Original-Cin Q&A: Amanda Peet and Matthew Shear on 'Fantasy Life' and Real Life

In the new film Fantasy Life, writer, director, and star Matthew Shear turns a period of professional discouragement into a deeply personal cinematic journey.

Joining him is the incomparable Amanda Peet, marking her return to the big screen after a decade.

The film explores the complexities of mental illness, depression, and anxiety through the lens of two high-functioning individuals navigating their way through outpatient treatment.

Sam (Matthew Shear), Dianne (Amanda Peet) and her daughters in Fantasy Life

From the script's cathartic origins to Peet’s instant connection with the material, the duo chatted with Bonnie Laufer to discuss the "spiritual" experience of bringing this authentic and often vulnerable story to life.

Fantasy Life is in theatres across Canada Friday, April 3.

CLICK HERE to read Jim Slotek’s review of Fantasy Life.

ORIGINAL-CIN: Matthew, this script is very personal for you. When you decided to write it, what was the jumping off point? And as you were writing it, did you know that you wanted to play the lead and ultimately direct it?

MATTHEW SHEAR: Honestly, the jumping off point was my own discouragement and difficulty I was experiencing  in my acting career. I was really having a tough moment and writing became a coping technique for me to be expressive.

When I wrote my initial draft,  I was not thinking about directing or starring in it, I was just involved in the story. At a certain point, I gave it to my wife, and she immediately said, “You're obviously writing this for yourself.” 

I was unsure because I had  too much trauma from being an actor, being put up for roles that I initially didn't want, to put myself up for my own movie. At a certain point, I did realize, “Oh okay, I should do this.”

O-C: Amanda, I cannot believe that it's been a decade since we've seen you in a movie. Loads of TV work over the years, but no films? 

AMANDA PEET:  I realized that too, and was like, “What the fuck?”  I was like, “Wait! I didn't know  I was such a has-been!”

O-C:  Oh, please! You are far  from that! 

PEET:  I didn't do that on purpose, it must have been just because I didn't like the writing I was being offered. 

With Fantasy Life, as soon as I read the scene with Matt’s character Sam in the psychiatrist's office, I was hooked and didn’t hesitate at all. I'm doing this movie even if I had a walk on!

O-C:  Clearly you had a connection with Dianne, the character you play. A mom, an actress who is getting older, and has her own issues to deal with.  She’s a lot like Mel, the character you play on Your Friends and Neighbours. I see the connection between Mel and Dianne, but with Dianne, specifically, where did you find that connection to play her so well?

PEET:  Well, I loved it so much, and I felt really connected to her right away. A lot of what she goes through is stuff I have been dealing with. Not to get all serious, but I really liked that Matthew wrote about mental illness in this way and how certain people negotiate their way through depression and handle it.

I liked that these are two fairly high functioning people who aren't in padding somewhere locked up. They're doing outpatient treatment, but it's a little dicey, it's a little nerve wracking.

I really think there are a lot of people like that, and I really relate to that. I've had my troubles and my depressions and anxieties and I think the more people talk about that and the more we see it, the better.

O-C: I agree. Life isn't always Instagram pictures and stories.

PEET: Yes, right? Yes, yes, yes. I don't like that part of our culture!

With Fantasy Life, I thought it was really beautiful that her psychiatrist scene is at the very end and it is so real and touching. That's when you hear all of these different trials she's been on and there's something about that that gave me chills when I read it.

It felt like a punch in the stomach when I read it.  The fact that Matthew held it for so long was really beautiful to me. At some point I wondered if that was wrong, maybe we should have heard about it earlier in the film. But now I see how special it is that he held it for so long. It’s very powerful.

O-C:  Matthew, when you wrapped and you were all finished editing the film and started to show it to audiences, did you kind of feel a sense of relief or catharsis?  Did you feel better about yourself?

SHEAR: I will say that the experience of writing, directing and editing, the whole filmmaking experience, was just this totally new opening  for me, in a really basic sort of spiritual way. I found something that I could kind of move towards and  feel really connected to.

And so, it's still  part of my new life. Like, where I have done this, had this journey, and I am so glad that I was able to do it.

O-C: Amanda, there's a scene in the movie where your character gets mistaken for Lake Bell, which actually happened to you in real life. Is there a world where we're going to see you and  Lake Bell play sisters, or do something together on screen?

PEET:  I'm so into it!  Maybe fraternal twins? But yes, I would love that. I think she's so funny. We just have to think of something. We have to think of a hook.