Michaela Watkins To Star In Jessica Sanders’ Improvised Indie Comedy ‘I Want To Feel Fun’

Filming has wrapped on Jessica Sanders' new indie comedy I Want to Feel Fun, with Michaela Watkins leading the cast.

Watkins, known for her work on Hacks, headlines the improvised feature. The film grew out of Sanders' short of the same name, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival last year.

A short film becomes a feature

The project takes its story from Sanders' earlier short. That version screened at Tribeca in 2023 before the director expanded the idea into a full-length movie.

The feature keeps the same title and builds on the tone Sanders set with the original.

Who else is in the cast

Watkins is joined by a large ensemble. Avi Rothman, Lilah Pate, Vivian Bang, Dave Merheje and Kiran Deol all appear in the film.

Zainne Saleh, Finn Harry, Andrew Key and Gene Kang round out the cast.

The movie mixes professional actors with everyday people, blending trained performers and non-actors in the same frame.

Photo: deadline.com

An improvised approach

I Want to Feel Fun is built on improvisation rather than a tightly scripted format. That method gives the actors room to shape scenes as they go.

Combining working actors with people who don't perform for a living is a technique some independent filmmakers use to give a movie a more natural feel. It can be a way to keep dialogue loose and unpolished.

What comes next

With production now complete, attention turns to post-production and the film's eventual release. No festival dates or distribution plans have been announced.

Watkins remains one of the more visible names attached to the project, and her role on Hacks has kept her in front of a wide audience in recent years.

The path from a Tribeca short to a completed feature has now reached its next stage for Sanders and her cast.

Source: Deadline