. It was so, so fun.
MODERATOR: The dialogue of the film is very realistic. Could you discuss the process of writing the dialogue, and if it changed much while filming?
MEGAN: I mean, I think everyone keeps being like, “Oh, you write young people well” or whatever. But I think I’m not trying to write a young person initially, if that makes sense. I’m just thinking, who is Elliott? Who are these people? And then I think from there, it becomes a bit of a collaboration. I’m obviously gut-checking things with Maisy; like, “would you say that?” and “does this feel authentic to what you’re going through?” I’m obviously a millennial, so I’ve had a different experience as a young person. But this movie was really such a two-hander in a sense that, yeah, I wasn’t really focused on trying to make the dialogue sound a certain way? I was trying to make it sound authentic and grounded, but wasn’t necessarily trying to make it sound young.
MODERATOR: The line about not [being willing to pick] a label is a significant moment in the film. What was your intention behind including that line, and how do you hope it resonates with audiences who may feel pressure to define their identities?
MAISY: I mean, you wrote it. [laughs]
MEGAN: Yeah, I think that line specifically, thank you for calling that out, was a key moment in the scene, as well as a line that Ro says: “Just because you like a man doesn’t make you any less queer.” I thought that was really important to have that in there. We just wanted to have a really nuanced, layered, messy conversation about labels and whether they’re helpful or not, while acknowledging that they have been essential in the past; and it’s not taking away from that. Really, the focus on that conversation was that, yes, this is not a coming-out story. It is a part of Elliott’s journey, but this is not a coming-out movie. And although those are very necessary and important, this was just a part of her. It wasn’t that she was going into this, being like, “I am this, and now I’m straight.” That obviously was not the takeaway. And I like that even at the end, she’s like, “I don’t know. I’m still figuring out what I am and if I even want to have a label on that, I’m not sure if it’s useful for me right now.” So we had lots of conversations around that scene.
MODERATOR: For Maisy, what draws you to the roles you choose? Is there something specific about a character or story that makes you eager to take part in it?
MAISY: Oh my gosh. I mean, this was my first movie. I was on a show when I was a kid from, like, 8 to 14, but that’s obviously a different situation than this. This was my first real choice. And I was, like, I need to do this. I think I’m really filmmaker-driven, I think I’ve learned that now since My Old Ass too. I really love writing, like, good writing, and I love a good filmmaker. I think to me, it’s either a character piece or it’s a story piece, and the characters are just there to kind of move the story along. I think both can be done really well if they have a really good filmmaker and a good writer. And again, I read Megan’s script for The Fallout, and I literally have dated pages in my notebook like, “Megan Park, Megan Park, Megan Park. I’m in her next movie.” I was manifesting it full-on to the point that it was so creepy. I’m so embarrassed that she’s sitting beside me right now, but.
MEGAN: Hey, it works.
MAISY: It worked. And, so yeah, I think I just do have a knowing feeling. When I read this script, it was like, if I’m given the opportunity to get near this, I will literally do anything.
MODERATOR: For you, Megan: since this is your second film you’ve directed, would you say you consider yourself focusing on directing now? And can you discuss your directorial influences when it came to this specific film?
MEGAN: Yeah, I mean I always joke, but it’s not really a joke, that if things go well for me, you won’t see me in front of the camera again. I don’t miss that at all. Yet, I did come from the acting side, and I think it was, again, that it all happened for a reason. That was my masterclass. That was my education growing up on a film set in so many ways. But yeah, I think, I kind of see myself as a writer first. I don’t know, I think that’s probably my favorite part of the process, still. Or not favorite.. It’s like choosing your children or something! But really the most creatively fulfilling and intimate for me is that process of actually world-building and just being alone and by myself, writing the movie. Because then you kind of release it into the world. You know, then, Elliott becomes Maisy’s, which is beautiful. The movie becomes something else completely when you start to collaborate with other people, which is a beautiful part of it. I definitely see myself very much as a writer and director and want to keep doing that hopefully forever; but the writing is really.. nothing could ever stop me from that. I will just always write until I die.
MODERATOR: What do you want an audience to take away from this film? Is there a specific lesson or emotion you want to leave with the viewer?
MAISY: It’s really been so insane–the response and what people are taking from it has been, quite literally, more than I could have ever imagined it would be. I had such high belief and faith in the script, so, I felt on paper how moving it was, and how much I wanted it to move people; but it’s also not easy to make what’s on a script come to life. So, I don’t know. I think I took such a strong message of time moving so quickly and to be grateful for what you have: be present, you know? Be intentional. And filming this at 18 and getting that message at 18 was really, very formative for me as a person and will literally change my life forever. So, I don’t know, I feel like I hope people take away that same message.
MEGAN: I’m just shocked anybody’s seen the movie or even wants to talk about it [laughs]. You forget when you’re writing it that, “Oh, my God. People are gonna watch it? And maybe feel.” You don’t even hope that people are going to feel something because then you’re afraid of getting let down. So, if anyone feels anything, it’s a gift truthfully.
The conversation wrapped up with Park claiming her main hope for My Old Ass is that it feels like evergreen: something that could still feel relevant in five, ten, or even twenty years. The duo profusely thanked the students in attendance, dubbing them “the faces of the future,” and joking not to wear them down with future film reviews. Make sure to check out My Old Ass on Amazon Prime now, and in the wise words of Maisy Stella, “be nice on Letterboxd!”