Recovering from addiction is is a rigorous physical and emotional journey for not only the person who’s contending with the condition, but also their families and communities. That’s certainly the case for up-and-coming actress Katie Kelly’s young protagonist of Kristen in the upcoming drama, ‘Sno Babies.’ The movie grippingly shows how easy it can be for people to miss the signs of addiction, especially in teenagers like Kristen who have an otherwise promising future and the support of their successful families, and live in prominent middle-class suburban towns.
Bridget Smith made her feature film directorial and editing debuts with ‘Sno Babies,’ which emotionally chronicles the grim realities of addiction and its effects on everyone it touches, both directly and indirectly. The drama is also the first feature for Better Noise Films, a new venture from entertainment mogul Allen Kovac. He served as one of the producers on the movie, alongside the drama’s writer, Mike Walsh, and actor Michael Lombardi. Better Noise Films is releasing the movie this Tuesday, September 29, On Demand and Digital, including iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play and FandangoNOW.
Better Noise Music has released the soundtrack for ‘Sno Babies,’ which features some of today’s biggest rock artists. The soundtrack includes the song, ‘Maybe It’s Time,’ which is a collaboration from SIXX:A.M. Presents: Artists For Recovery, and features Corey Taylor, Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, AWOLNATION and Tommy Vext. All artist royalties from the soundtrack and the song, and every sale and stream of the film, are being donated to The Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI), the first and only national community foundation that’s dedicated to funding support services for people in early recovery from substance use disorders. Better Noise Music will match those contributions.
‘Sno Babies’ follows high school best friends, Kristen and Hannah (Kelly and Paola Andino), who seem like they’re living the American dream, and have everything they need to succeed in life-good grades, popularity amongst their classmates and successful parents who can offer them whatever they need in their nice, middle-class neighborhoods. However, no one in the friends’ families realize that they’ve become addicted to heroin, and can no longer handle the struggles of high school without the drug. While Kristen eventually decides to become clean after she discovers she’s pregnant-another secret she’s afraid to share with her parents-her path to recovery is well-meaning, but ultimately put into jeopardy, as she’s unable to handle the stress on her own.
While Kristen struggles to overcome her addiction, one of her mother’s clients at the real estate company where she works, Matt (Lombardi), is also emotionally contemplating what to do next with his life. His sister is continuously encouraging him to agree to sell the last of their late father’s business properties in a deal that they can’t refuse, so that he can provide a more stable life for his wife, with whom he’s trying to have a baby. The characters’ internal battles of how to best deal with the conflicts in their respective lives offers a gripping and emotional look into how people in drastically different situations still battle with the same internal uncertainly about how they can overcome their problems.
Smith, Kelly and Lombardi generously took the time recently to talk about directing, starring in and producing ‘Sno Babies’ during individual exclusive phone interviews. Among other things, the helmer-editor, actress and actor-producer discussed what it was about Walsh’s script that drew them to bring Kristen’s story of her struggle with heroin addition to the screen. The trio also emphasized the importance of depicting the realities of addiction and its lasting effects on everyone it touches, and how easy it can be to both hide and miss the signs of addiction, in the drama.
The conversation with Smith began with her explaining why she decided to make her feature film directorial debut with ‘Sno Babies,’ including what it was about the screenplay that convinced her to become attached to the project. “I was incredibly honored when Mike Walsh asked me to direct his script. From the moment I read it, it was such a powerful story. From the deepest part of me, I thought it was a story that needed to be told. For me, that’s a dream. With the whole opioid crisis going on, there was no better time to tell this story,” she shared.
“I found the characters to be so rich and complex. I started out being drawn to it because of the story and characters, and thought it was just so powerful,” the filmmaker shared. “With this film, I was determined to raise awareness about, and open people’s eyes to, the crisis, and bring a little compassion to those who are impacted by it.”
