After years of collaborating together, husband-wife directors UT alumnus Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne released their biggest film yet in January — the musical film adaptation “Mean Girls.” The two spoke at a Q&A on campus on Tuesday about their individual and shared industry experience while offering advice for young filmmakers. Afterward, The Daily Texan spoke with them about their partnership.
The Daily Texan: How was having your significant other as your co-director supportive in getting you through those anxieties of making a film adaptation that had such a large fanbase expectation like “Mean Girls”?
Samantha Jayne: (It was) so necessary. It was so good because we had each other’s backs, and (it takes) a lot of energy to lead.
Arturo Perez Jr.: Also, just reminding each other that it’s not what other people say (was beneficial). It’s like, ‘Do we like it? Does this make us giggle? Is this good?’ If it is, then it is.
DT: What’s your advice for young filmmakers who don’t have that same level of support entering the industry?
AP: I didn’t have that when I was a student here. I didn’t find Sam until I was 29.
SJ: You did like to cruise and everything, you liked to work with your friends. Find people that you trust and whose tastes you trust, and if they’re not in the industry, share it with them or work with them.
AP: Yeah, I’m gonna work with three UT alumni on the next one. The DP (Director of Photography) is Drew Daniels, who is one of the top five most sought-after young DPs in the world. We did our films together. He did our first narrative short. Rick Diaz is another, and Hillary Andujar, who went to school here, they’re gonna be the production designers. So you keep those relationships. Make filmmaker friends and make movies together.
DT: Arturo, was there a specific experience you had at UT that was most influential for you?
AP: Experiencing life here. I learned how to learn here, and that taught me what to look out for. I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker, and this place taught me how to learn how to be a filmmaker.
DT: How will you try to carry your unique tastes into future projects the way “Mean Girls (2024)” did by combining Samantha’s comedic style and Arturo’s music video background?
AP: (In) everything we do, we have a sense of rhythm and musicality. The next (film we’re doing) is called “10 Days in Tulum,” and it’s gonna be wall-to-wall music, but it might not be like a traditional musical. There’s going to be areas where we’re going to try to mess it up a little bit.
SJ: If you have a style that you love, you can’t help but do it in that kind of way because it’s what feels delicious to you. I feel like we’ll always have our style.
