The Town, Marina Ambromovic, and Laying on 21 Savage’s Chest with Jean Coleman

Jean Coleman is a filmmaker and creative based in NYC. Her work spans collaborations with major art institutions like MoMA, The Met, and the Smithsonian –  as well as artists such as Marina Abramović, Madlib, Brontez Purnell and Jenny Xie.  She's currently writing a feature film script with another one in development.  

LFEO: What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Jean: Almond butter, banana, espresso.

LFEO: You write, direct, create—how do you actually develop your own work? What does your process look like?

Jean: It depends on the project/medium, but if it’s for a screenplay: get an idea I’m excited about; write; overthink; pull myself out of that spiral by calling my writing partner, Matt McAuley. I hate writing alone, but I can’t write with just anyone. I’m lucky to have Matt. 

I’m less inclined to doubt my ideas if I’m directing something for a client, because if I acted like I had no sense of purpose at work, people would be bored and annoyed. Keeping other people motivated helps keep me motivated. If I go too long without filming something, I turn to other mediums to keep me happy, because I don’t like the headspace I’m in when I’m not making things. Writing songs and poems keeps me going.

LFEO: What’s a film you return to when you feel burnt out that revives you?

Jean: “The Town” is my comfort movie, although I probably wouldn’t make anything tonally similar. The supporting cast goes crazy. Everyone is acting like they’re in a different type of movie, but it just works. Ben Affleck is a genius and he doesn’t get enough credit. Actually he gets enough credit in the real world, but I always wanted to do scenes from “The Town” in acting class and no one would do them with me.

LFEO: I feel like your influences and inspiration are so all over the place, from every possible corner of humanity—is there a common thread that ties them together?

Jean: Great question, but after a lot of thought I’d say no, there is no thread. I’d just be sad if I could only hear or watch one type of thing. Maybe my influences are more scattered than most people’s, because I bounce between communities, which is partially because I don’t belong anywhere, but also because I enjoy meeting new people.

LFEO: You recently posted poetry daily–what inspired this?

Jean: At Christmas dinner 2023 my friends Allison LaPlatney and Matt Tong told me about the poem-a-day blog they participate in every January. By the time February rolls around you feel like you got something done, so it’s a nice way to start the year. I also shared my writing on IG so more friends could read it and it would keep me accountable.

LFEO: One of your poems was about crushing on a barista that I related to, and it perfectly captured the spirit of a fantasy-cycle. Can you share that poem here if you still have it / are okay with me sharing it?

Jean: That one was actually not about a crush and more about addiction/codependency and how I automatically want the approval of the strangers who sell me coffee, for reasons I’m still working out in therapy. I have an excerpt from a different poem about crushes that I would actually prefer to share:

Celebrity Crush

This year I learned Transcendental Meditation
But I have this problem
Instead of thinking my mantra
I think about my crush
The meditation teacher told me
“Let the thoughts come and go”
I don’t like to have crushes on people I know
Because then when you sleep with them
It’s like you’ve already spent all this time together in your head
It puts you at an emotional advantage (or disadvantage)

I solved this problem by having a celebrity crush
I picked 21 Savage, because sometimes
All I really want is to put my head on a man’s stomach
Absentmindedly trace the outline
Of the Slaughter Gang tattoo on his chest
Tell him boring stories about my day
While he mumbles
“Yeah”
“On God”
“Straight up”

A guy I was seeing asked if I had a celebrity crush
I think he was trying to get a read on my physical type
I said, “Derek Jeter,” because I thought that sounded normal
This guy wanted to gather all my data
He measured my heart rate while I slept
Found scars on my body I didn’t know I had
Asked if I am in debt, want kids, and my TM mantra
I said, “no,” “I don’t know,” and “[REDACTED]”
My teacher told me under no circumstances
Do I tell anyone my mantra

LFEO: What makes you feel seen?

Jean: It’s nice being asked to answer these questions!

LFEO: What do you feel like you’re looking for in your work?

Jean: Probably to make other people feel the way I feel when I consume something that affects me. As a kid I would see or hear something I thought was interesting and then break it down or riff on that. I’m still motivated by the same impulses. I worked for Vito Acconci for a long time and he said the purpose of art is to question or subvert the status quo, which is something that drives me. He also said he hoped the future of art is its own dissolution, that it shouldn’t be its own category, but instead a methodology you can apply to anything. I like that idea too.

LFEO: What’s your favorite smell?

Jean: Depends, but right now, since I’m in front of a computer and not hungry, it would be nice to smell nature, but manicured nature, like walking through The Huntington Gardens in LA. I think I just miss LA right now, because I’m also thinking about how old houses in Los Feliz smell like bandaids.

LFEO: You’ve worked with a lot of different artists in the fine-art world, especially Marina Abramovic –I’m curious what you’ve learned from her or what you’ve taken away from those experiences?