Smith also discussed the process of casting the movie, and mentioned that she cast the characters in the drama herself. “I was relentless about finding” the right actress to play the role of Kristen. I knew the film would live and die on Kristen. I went through thousands of tapes, and believe it or not, Katie Kelly actually submitted for the role of Hannah,” she revealed.
“At the time, we were negotiation the role of Kristen with a ‘name talent,’ and going back and forth with her agent. Then lo and behold, Katie came in to audition for the role of Hannah. I picked my top 10 choices out of the girls who were auditioning for Hannah and put them on a tape,” the director shared. “I sat down with my producer, and put the tape on a screen, and we separately made notes about what we thought.
“When Katie’s audition came up, he and I looked at each other, and we both said, ‘Kristen’ at the exact same time,” Smith revealed. “I was tortured after that, because like I said, we were going back and forth with another actress for Kristen, but I just had Katie on the brain. Weeks went by, and I was tortured. Finally, I went to my producer and said, ‘I love Katie, and have a good feeling about her. My gut is telling me she’s Kristen.’ He was like, ‘We have to go with that. You’re right; let’s go with your gut.’
“During those three weeks, Katie wrote me a letter about what this opportunity to be a part of this film would mean to her. She didn’t know that the whole time, I was really looking at her for Kristen,” the filmmaker added.
“For her callback, I sent her the script. So I actually said, ‘You have the script, so why don’t you show me what you can do? You pick the scenes that you want to show me.’ She came back and showed me the four most gut-wrenching scenes in the entire film. I had the utmost respect and love for her to take that risk,” Smith revealed.
“From that point on, our relationship was unbelievable. We’ve been attached at the hip ever since. We were in constant communication,” the filmmaker added. “She’s like a little sister to me. When you work that intimately, you build a bond and a trust, and that doesn’t disappear when the film ends. So we have a pretty special relationship because of this experience. I think she’s brilliant.”
Lombardi began his interview by explaining why he was drawn to become attached to ‘Sno Babies,’ as both an actor and producer. “I got the script from my manager and read it, and really liked it. I thought it was something that I hadn’t seen before. This crisis over addiction isn’t talked about a ton, and not many films have depicted it in a proper way,” he pointed out.
“This great family is working so hard; the daughter is studying so hard for the SATs, and her mother and father want the best for her, but they don’t know what she’s involved in up in her bedroom. It’s not because they don’t care; it’s more because they’re so busy with life,” Lombardi divulged.
“I liked that the story touched on that, because there are so many people who say, ‘Addiction isn’t me, and won’t affect my family; it affects the homeless person on the side of the road.’ That’s what I really liked about the storyline,” the actor also shared.
“Then, when I was working on the part, and started to learn more about this horrible crisis, I wanted to become more involved. I’ve been a friend of Allen Kovac, who works at Better Noise Entertainment, for awhile, and we talked about making a movie together for awhile,” Lombardi also shared. “He has so much going on, and Better Noise Entertainment is such a big company worldwide.
“But I was able to have a dinner with Allen and Nikki Sixx. They were talking about how close they hold this crisis to their hearts, and how they’re both part of the global recovery initiative,” the producer shared. “I told them how I was working on this film, and how it couldn’t have been a coincidence.
“So Allen and I continued our dialogue for a long time. I went to his home, and we talked over many meetings. He then came on board this film, and became the main producer. This became the first movie from Better Noise Films,” Lombardi also divulged.
“Through our friendship and partnership on this movie, I learned a lot about this crisis. I learned so much about the epidemic from what Allen does. He then did a series of pick-up shots and re-shoots, and added a lot of important messages to the film about what his mission is in saving lives,” the producer shared.
“I always felt the film would stir conversation, but I think Allen lead it into a conversation of recovery. So that helped convince me to become a producer on the film, as well. So I was initially intrigued by the story, and then my role in the production became much more involved,” Lombardi noted.
