In this interview, director Spencer Wardwell and director/star Dylan Wardwell discuss their Sundance-selected short film Sweet Talkin’ Guy.

How does it feel to be selected for Sundance?

S: Without hyperbole, it’s a dream come true. Of course, when anybody makes a short or feature — their hope is to get into Sundance. Getting the call, then being able to immediately call up my sister (interrupting her dinner, and demanding she call me back for “not an emergency, but something very urgent”) was surreal. It still hasn’t hit. I don’t think it will until I’m driving back from Utah.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during pre-production, filming, or post-production of this film?

S: I know you’re not supposed to say this when making a film, as I know how much of a struggle it can often be — however, this production went relatively smoothly. We had a wonderful team of collaborators who were all so dedicated, talented, and flexible that they made any challenges that arose seem minor. Other than, of course, the budget. Making movies at any scale, at any level, is expensive and always exceeds expectations.

What is your approach to working with actors to elicit strong performances?

S: Luckily, going into this, I had a great relationship with all the actors (not just my sister) before filming, which helped. It also helped that everybody was so talented — even those who were first time actors (Dylan and Pierce) came with an amazing comfortability in front of camera, which I was surprised by, but should have expected given their experience as models.

In general, I take a “less is more” approach and trust the actors to do their thing.

What is your vision for this particular film project, and what are the key themes you want to explore?

S: Dylan and I really wanted to make sure this film would broadly resonate with audiences. Sadly I’m sure many people have been on either side of this equation to some degree, and maybe didn’t even realize. We hope people will either find comfort in its humor and relatability, or treat it as an opportunity for self-reflection — depending on which character you identify with.

What would you like viewers to take away from the film?

S: I think it’ll land differently for different people, which is great. Some might feel comforted, others embarrassed, others indignant. Hopefully some reflect on their past experiences and see them in a new light — or allow it to shade future interactions. No matter what, the goal is anything but indifference.

What is next for you?

S: I was fortunate to option two feature scripts in 2024, a first (and second) for me — either of those moving to production would be wonderful.

However, most exciting right now is the feature script I wrote from Dylan’s original idea, that we would co-direct together, as we did “Sweet Talkin’ Guy”. It would be great to create more as a team and continue to explore similar themes with similar characters as our short does.

How much of the script was inspired from your own experiences?

D: Honestly all of the film was inspired by things men have said to me. It happens a lot that a man wants to shoot his shot at taking me home at the same time he’s terribly fumbling through this novel, scary and exciting experience which, for me, is totally mundane. The idea came all at once as a man gave me the same monologue I’ve heard before for such a long uninterrupted amount of time that I couldn’t help but laugh.

The script cleverly has men saying the same things to sweet talk you, what inspired this idea?

D: The juxtaposition of a man trying to take me home while simultaneously telling me none of his friends or family can ever know about our tryst is very funny to me. The thought that a random man’s identity takes up any space in my brain is delusion-ally self important, sad, and funny. It’s like watching someone try to juggle with zero experience juggling.

How did your collaboration with Spencer come about?

D: We’re siblings! I admire Spencer’s eye and experience and we align on most things in terms of taste. This has been a goal of ours for years and I’m so happy we’re about to debut at Sundance together. Wouldn’t want it any other way.

Whilst the film stars a trans woman, the subject is universal to anyone who is dating. Is this something you set out to do? 

D: Universal resonance is now and will always be my goal. I find work is most interesting when it’s relatable and accessible to the largest audience possible but built through one specific lens/worldview that is real to a creator.

What would you like viewers to take away from the film?

D: Sometimes it’s not that serious. You have to laugh and get yours.

What is next for you?

D: More collaborations with Spencer. We have a feature we’re looking for funding for, that is tonally very different but revolving around similar themes.

SWEET TALKIN’ GUY will screen at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in Short Film Program 4 — premiering on January 25 at 9pm MST. Find more information here.