DISCLAIMER:
The following output was transcribed from our audio recording.
Although the transcription is largely accurate, it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.
It is posted to aid in understanding the interview but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
Christian Brescia 00:00
Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of Mondays have Mindy. Hello and good morning Mindy.
Mindy Cohn 00:07
Hello and good morning Christian. Today we are going to gab with costume designer extraordinaire. Christina spiridakis. Christina is Emmy nominated and received her BFA and apparel design from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design in 2002. And has worked her way up to learn every part of her craft, with a career ranging from TV series to small independent films to major motion pictures. She has experienced costume design at every budget level, and enjoys the challenging and problem solving skills each project presents but most of all, enjoys building characters and using clothing as a means of visual storytelling. Christina built her career as the assistant costume designer on shows such as Saturday Night Live, Mr. Robot, Orange is the New Black limitless, and Ang Lee's Gemini man, I met and had the privilege of working with her when she was the lead costume designer for an indie film called a nice scar like you. From that film. She went on to do many more projects, including designer for the HBO series high maintenance, and most recently, she was the costume designer for the FX pilot the bear. Season Two of HBO is critically acclaimed series Betty, as well as the series dashing Lily for Netflix, for which she received a Daytime Emmy nomination. She is currently in New Orleans shooting her latest project, but she's actually based in New York City, but she will be there for the next six months, shooting the reboot of queers folk.
Christian Brescia 01:35
Wow, amazing. I am excited to meet her and get to know her Ladies and gentlemen, we're excited to have her on the show. Christina spiridakis...!
Cristina Spiridakis 01:46
You told me the moment it was gonna turn on and I
Mindy Cohn 01:51
love that. Yes. Gorgeous.
Cristina Spiridakis 01:54
I feel like that's a introduction to me as a person. That's it. That's pretty much
Mindy Cohn 02:00
Oh, thank god and thank God for you, girl. So we're gonna do a deep dive as we always do. And Christian, I came up with 20 questions, I pull five, we just start gabbing. And then we'll get into the whole loving, creative process and such. Alright, I'm Christina among your friends. What are you best known for?
02:19
Hmm, I would like to think I think being a good friend and being there for my friends. I think I'm like an epic empath, almost to a fault. And I because we travel so much. I've tried my hardest to stay in touch with all my friends. So when I can, I'll be on the phone for like hours or texting with people. That's why Instagram is so important. But I think probably Yeah, being a good and loyal friend. That's a great trait.
Mindy Cohn 02:41
What is the last thing you binge on?
Cristina Spiridakis 02:43
The gentle lions reality show on HBO?
Mindy Cohn 02:47
I did it.
Cristina Spiridakis 02:48
I'm such a whore for any kind of reality competition show that involves like, fashion styling, whatever. The hype on HBO Max is amazing. If you haven't watched it yet, about the streetwear designers, it's just like, legit and interesting and like really cutting edge. But yeah, I can't help it if I if I mean, uh, especially if like, right now there's a lot of external negativity in the world, if you will. And I just need to I like watching other people create, like anybody else. I'll yell at the screen sometimes. Just like what do you mean? You can't?
Mindy Cohn 03:22
Right? What are you doing they're
03:24
doing on this show? If you can't, so just say yes. Who is your celebrity crush? Always in forever? No, judges. Bad No. backtrack to notwithstanding. Probably forever. Ben Affleck.
Christian Brescia 03:40
I knew where you're going instantly with the test.
03:43
It's Ben Affleck in the town, man. I can't help it. Oh, yeah. That was wonderful. I went to college in Rhode Island. Maybe it's like the New England thing? I don't know. But yeah, Ben Affleck.
Mindy Cohn 03:52
No, you don't have to explain your choices to us. No judgement zone for sure.
03:57
No, and Adam Driver. It's a twofer. It's either Ben Affleck or Adam Driver. But yeah,
Mindy Cohn 04:02
I do. Oh, nice. I'm a little borderline obsessed with Adam Driver. So it's impossible not to be putting down. Yeah, I think so. Um, how do you unwind and unplug? Okay, so this is a twofer. Because I'd like to know how you unwind and unplug when you're on location working, and how you unwind and unplug in your life in New York.