“As an actor, I was intrigued by the story, the characters and the friendship between the two girls as they go through this journey. But it actually wasn’t until I was a producer that I really began to learn how terrible this crisis is, as well as its severity,” the producer added.
The conversation with Kelly began with her explaining what it was about the character of Kristen, as well as the script, that convinced her to take on the role, and how she became attached to the film. “I actually became attached to the film back in 2017, so it’s been a minute. I’m so glad that it’s finally coming out!,” she exclaimed.
“When I was initially became involved in the film, I was attached to play the secondary character of Hannah; she’s who I auditioned for originally. I was really excited about the Hannah role, and passionate about the audition process,” the actress revealed. “I hadn’t read the whole script yet, but the audition scenes that I received for the character of Hannah were intriguing. So I was very excited” about the prospect of starring in the drama.
“After I read the part of Hannah, several weeks went by, and then to my surprise, I got a call from Bridget Smith, the director. She basically told me that ever since my audition for Hannah, she couldn’t help but picture me as Kristen, which was completely game-changing for me, because Kristen carries the entire film,” Kelly pointed out.
“After I initially read the entire script, which was written incredibly well by Michael Walsh, I read it two or three times more times, back-to-back; it was a page-turner. I liked Kristen’s full character arc, and thought it would be such an amazing opportunity for me, so there was no way that I could say no,” the actress revealed. “After talking to Bridget, and hearing how much she trusted me with it, it was obviously the right decision. It was incredible that she did trust me with it, and let me bring Kristen to life.”
Further speaking of collaborating with Smith as the director of ‘Sno Babies,’ Kelly continued to gush about the filmmaker’s work. “Bridget was in charge of the set; she knew exactly what she wanted, and was so helpful to me. So working with her was a once-in-a-life experience. She’s such an incredible director, and has such a clear vision. So having a director who knew exactly what she wanted helped me as an actress,” she noted.
“With every single scene, no matter how big or small it was, Bridget knew the who, what, where, when and why of the situation, and knew the motivation of every character. Bridget really thought out every case scenario for every single scene. So working with her was an amazing opportunity,” the actress continued.
“I hope that I get to work with her over and over again, because we worked so well together. Even though the film wrapped two-and-a-half years ago, Bridget and I still talk on the phone every single day; we’re like sisters,” Kelly added with a hint of a laugh. “When you live through an experience like that with someone else, the bond doesn’t go away; it stays for life. I loved working with Bridget, and she couldn’t have been a better director, and I’m so thankful for her.”
Much like his co-star, Lombardi also embraced the experience of working with Smith as the helmer on the movie. “You couldn’t find someone who wanted to tell this story more than Bridget. This is something that she was a part of for a long time before she hit the screen. Her passion and intelligence on the matter, and the angles on which she took to tell the story, were very well thought out and clear. She knew exactly what she wanted,” he gushed.
“As a director, Bridget’s unbelievably nurturing to, close with and supportive of, her actors, which allowed us to play within the scenes. I think both Katie Kelly and Paola Andino are incredible, and that’s because our director created that for them,” the actor continued.
“Bridget certainly knew the writing, and she came to the set having done her research, and was totally prepared. With that kind of foundation, and the way that she spoke with all of her actors before we arrived on the set, the table was really set nicely for everyone,” Lombardi added.
The actor further praised his co-stars by noting the close friendship that Kelly and Andino also formed in real life. “Having that support system helped them on their journey. I didn’t have a lot of scenes with them, but I hung out with them on set, and saw some of their absolutely incredible work,” he shared. “My storyline weaves in and out of, and also parallels with, theirs. So we weren’t on set a lot together, but when we were, it was fantastic.”
Lombardi further applauded Kelly and Andino by saying, “I was very proud of them both. To see their work when I was in scenes with them, and witness what they were bringing when I was there with them, was amazing. Their commitment and work ethic was amazing; they were dedicated…I really respected their dedication to their characters and the story. When I saw the film, I was blown away by both of them.”
