Rosalind Ross is making her directorial debut with Mark Walhberg’s passion project Father Stu, which hits theaters on April 13th. Ross is not only the director but the writer of the film, which tells the true story of Stuart Long, an injured boxer who moves to Los Angeles to become an actor. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Sunday school teacher Carmen (Teresa Ruiz) and starts going to church to impress her. However, a motorcycle accident leads him to the surprising realization that he’s meant to be a Catholic priest.HOLA! USA had the opportunity to talk to Ross about her experience directing the film, how it was working with Wahlberg, and her long-time partner Mel Gibson.
So I know this is Mark’s passion project. I mean, six years in the making. Tell me how Father Stu came into your life and how you ended up writing and directing it.
Well, I had written two other scripts for him and one of which he was also a producer on, so we have a writer and actor rapport, and I really enjoyed writing characters for him. And he just called me out of the blue one day and pitched me this story and asked if I was available and would be interested in writing it. I’m not sure what it was in his life at the time that prompted him to resurrect the project but I was very flattered by his offer and it took me a minute to figure out if it was something I could write or, want to write. But once I did, I was all in, and gosh, one of the better decisions I’ve made, I think.
And did you know right away that you were in line to direct it? Or how did it go from writer to director?
No, I had no idea. I assumed that I was writing it and that, you know, we would then go try to find a great director because I knew this was his baby, his passion project. And I was sure that he would wanna go to, a very short list of filmmakers with it. But I turned it into him and I can’t remember if it was the same day or like a day later, he called me and said, ‘you know, I think you should direct it. I can’t think of anyone better.’ And I was like ‘really, I think I can think of like 150 people.’ But I had shared with him my aspirations to direct, you know, over the years I’ve known him so maybe it was in the back of his mind, but he certainly didn’t tell me until he made the offer.
How long was the writing process?
Maybe seven to nine months, you know I was sort of going through the development notes process with Mark and the producing partner, Steve Levenson and I don’t think we did too many drafts but once it came together with financing and everything, I continued to refine it. In fact, I was continuing to rewrite scenes up until the day we were shooting. It didn’t make Mark too happy but we got by.