04:22
I'm on location. It's definitely I think, Wherever I am, a lot of times for me, it's actually like fitness, to be honest, like my bicycle. I'm obsessed with my bicycle, it will come to New Orleans. And if it's not that indoor cycling, like I can turn off my phone. And it's the one of the few things I don't let people mess with. It's just like, I tried, like, I guess when people can start traditional meditation so many times because I am an extremely nonlinear thinker. I'm yes, I do believe being a person with like, some forms of ADHD is what makes me a good designer, and a good manager and a person who does a bunch of things, but I just Meditation isn't for me. Whatever meditative state happening happens when I've like in spin, or riding my bike that's like, where I get my best ideas. It's where I feel like I can like center myself and like ground myself. And I said that no matter where that's like, I will always even in New Orleans, I've already found sort of where the spots are nearest and my new apartment, I chose somebody somewhere that's bikable. Especially when we're working, I need that I need that time. Because you can't say, Oh, I couldn't pick up I was on a bicycle. Like that's really dangerous.
Mindy Cohn 05:36
I love that. And what are they going to say? Like you're taking care of yourself?
05:39
Oh, I was yanking there. I didn't I didn't hear it. Yeah. So that's in both places. But at home, it's definitely like my sewing projects and craft projects and just kind of have so much clothing in this house. There's just clothing everywhere. And I always I'm attached to all it like I'm a little bit of a emotional clothing hoarder, it's hard for me to detach from it. But then sometimes I'll just look at something and I'll just be like, Oh, this is gonna be so much better. Like, I'm just gonna pair the arms up this jacket I've had for 20 years, or like your braid or something or paint something on it or something because I just crafting brings me real joy. Just like real deal like joy in my heart.
Mindy Cohn 06:18
Well, I have to say you have one of the most spectacular shoe collections. And I'm not talking what normal people would call an I'm talking like normal boozy people would call a shoe collection, sickness, your array of vintage shoes, and just what you have. It's so good. It is truly the best part of a day of working with Christina is looking down and seeing what she's she's wearing. I'm just saying.
06:43
Thank you, Mindy. I really honestly, one of the best compliments ever, because I really, I've reached critical mass with my shoe collection. And it's one of the only things that never gets purged. I can't do it until they fall apart. I had a cobbler once a production assistant took a pair of boots of mine to leather spa. And she called me and she was like, he wants to know what you did. What do you mean? It was like, she was like he said, he's never seen the internal structure of a shoe like twisted. And I was like, well, I walk miles. They were like these beautiful pair of boots that I still think about like To this day, they were just unsavable like we had so like, put them to rest in the shoe break. So sad that my sister gave me her parents in a different color. So at least you know, I'm not totally alone.
Mindy Cohn 07:30
I know my gosh, there it is. Um, what's your favorite place to travel to? Do you have one?
07:37
I've been doing a lot of traveling in the last couple of years you have. And I would say Cartagena, Colombia, we shot there for Gemini man. So it wasn't a vacation per se. But I had never been to Colombia, and I didn't really know much about it. And yes, I think if you talk to anybody on the movie, who did the whole beginning to end all the units, I think anybody would tell you that Colombia was their favorite. Well, I've never felt like that in my life. I've never walked out of an airport and been like, I can't breathe to the humidity, humidity once you acclimate to it, our most enthusiastic crew, the kindest people so beautiful. The food was amazing. I got to my mother's Dominican. And so English is my first language and my Spanish is okayish. But like my crew and I, they're like, they helped me like learn Spanish and I would speak English with them. And by the end of the job, I just felt so like, beloved of Colombian culture, and Colombia, and the people that I met there. And so I'm kind of dying to go back and go to Bogota go to meta gene like, well, we can actually travel again. But yeah, Colombia was amazing, was just so cool.