The lead actress proved her dedication to her character of Kristen by doing some of her own research into the realities of addiction before production on the film began. “Before filming, I read every article I could get my hands on, and watched every documentary and movie that involved addiction that I could,” she shared.
“One of the things that I read was that overdoses kill more Americans than car crashes and homicides combined. That’s an unbelievable statistic,” Kelly proclaimed. “The more I researched, the more I realized how much of an issue this is, and how much it gets swept under the rug. I hope that with this film, we can start having more conversations, and bring more awareness to this epidemic.”
Smith also did some of her own research into the realities of addiction after she read the screenplay. “I began general research, so that I could educate myself about the opioid crisis. I eventually ended up meeting with families that lost loved ones, as well as survivors, recovering addicts, and experts, and it became more and more personal to me,” she shared.
“So for me, as a director, I realized that the story had to be powered by the stories of the people who have lived in this world. It became like a movement, honestly,” the filmmaker admitted.
“There’s a certain level of authenticity that I needed to bring to the story. I had to get every detail right, because otherwise, I would do an injustice to these people and their stories,” Smith continued.
After doing her research into the drug epidemic, Kelly also noted that it’s important for a movie like ‘Sno Babies’ to depict the grim realities of addiction and its effects on middle-class American. She also stated that it’s vital for this type of film to shows how easy it can be to both miss and hide the signs of addiction behind the façade of good neighborhoods.
“That’s a major point of the script that made me want to become attached to it. It importantly sheds light on the realities of addiction, and exposes the fact that addiction doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter where you come from, how old you are, what race you are or how much money you have; addiction is a disease that doesn’t discriminate,” the actress emphasized.
“I find it to be very important that we get that message out. I really hope that when people watch the movie, it sticks, and resonates, with them, and they realize that addiction doesn’t just target a stereotypical person,” Kelly added. “Anyone can be struggling with addiction.”
The director agreed with the actress on the fact that it’s important for a movie like ‘Sno Babies’ to depict the grim realities of addiction and its effects on middle-class America. “The fact that addiction doesn’t discriminate is the ultimate message. What’s so important about that is that people have a way of saying, ‘That can’t, and won’t, happen to me,'” she pointed out.
“I’ve had people tell me, ‘My child’s in a private school, and I work full-time.’ But I think if their children are in private school, the odds of them getting drugs are just as great as, or greater than, if they were in a public school,” Smith added. “People have such a way of convincing themselves that (addiction) can’t happen to them.
“So by creating characters like Kristen and Hannah, (viewers can see that) Kristen’s addiction started with an Oxy pill, and she quickly spiraled downhill. But you can’t look at Kristen and write her off as damaged because she doesn’t have parental guidance,” the filmmaker insisted.
“Kristen’s a girl who comes from a two-parent home in what I consider to be a very typical upper-middle class neighborhood suburban community. Her parents love her, but they’re busy working. She’s also in AP classes, and a great big sister. (On the surface,) (s)he’s a daughter that everyone would be thriller to have, but she’s also (secretly) a heroin addict. So I think they’re representative of many typical families in our society,” Smith declared. “This is a very real situation, and there are millions of Kristens out there. That, to me, makes this story even more powerful.”
Lombardi also shared Smith and Kelly’s sentiment that it’s important for a film like ‘Sno Babies’ to depict the grim realities of addiction and its effects on middle-class America. “There are so many more people than you think who have recovered, or are in recovery, or have been affected by this. Every time I talk about this film and its subject matter, there’s someone who talks about how they were, or a friend of theirs was, affected.
“You may think that this movie is Hollywooded up, for a lack of a better term, and it might not be real. But it’s a real journey that’s dark at times, and I don’t think this subject matter can be told in any other way,” the producer noted. “I think there are a lot more people who will see this film, and want to start the conversation. This film proves that this can happen to anyone, and that’s what appealed to me.” He continued, “Another thing I wanted to add, which should be included in the conversation, is that people can recover, and they can go on to do great things in life.”
