Although nearly 10 percent of Americans are reportedly dealing with an eating disorder, it’s arguably not a topic that's regularly discussed publicly, especially in the picture-perfect world of Hollywood. However, Brittany Snow aimed to depict the experience thoughtfully in her new movie, Parachute, and it proved to be a “challenge” she was up to. In an interview with CinemaBlend, Snow shared how she carefully portrayed the sensitive topic while aiming not to “trigger” those who can relate to the illness.
Brittany Snow is widely known for movies like the Pitch Perfect series, John Tucker Must Die or X. Aside from her vast work, she's also been open about having dealt with an eating disorder when she was younger (along with also battling anxiety, depression and self harm). With that, she eventually checked herself into a treatment facility at the age of 19. Her experiences are what inspired her to write and direct Parachute, which sees Yellowjackets’ Courtney Eaton play Riley, a teen girl adjusting to life after checking out of a rehab facility for an eating disorder. During our interview, Snow laid out just how she approached the topic while also honoring those who have struggled with eating disorders themselves. In her words:
I'm so glad you asked that because I think my producers wanted to wring my neck by the end of the production because I think I said pretty much every day, ‘But, is this gonna trigger anyone?' And, I think every shot that was taken into consideration, and even with the closeups of her body and how she sees other women and how she compares herself, I wanted it to really be seen, not only as a motif in a way of how we don't necessarily see ourselves as full people, I also wanted to make sure that no one was gonna be seeing a shot of something and be triggered by like, ‘Oh, why don't I have that stomach? Or why is my arm not as skinny as that?’ They were all anatomy body parts instead of full figures of anything.
At first glance, this entry on the 2024 movie schedule, which is now playing in theaters and coming to VOD this Friday, April 12, may cause those who have dealt with eating disorders themselves to step back out of fear of seeing the topic be glamorized. However, that’s most definitely not the way Brittany Snow approached her work. It’s already being praised as an honest film that examines the topic authentically whilst also serving as an endearing coming-of-age movie. It's not hard to understand why it's been lauded for such, especially considering the director's thoughtful approach. She continued:
I also really wanted to make sure that nothing was going to be seen, food or body-wise, that would be a goal in any way. And so, I worked really closely with this amazing charity that we're still working with called The Alliance For Eating Disorders, and they read the script from the beginning. We had meetings in pre-production. They were with me throughout the shooting, and now they're with me for the press for the movie coming out. And I think that I really relied on them in a lot of ways to sort of pick and choose what was important and also what was going to maybe offset someone in a negative manner, because that would be the worst part of this for me. So, there was a lot going into it to make sure that that was, that was showcased.
Brittany Snow debuted the movie at SXSW in March, and she won the film festival’s Thunderbird Rising Special Award. Additionally, Courtney Eaton earned the Special Jury Award for Performance. It goes without saying that this is a topic that's close to Snow's heart, and it's admirable that she took her time when choosing how to portray it on screen. She further explained another important element, which was informed by her experiences with other movies that explore this subject:
Because I know when I've seen movies about this subject matter in the past, and there's not many, seeing someone who had this sort of body that I looked up to was doing a disservice to the story. And so that's why Courtney's never in like revealing stuff, we just wanted to make sure, and it was very important to Courtney as well, that this was a true to form experience that I had and that nothing was going to be triggering because it was attainable.
Elsewhere in the exclusive interview, Brittany Snow spoke about how she picked Anna Kendrick’s brain on directing for her debut after they were part of the Pitch Perfect cast. She also spoke about the sweet reason why Dave Bautista played a small role in the movie. Snow and co. should be incredibly proud of the work they put in to ensure this subject was handled delicately and, now, I'm very eager to see what kind of stories she tells on film next.
Those who are interested can check out the National Alliance for Eating Disorders’ website for more information about the organization, which Brittany Snow worked closely with for Parachute.