Jean: I’m glad you asked specifically about Marina, because I don’t admire everyone I’ve worked with, but I really admire her. She’s someone I was always happy to be around at (or outside of) work. It’s hard to say what exactly I’ve taken away, though, because I couldn’t copy her charisma or style if I tried. She’s super focused, self assured without being egotistical, warm, and generous. If she can help someone, she will, regardless of their status, but is never one to put up with any shenanigans. She also seems to have work/life balance mastered, doing insanely intense performances, but knows how to properly chill out. I’ve also been thinking about Marina since getting sober, because she doesn’t drink and always knows the right time to bounce from a party, so she gets a lot done.

LFEO: How do you know when someone is a potential collaborator vs someone that might be best not getting involved in the creative process?

Jean: An ideal collaborator is competent and understands the vibe of what you’re making. The balance between those qualities can oscillate depending on how much technical experience the role requires. If I’m hiring a crew on a project, I think of it as an opportunity to work with people I admire. I also like to enjoy my day, so I work with people that I like talking to. Re: what to avoid: perhaps a good litmus test is to ask someone a straightforward, but difficult question. If they say something condescending to mask that they don’t actually know what they’re talking about, that’s probably a decent indicator that they’re going to waste your time and demoralize you. People who contradict themselves hoping to brainwash you into thinking they’re always right are hilarious, but also best kept at arm’s length, if you find yourself in the position of working with them.

LFEO: I know you’ve been getting into acting - I’m curious about your relationship to this and what pushed you to experiment with it?

Jean: I’ve always loved to perform, but I’ve only been doing it more lately because more people have asked. If I like the project and the people working on it, I always say yes.

LFEO: You were recently in a play - what did it feel like to perform on stage?

Jean: I liked feeling the audience's response in real time. You get that to a degree on a film set too, but it’s not the same, because the people on the set are also concentrating on their jobs and can’t make noise.

LFEO: Did performing in front of people shake up anything for you - like did it inspire you or change you in any way?

Jean: It motivated me to put myself out there more, but I’m still figuring out how.

LFEO: And now that you are acting - how does that relate to how you think about your own work?

Jean: Acting makes me read the room with a little more empathy when I’m back to directing. I work on small sets, so I’m usually spread thin, wearing different hats. If I have a free moment, I’ll check in on the talent, but then I noticed when I was acting I didn’t always want the director to randomly check in on me if they didn’t have a specific direction because it’s distracting. I try to be more tuned in to what people need from me now.

I was recently in a play by my friend Peter BD. He was doing everything in the production except the lighting. I’m sure he was stressed, but he’s super chill and makes everyone feel appreciated. He also writes fun, natural dialogue, so it’s easy to find your way into a character. I want to be more like Peter, energetically.

LFEO: For acting teachers - what do you think is actually the thing that brings out the best performances?

Jean: I think different people need different things. When I was a runner, my coach was hard, but never yelled and I liked that. Some people thrive with a super extra Bob Knight type coach. I did an acting class last year that I won’t name here, because I disliked the teacher’s temper, but then I took another class taught by a nicer, saner person who used the same method and I got way more out of that. That said, there were better actors than me in the class who liked the mean teacher. And Michael Jordan is obviously a better athlete than me who likes Bob Knight. 

I also just remembered a contradiction to my preference: I took a clown class taught by my friend Ed Malone, in which Ed verbally abuses all of the students. It felt supportive somehow and made me feel more comfortable bombing in front of an audience. Maybe it was that I trusted Ed’s process more than this other teacher’s, or just thought it was funny, so I wasn’t resistant.

LFEO: Is there any advice you wish someone had told you earlier in your career?

Jean: Last year my friend Dani Druz sat me down and taught me about personality disorders. If I knew about that earlier, I could have saved myself a fair amount of aggravation. I also remember Benny the Butcher saying if someone is trying to provoke you, instead of wasting energy beefing with them, turn around and say something nice to someone else. Also, regret is pointless, but it’s hard not to feel it anyway. I try to consider all of my missteps “research.”

LFEO: Do you have any rituals that prevent you from being sucked into your phone?

Jean: No, I just let it happen. I know all the metrics say it’s bad for you, but when you stop and consider the people you know who don’t have social media, most of them are dishonest, in legal trouble, or super self conscious. Or they’re your parents (or Peter BD), in which case, good for them. On the flip side, it’s essential to mitigate what goes in your brain. It’s OK to mute content that bums you out. It’s OK to block people who are unkind to you. If I catch myself looking at things that stir up negativity, I’ll examine what underlying emotions are motivating that. If I’m not in the mood for self reflection, I’ll indulge myself with bulldog videos for quick dopamine, or my brother Dusty Polanco’s guitar TikTok to feel inspired.

LFEO: What are you doing the rest of the day?

Jean: I’m going to memorize a monologue for a casting, go to the casting, and then finish answering these questions when I get home.