Numb (2024)

I jumped at the chance to work with Ira Irvani again, this time on his MFA thesis. In a departure from his period piece “Birds of Paradise,” “Numb” is based largely on Ira’s experience as a competitive swimmer.

Is there room for caring in competition? Ira explores the natural tension between team and personal success through a series of evaluations, confrontations, and races. I play Celine, a water polo player recovering from a career ending shoulder injury, searching for her place.

One of the coolest things about this piece was working with underwater rigs. Ira sourced cages, weights, floats, and go pros galore, and Elaine Caton, our DP, was submerged, towed, and thrown more than a toddler on spring break. Jon Boo had the herculean task of capturing sound on the pool deck. Everyone’s lats grew 2 centimeters that week.

This film is under wraps until its early summer premiere, but enjoy some BTS shots (and one embarrassing swan dive) in the meantime.