I am so honored and privileged to have the opportunity to interview the multi-talented Rakefet Abergel!  Rakefet’s newest project, JAX IN LOVE, is in the early production stages and poised to roll full speed ahead.  I hope you will all join me, and support this amazing project — especially after you read all about it, and then take just a few minutes to view the links below to see a great introduction to what’s in store.  This film has incredible potential!

A native of Los Angeles, Rakefet Abergel is an accomplished actress and outspoken stand up comedian. One month after taking a stand up class, she won Best Comic and Best Overall Talent on the Tyra Banks Show. She appeared in the movie Superbad as the Tampon Girl and as Adam Sandler’s sister in Just Go With It. She can also be seen in the films A Thousand Words opposite Eddie Murphy and Kerry Washington and opposite Halle Berry in the movie The Call. Rakefet regularly guest stars on TV shows including Shameless, New Girl, The New Normal, My Name is Earl, and iCarly. She teaches Hebrew School in LA in her spare time and also works as an acting coach and mentor for kids at Kid (F)Actor, a company she started in 2010. Rakefet is also the writer, Executive Producer, and co-director of JAX IN LOVE.

In addition, soap opera fans may remember Rakefet as part of the ensemble of the hilarious web series, Addicts Anonymous, written and starring Freddie Smith and co-starring Molly Burnett and Shawn Christian.

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CarolynTopolTalk:  How did you come up with the idea for Jax In Love?

Rakefet Abergel:  I started writing a script for my good friend Devi and I to  do together. I just started writing about two girls who meet on the open road, because I love road trip movies and wanted to do one with two women, a la Thelma and Louise, but I didn’t know where to go from there. So another close friend and I began working on the story together and came up with this slightly twisted and unexpected story. Once we had the framework, Jory Weitz and I would also discuss story, character and intention. I just kept writing and re-writing until we had something I felt proud of.

CTT: Jax is a very interesting character, where did you draw from to create her — was there any person and/or people you thought of as you developed some of her nuances?

RA:  A lot of Jax is me. But more than that, I wrote her to be a character that I wanted to play as an actor. I tend to work mostly in comedy, and I don’t usually get roles like Jax. I wanted to write something that showed off my abilities and gave me something new to do. She’s an amalgam of many different characters that I’ve encountered in books and in movies, as well as in life.

CTT:  The film is about Jax making connections.  Will we get a sense in this short film format of why she needs this and if she succeeds?  In addition, what were your challenges in telling the complete story in such a short time?

RA:  I think we will get an idea as to why she is so desperate to make connections with people. However, with such a short time to tell a story, we couldn’t delve too deeply into her backstory. But trust me, it’s there. I, as the creator, and the actor, and the co-director, needed to know where she was coming from in order to tell the story. It’s hard with a short film to explain everything. When you do, you run the risk of being over-expository and wasting precious minutes explaining things that don’t necessarily need explaining. It was important to all of us not to give away too much. We didn’t want to assume the audience was stupid. I think too many films make things too easy on the viewer these days. Making the story less interesting that way. We wanted people to have to think a little bit — and maybe re-watch the film, possibly even coming to some conclusions on their own. It’s a movie that will, hopefully, make the audience think, feel, and wonder. If you’re still thinking about it the next day, then I’ve accomplished my goal.

CTT:  Although we meet the cast and executive producer in your promotional video, were the roles designed for the actors or vice versa?

RA:  The roles of Jax and Sunny were created for Devi Veysey and I. I based Sunny on Devi’s personality. As far as Jax, I had recently lost 40 lbs and wanted to make her the cool lead character I never got to play when I was heavier. The rest came about while I wrote the story. After I took a look at the characters, I knew immediately that I wanted Ben Kacsandi to play Hot Guy Jake, and attached him to the project over a year ago. Ben is clearly a good looking guy, but he’s also one of the nicest people I know, and an incredibly gifted actor, who’s going to work a lot. That’s a rare combination in this town, so I grabbed him before I couldn’t get him anymore! As for the Vince character, I wrote that for a well known actor friend of mine, but he was unable to do it in the end. So we got super lucky and booked John Gammon from the ABC show The Middle. Like me, he also wanted a chance to reinvent himself a little as an actor. To play a character that was a little more evil, a little more dangerous, than the character he’s known for on The Middle.

CTT:  If you were to assign a genre to this film, what would it be?

RA:  That’s been a tough one! I would say it’s a drama/thriller with some darkly comedic elements and a surprise twist ending!

CTT:  What would you like the viewer’s reaction and/or takeaway to be when they see Jax In Love?

RA:  I want them to be entertained of course, and want the entire theater to gasp during the last scene. I’m talking out loud gasps! LOL– I’ll know I did a good job if I hear those gasps. As I said earlier, I want it to be a film that you’ll say, “I have to see that again!’ If the viewer is still thinking about the story, and the characters, and wonder about the meaning of it all the next day, the next week, then I know I succeeded in making a great film.

CTT:  Were there any specific challenges in writing a film you know you will be starring in?

RA:  In a way. On the one hand, I didn’t want to write something for me to do that I, possibly, don’t feel is my strength. But I also wanted to specifically write things like that so I could grow as an artist and challenge myself to do things that scare me. I definitely wrote it with the intention to do things I’ve always wanted to do in a film. I figured this might be my chance to do things I may never get cast to do! I’d like to prove I can do those things.

CTT:  What makes Jax a stand-out — a must make and watch film?

RA:  JAX is a story about trying to make connections with people in a time, and a world, where that is hard to do. With phones and texting and short attention spans, it’s sometimes a struggle to connect on a human level with people. It’s about loneliness and emptiness and the desperate desire to be loved and wanted. The story itself may not be new, but I think the way we tell it will stand out as different. We have an incredible cast and incredible team behind the film. Our DP, Johnny Kearns, is terrific, so you know it will look great. The story pulls you in as you take this road trip with Jax and the ending will most definitely make you feel something.

CTT:  Who would you consider your mentor or role model as a producer and writer?  Do you have any stand-out advisors who have shared their experiences to help you along the way?

RA:  I can’t really say that I have a specific role model as a producer or writer. I’ve been influenced by so many people and movies. I guess movies like The Sixth Sense and The Village by M. Night Syamalan were a sort of inspiration for JAX. Maybe also a bit of Thelma and Louise. I always had a soft spot for independent films, like Boys Don’t Cry or Tarantino films back in the day. Indie films usually take more chances, tell more of a variety of stories and do it in a way that may be new or different. Nothing wrong with a studio film, but once a ton of money and studios are involved, the story and true intentions of the script tends to get lost in the business side of things. I would absolutely consider Jory Weitz to be my foremost mentor and advisor in the business, besides also being my good friend. He’s taught me so much and he unwaveringly supports me and my creative work.

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Rakefet is surrounded by an outstanding production and acting team.  Please view this short video to get to know all the amazing talent behind this project:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtPJCKAURJ4

Please enjoy the Jax In Love teaser here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma0uvcJ-dso  and then make sure to visit the INDIE GOGO page and contribute to this amazing project: https://igg.me/at/JaxInLove/x/5792213

JAX IN LOVE will be a very special film and I, for one, would love to see it!!!