With Kristen continuously battles with her addiction throughout the drama, Kelly also immersed herself in the process of creating her physicality, to showcase how her character’s physically battling her addiction. “I pulled a lot of the physicality that I had in the film from the extensive research I did for the character, including how people physically respond to their heroin addiction. So as an actress, I did have a lot of references to pull from, and that really helped my performance. I also spoke to a lot of people who are recovering addicts, and that really helped my performance.
“As far as being able to go to those really dark places, I had the support of my mom; she was there with me on set the whole time we were filming,” the actress also divulged. “Having my mom on set with me really gave me a safe place, and made me feel as though I had the freedom to pull those dark performances out of me.” She added, “Like I said before, Bridget really trusted me, so the set really did feel like a safe place. Everything felt organic.
“So it was really exciting to see how everything translated onto film,” the actress added. “Seeing the final product was so rewarding. This film was a tough watch, but it’s also a very important watch,” she noted. “I hope that the people who see it understand that, because it is very heavy right from the beginning. But it’s such an important message that I hope that conversations start because of it.”
Smith gushed about Kelly’s ability to physically transform herself while portraying the troubled teen proagonist on screen. “If you look at addicts like Kristen, they don’t sit still. So in order to embody that, there was a certain freedom that I had to give her. So it was important to me that she had a safe place to physically develop that part of the character. Katie did that so beautifully.”
The helmer added that “When Katie was in that place, she would jump up, scratch, pace or hit a wall. I had to create an environment where she had the freedom to do that, and we would follow her.”
In addition to enjoying the process of working with Smith, Kelly also cherished the opportunity she had to work with her fellow actors on the set. “I had such amazing co-stars in this film!,” she exclaimed with a laugh. “Michael Lombardi is such a force! His character stands as a moral compass in the film.
“As far as really building the connections with the other actors, it really came down to the time we spent working together before production started,” the actress noted. “You really have to talk to them about character work, and have important conversations. It’s more than just being friends with your co-stars; you really have to dive into these intense topics with them, so that you’re in the same space together while shooting your scenes. Obviously, you want whoever you’re working with to give 110 percent, and you have to do the same.
“In my experience, every single person who worked on this film felt like family. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t click; everyone became so close by the end of production, due to the content of the film,” Kelly added. “Everything went perfectly, and everything was smooth sailing.”
Once the actors were cast, Smith also enjoyed the process of working with them to build their characters’ backstories throughout the production, even though they didn’t have a traditional rehearsal time together. “I felt very fortunate to work with these actors…The truth of the matter is, I didn’t have the luxury of having rehearsals…I was able to meet everybody, but sometimes I was lucky to get even 20 minutes to rehearse a scene before we shot them. There was a lot of pressure in that, but there was also a lot of beauty in that,” she confessed. “Everybody came to the table unbelievably prepared….Therefore, when we hit the set, it gave us the ability to play a little.
“The style that I approached this film with allowed us to live in the film, and my hope is that people won’t be able to look away as a result of that. Creating that raw feeling gave me a creative freedom with the actors, especially with Katie,” the filmmaker shared.
The experience of shooting the movie on location in Pennsylvania was also one that Kelly cherished. “I can’t image shooting this movie on a studio set. With the topics we tackle, and the things that we show, it was really important for me, as an actress, to see them play out right in front of my face.
“Before we began filming, we went on a weekend night to a part of Kensington where a lot of drugs are sold, and drug deals were happening right in front of our faces,” the actress revealed. “We actually ended up filming there one night, so it was really eye-opening to see that all happening.
“Being in that environment helped us feel as though we really were these characters, which is really important when you’re making a movie like this. I whole-heartedly felt as though I was Kristen, and living in this hell that she was living in. Being on location really helped with that, and made it feel so authentic and realistic. I don’t know if we would have gotten the same experience if we filmed on a set,” Kelly concluded.