Mindy Cohn 08:41
I have to say, when we went to South American, we did Peru, but I have to say it was not on my top 10 list. But now, of course, I want to visit every single other country, including Colombia. I heard they're all vastly different, which, obviously, I understand that. But that region is so not tapped when you think about living in America, where we all used to think of dreaming of going. And now it's like every country's on my top
09:07
10. Yeah, I feel like I so many, there were so many amazing things about doing Gemini man. Like that was a really next level experience for me. But I had never worked. I'd never worked out of the country. So that in general was so cool. I hadn't traveled at that point in a few years, just for I was like, in a point in my career where I was working all the time. Yeah, it's just constantly and then had decided that I wanted to design and not assist anymore. So I also just like financially wasn't able to travel. And then when Gemini man came up, although it wasn't assistant design position, which I was trying to move away from, it was something I'd never nobody just says to you like, hey, do you want to come work on this angle, the movie with this technology that nobody else uses? And you're going to shoot in four countries around? Yeah. Do you want to just like leave for seven months and travel the world and make a movie and you're just like, Yeah, sure. When do I leave? I suppose it was like a Wednesday like when do that region seven on Sunday was a great story. Great. Wow, either. Wow. But me and one of my friends traveled extensively after we wrap, and I went to Greece to see my family. And then we went to see my co Parker in Spain. And then we drove to France. And we drove all over Spain, and then reluctantly came home, like on the very last possible day, that we could still be in Europe on our on our visa. But it just reminded me how much I love to travel and how exciting it is to like, go somewhere else and just try like, I didn't pick up any Hungarian which hurts me, because I can still remember the 15 words of French that I learned when I studied there in 2001. But Hungarian, confounded me like I couldn't. Yeah. And I'm, like, ashamed of it that when I went to Hungary, it was, like, 10 basic words,
Mindy Cohn 10:48
those languages are very challenging. Yeah, I would like to try again. Yeah, yeah, same. I'll go with you. Thanks for putting
10:56
in your show. Yeah, your show. Um,
Mindy Cohn 10:59
I thought about bringing you onto Mondays at Monday, because we talk about creatives. And I realized you are in the last five years, one of the most creative people I've ever worked with in my life, and you've treated costume design, the way that at least actors feel about it, which is so helpful. And I love that aspect of, you know, visual storytelling, and, and the use of not just clothes, but to help create characters. And I don't think enough attention is put on it from a production aspect. And the relationship, obviously, between and you hear these award shows, but the relationship between the costume designer and the actors is usually very close. But as a producer, I have to say, it's so necessary. It's like a production designer. It's like a prop master. I mean, it's so necessary. And if you have a good one, I think what's interesting is there's so many people who aren't really artists that are in costume design, that just kind of buy clothes, and they're really great, like stylist, but a designer, where you really help breathe life into a character. So I want to talk to you about that. What led you to want to do this? And yeah, let's start there. What is your creative process? As you define it, I'll say
12:15
this is I'm going to tell a very truncated version of this story, because it is one of my favorite stories ever. I went to school for fashion design, I got out of school, right? I just didn't click like, it just didn't click with me. And so then I kind of sort of fell into working in advertising for a while, and I was a producer. And it's one of those things where people say, just because you're good at something, doesn't mean you should do it. I was a very good producer. But we went to a risky alumni event. And I guess they people were asking me like, how are you? And I was just like, like, just basically the next day, my best friend, she's been my best friend since I was five called me. And she's like, okay, you're a miserable person. And we need to do something about it. And I was like, Oh, my God. She's like, how are you was a rhetorical question. Just say, like, I'm great. How are you? So I just kind of realized, like, Oh, I have to make a change. I took a costume design course at the new school. And my teacher got offered a tier one, like a period fell up on Cape Cod. And she was allowed to bring three of the students as like PhDs and interns. And I, you know, she announced it, and I freaked out about it. And I really had expected her to ask me to go, and I went up to her. And I was like, I was like, Mimi, I really want to do this. And she was like, you have a full time job. And it just came out of my mouth. I was like, well, I'll quit my job. I hadn't planned on saying it. It's just I took this course. And I just like, knew, I was like, Oh, this is the thing. Like, I love clothes. But in college, it was always your workers to costumey like all of this stuff. Like it just wasn't, I wasn't a fashion designer, but I didn't know. You know, I just didn't know that. That was a thing. You know, another option. Yeah. And I had always wanted to go to risky. And so that was just kind of, I didn't, I think I just didn't even look beyond the fact that like, I've wanted to go to the school since I was 13. And like, this is where I'm gonna go. So yeah, I went, I quit my job. But she was like, I need somebody who has a car. I was like, I have. I didn't have a car. I just live I rented one. Me Mexican. If you're out there, I lied to you to get this job. I love it. Yeah, like straight up.
Mindy Cohn 14:13
I mean, I mean, who of us hasn't?
