Brea Grant is an actress, director, screenplay and comic book writer, who is best know for her role as Daphne Millbrook – the spunky heroine with super speed on Heroes. Brea took some time to speak with AfterEllen.com about her upcoming guest-starring role on the LOGO webseries Eastsiders, and her other exciting projects currently in the works.
AfterEllen: You are guest staring in an upcoming episode of the Logo webseries, Eastsiders, which focuses on a gay couple, Tom and Cal, who are in a long term relationship, and the man that comes between them, Jeremy. You play Jeremy’s sister Bri, who is a lesbian with a young family, who seems to have it pretty much together. I’ve watched the series and it’s a pretty raw and realistic look at commitment (or lack thereof) and modern relationships. I loved the choice of Jeremy also having a gay sibling. What would you like our readers to know about your character and the series itself?
Brea Grant: The series is amazing and everyone should be watching it. Go. Now. Tell your friends.
It really is a great example of the amazing risk-taking content on the web. It’s great that Kit decided there was a lack of gay web content that spoke to the particular things he wanted to talk about and just created his own. And he did a really great job!
Like you said, my character has a good head on her shoulders and has made good decisions (unlike some of the other characters on the show). You can see the juxtaposition between her and the characters who are sort of floating around, not knowing what they are doing with their lives (which is fine – no judgment). She’s in a loving relationship and has kids. When Kit described her to me, he said she was a “busy lesbian” and I feel like most people completely understand that phrase.
AE: Many of our readers know you from your roles on Heroes and Dexter, but you are also a comic book writer along with your brother, Zane. Your comic, We Will Bury You, is about a lesbian couple in the 1920’s navigating their way through a zombie plague. How did the two of you come up with this idea? What was the response in the comic book community?
BG:We both are history fans and particularly love that time period. With a comic set in the 1920s, when there was a huge change in gender dynamics with flappers, feminism, and a focus on female sexuality, what better protagonists could you have than a lesbian couple? We got to explore both their relationship and their individual relationships to the time period. And we really made an effort to make it not about their lesbianism and more about their love for each other during a dark time (a zombie outbreak).
The response to WWBY continues to be great! It was just a four issue mini series but we would love to continue their story one day.
AE: Last year you launched a very successful Kickstarter campaign to fund post- production on the awesome apocalyptic roadtrip movie, Best Friends Forever. BFF was also an official Slamdance selection, congrats! You directed the film and also star in it alongside Vera Miao. What can you tell us about the film and how can fans see it for themselves?
BG: BFF was my first adventure behind the camera. It was great and we’ve had a great response from people. Vera and I really wanted to write a movie about female friendship in a realistic way…that happened to be set during a nuclear strike on the U.S. It combines the things we love – funny women and science fiction. It’s been a crazy process and we’ve done it all in a very, very indie lo-fi way (like raising money via Kickstarter and hiring our friends like Kit Williamson) while still maintaining things we love (like shooting on film).
And here’s my shameless director plug — BFF is at various festivals (London and LA this month). Check the website for the latest. It will be available on VOD (Amazon, iTunes and various cable providers) at the beginning of July. People can also it bring it to their hometowns through Tugg, which is basically crowd funding for theatrical release. Check out the website for the film for all the updates.
AE: There seems to be a thread of sci-fi, dystopian societies in your art and projects. Is that just coincidence, or is there something about that genre that really appeals to you?
BG: Those are themes I’m drawn to in both the media I consume and my creative ideas. I don’t know why my brain wants to create on such dark themes, but I think I bring some levity to them. I also think that that particular genre allows us to explore bigger social themes, constructs and ideas without being heavy handed. We can play with big issues because when the world is ending, you really realize what is important to you. You can also watch society break down. You watch people change their ideas very quickly. I love that.
AE:Your new film Detour just came out last month and is available VOD. What other projects would you like our readers to know about?
BG: Everyone should check out Detour as soon as possible. It’s incredible for anyone who likes disaster thrillers. And in July, they should check out Best Friends Forever.
I’ll be a guest star on IFC’s Maron (which premieres soon) and everyone can always find my latest news on Twitter. (@breagrant)
You can check out Brea’s episode of Eastsiders, premiering on Tuesday, May 7 at 4 pm and catch up on previous episodes at LogoTV.com.
