Stephanie is a director, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles. Over the years, she has worked as a script developer on multiple projects at The Kennedy/Marshall Company . She completed her debut short Finishing Notes in early 2024, and later in the same year she finished My Boo, which premiered at the Anchorage International Film Festival. Both films are now firmly on the festival circuit. In her hauntingly simple (and effective) sophomore creation, a woman talks to her supernatural boyfriend from the comfort of her own bedroom.

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Eoghan Lyng – Where did the idea of a “ghoul-friend” stem from?

Stephanie J. Röst – The concept came quasi out of thin air one day, which is kind of unexciting to say. But I think the inspiration was helped by my wanting to work with Jessica, who I’ve never worked with, but have known for 20 years as a friend. She’s also a little witchy in real life, which probably helped at the subconscious level in forming this character. In a Q&A panel after our premiere, Jessica articulated something brilliantly apt about this project. Since high school, we’ve weaved in and out of this normie suburban couple bit together, and I think this short contains a sort of abstract expression of our own private, bizarre comedy routine with each other.

EL – Was it challenging to tell this story with such an economical runtime and setting?

SJR – It was, mostly because we had a small crew with one location and many scene changeovers. We had about eight on day one, and with many of these scenes – as you saw – we only get a second or two of them. I have to give a big shout to my tiny but mighty art department: Grace Hinson and Rachel Morales. There was a huge amount to do with limited time – the séance was super intricate – and they did amazing work. My producer, Grayson Propst, was also incredible. We got chased off of a cemetery and she managed to get us another location on the spot, on top of rearranging our entire schedule while ensuring we got everything without feeling rushed.

EL – The movie takes place predominantly in one location. Whose living room was it?

SJR – Mine! About as indie as it gets, huh? Rachel and Grace transformed it with the visual goal for Jessica’s abode being sort of Nancy Meyers meets World Market witch. I wish I could’ve kept the wallpaper, but we had to move a month later.

EL – I believe that Jessica delivers her emotions through her face. Do you agree? Was that intentional? And were you looking for a physical performance?

SJR – She definitely does. I noticed this immediately while shooting the interview, and I was so impressed because she is almost solely a theatre actor. I thought I’d have to tone things down, but she’s a pro and knew how to translate performance for the screen, seemingly without thinking. I wanted a little less physicality from her because the concept is such a silly sort of extended gag that I wanted her performance to feel a little more real and grounded to offset that. But I think we were both so in tune on this that we never had to have too much discussion around it.

EL – Did you use practical effects or SFX for the moving drink, the blanket, etc?

SJR – We employed the old-school movie magic. Everything was practical minus the popcorn – which we had a VFX artist put together a 2d sketch for (I think it added a ton). And as I’m sure you know, the practicals are always deceptively hard to achieve on the day, even with multiple brains and rehearsal.

EL – My Boo  flits from bright colours to darker hues. It brought Sofia Coppola to mind. Was that an influence?

SJR – Ahh! That is such a high compliment in my book, because she’s such an icon for me— especially with her aesthetic and use of color. Because of that, I’m sure on a subconscious level that she was there, informing the look in some way. The colors were definitely an important part of the conversation in setting the tone for this story.

EL – What was the biggest challenge in making or editing this film?

SJR – The thing that first comes to mind is getting all the cutaways, with all those scene changeovers in one location. We did have to solve a tricky puzzle in the edit after losing a cutaway that caused a tedious reordering of interview segments. Thankfully, I had the help of whip-smart editor and fellow funny person, Josh Locy, who really understands great comedy and narrative. I felt very lucky to have him on this.

EL – Would you agree with me if I said that My Boo is a character study? And is short film a medium more appropriate for a character study?

SJR – I’d absolutely agree with that assessment because this lead character feels so intrinsic to the concept. I can’t even tell you with 100% certainty which came first, because they’ve been tethered in my mind from the moment of inception. I think short film can be a good space for character study given the length, especially if you’re hoping to expand on it in a feature or series. Then again, I love series that are character studies. But I know that’s not for everyone.

EL – Are you working on another ghostly project? Or are you remaining firmly on this dimension for your next film?

SJR – Ha! Chef’s kiss to the framing of this question. I’m working on a female-ensemble bottle thriller – no ghosts, unfortunately, but a lot of tension and blood. And I’ve just started writing the feature version of My Boo because I’m selfish and I can’t let Jessica and Wallace go. I think they deserve a full narrative – and I think it’ll be really funny!

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Stephanie J. Röst is pictured at the top of this interview, snapped by Michelle Pullman Photography. The other image is a still of My Boo.