Lombardi also appreciated the fact that ‘Sno Babies’ was shot on location. “I liked that they decided to shoot the film around the Philadelphia area. When I first looked, I was like, ‘Oh, a Philadelphia-born film, cool.’ I hadn’t made a film there before this one, but wanted to shoot there.”
Another thing that the filmmakers appreciated is the fact that Better Noise Entertainment and the GRI are partnering to donate a portion of the project’s profit. Smith feels it was important for the drama’s distributor to partner with GRI to support people working to reach recovery.
“What a blessing Better Noise Films and Better Noise Music decided to do this,” the director gushed. “They brought a whole other level to this film with the songs. The generosity of the artists to donate their time, effort and music to support this cause is amazing.
“I’m a lover of music and film; they have such an emotional impact on people. The music completes everything, and is another character in the film,” Smith added. “I’m in love with every single one of these songs. Every time the studio sent over a new song, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. On top of that, it doesn’t get any better that they’re donating all of the profits to charity.”
Lombardi also cherishes the work that Better Noise Entertainment and the GRI are doing to help people who are struggling with addiction, and are working toward their recovery. The actor-producer followed up on his experience of working with Kovac, especially on this aspect of the movie. “Allen holds this so close to his heart, and has such a voice and presence in this journey. He puts his money and time into this. Better Noise Films is giving money, including all profits from the film, to the Global Recovery Fund,” he shared.
“The soundtrack is also amazing. Allen has his label (Eleven Seven Label Group), as well as the music and film companies. So through his entertainment company, he’s been able to bring everything, including the music’s lyrical and visual stories, as well as the film’s story, together,” Lombardi divulged.
“The movie’s soundtrack is so amazing, and it supports the narrative and characters so well. There are so many incredible artists that we were so lucky to get; I don’t think any other small indie movie would be so lucky to bring in this caliber of musicians,” the performer continued.
“All of the artists who have become part of this soundtrack also hold this crisis so close to their hearts, and each and every one of them have been affected by it,” Lombardi also shared. “The artists’ royalties from the soundtrack are also being donated to GRI, and Better Noise Films is matching those contributions.”
The actor-producer also supports the fact that Better Noise Films decided to release ‘Sno Babies’ on Digital and On Demand. “Obviously, this was an easy answer with what we’re up against with COVID. We wouldn’t necessarily be in better shoes if we also had a theatrical release,” he noted.
Regardless of the distribution model that Better Noise Films choose for the drama, Lombardi still thinks that Kovac and the distributor have created such an important message with the film that it will still reach and affect audiences. “The mission behind the movie is to save lives, tell a story and start a conversation about this crisis, rather than hide it, which is so important. Allen’s going to drive people to see this film through the soundtrack and all his platforms,” the performer gushed.
“Being a film with such an important message, I feel like those platforms are incredible for us, because everyone can see the film. With people now staying home, there are more subscriptions than ever to these platforms. So I think this release model is great for us,” Lombardi added.
Smith also agrees with Better Noise Films’ decision to release ‘Sno Babies’ on Digital and On Demand. “With the COVID crisis going on right now, I think Digital was the right way to go. If we weren’t in the COVID crisis, there probably would have been a different route, but right now, this was the way to go.
“More people are home, and watching movies online. The more eyes we can get on this film, the better…With September being National Recovery Month, the timing just seemed right to release the film right now,” even though a theatrical distribution to accompany the digital release was forgoed, Smith the helmer noted.
“Speaking of the COVID crisis, there’s never been a greater need to release this type of film. The overdose rate is going up. Everything that people are being instructed to do during COVID is the polar opposite of what someone who’s in recovery is being told to do. The last thing you want to do is seclude yourself, and not have contact with people,” Smith pointed out. “So I can’t think of a better time to release this movie.”