14:15
Honestly, I wanted it. I wanted it that badly. And if that's great, I rented a car. It's not that complicated, because I was also 28. You know, it wasn't like, I'd been working for six years already actually graduated college at any one. So seven years, and I just felt something different. And we got up there. I said to her, you know, I work for you every day, after school, after school after work and the weekends, but I have to give my boss two weeks notice was exactly what I did. I gave her all of my free time for research for everything. And then with a couple of weeks prep here and then we went up to the cage. And I knew after day one, I was like, I don't know what I've been doing the last seven years but like, all I want to do, and then I came back to New York just like really just like focused on all my contacts brand. In Massachusetts, what I read in People magazine that Julia Roberts was doing, either I love, like I saw a paparazzi photo, I couldn't tell you how I did this, I somehow got the number for their production office couldn't do it. Now, you asked me to do this. Now I'd be like, how do I do that. And eventually got hooked up with their costume department and interviewed and got out there. And just like your sleep, threw myself into doing this, and was very fortunate have worked for some of the most incredible designers that I feel like you've taken the time to, like, they took time to teach me and my fellow Ks and my assistants. And I feel really grateful for that. And I think it's something that I'm trying to pay forward as a designer now with, that I work with and with my crews. But what's
Mindy Cohn 15:46
interesting about this career you have, and just doing it is a lot of people, you know, you're creative, but you also have to be you're a manager of people. I mean, you manage a whole department, you have to budget a whole department, you have to answer to not just producers, but studio and the people, you're dressing a tremendous amount. So I'm assuming that you haven't come from a production background has helped in the management
16:11
part mentally, and then this job, just knowing because you also, I also, I feel like this is something you know, you get better and better about, but I also am no stranger to what things costs at cost. And the idea of, it's not just this, and then a bunch of my good friends are producers. So there's even been times where I because I didn't I did a lot of like tabletop stuff. So when I engaged with talent, it was like parts models, but like not, there's a lot of stuff that I just don't know. So sometimes I will ask my producer friends, even about labor about things. I'm like, this is what I'm asking for. I know what I think it costs you tell me so that I know that what I'm asking for? So I guess I feel like, you know, unfortunate is reasonable. Yeah. Because you have to know you have to know what you're dealing with. And I also that way, when I ask for something, I know what's behind it. And I pride myself and my sis designer, Courtney, both of us like very much on being resourceful creative solutions. Yeah. And only asking for what we need. Because I think coming from an independent film background, you know what's possible. There is a hard transition to make when you actually do have money to spend that I am still grappling with, or Courtney has literally stopped me. I love making things for my shows. I do it because I love it. And I do it because I enjoy it. But there are certain point in one's career where you have to say like, I worked 100 hours this week, Do I have time to make a dress for a drag queen? I don't think I do. Also, do I have the money to pay someone to do it better. And I just come from this place of loving to create. But I think that I've found a good balance of Sarah Timberlake studios did the drag dress for us for Dash and Lily. And every time we look at it, Courtney's like, you know, you couldn't have made that dress. But I'm like, Oh, I'm well aware of me. But yeah, but yeah, also part of the process for me is like, I think every designer, I think to say that you can design anything, like any type of show short, anybody can do anything. But I think there are some people that excel at certain things. And I have no problem saying that, like you read isn't my gift, like, yeah, it's not what I do. It's not how we think like, right, the things that I love to do are like super, super, super character based projects, designing high maintenance changed my life.
Mindy Cohn 18:27
You know, having said that, you have also started to make a name for yourself, may I add in being the costume designer for a cast of 1000s, you have had to do on high maintenance and Betty alone, it's like the job of 10. They were while some of these, I mean, I just can't Well, I should say I can't imagine you doing it because I know your energy level and your work ethic. But it really is very unique. And I know so many amazing designers that I've worked with in my career that could not handle that kind of volume, and that kind of differentiation of character. And again, necessary because the shows, so much of the character is what they're wearing and how they move through the world, what they look like, right?
19:10
I always felt this way. Like I always loved the like, really the idea of getting into like this small details. And especially I've done a lot of comedy. And comedy is all about the details. Like the smallest thing that like may or may not be funny or like somebody is going to catch like, even I don't even like I don't care to come up with a specific example. But what makes comedy relatable is when people any character, but like really can see themselves in something or you can visually like accentuate or make something up but still have it be believable, and that designing high maintenance, I think changed my entire approach and my entire design aesthetic for a couple of reasons. I've been a huge fan of the show, like for years and that interview like getting that job was just oh my god, like life changing for me.
Mindy Cohn 19:57
I mean, I just have to say amazing I freaked out. I was so it was a job for you. I mean, if ever there was a costume designer who needed to be like a streetwear person, it's you.
20:08
I just I love. We did this first round of fittings that Courtney and I were very pleased with. And then we got back so many notes. So these children, that was the first day that we were shooting, and prepping, the show was always crazy, because the cast is so big. And he was our first season doing it. And I think the work of the designers that came before me was so beautiful. I really wanted to do justice to what they had started. And it was one of those things reporting, they were just like, oh, like, you got the notes. And then I was like, wait a minute, wait a minute, why do I love this show? What makes this show special to me. And it's all of these little things. And that's that comes from Katia. And then 100% is their dedication to those types of details. But geniuses, it's really amazing. We would get these incredible, like character dossiers and like working with them was really special. And then also from a sustainability perspective, we shoot 90% of that show is shop, consignment and thrift and small designers. Amazing one, because we don't have the capability to age Yeah, all of that stuff. But also, because I don't know why it's just better. I don't know how to describe why it's so much more fun to buy a ludicrous amount of stuff from beacons closet and just have a chock full of nonsense and like dressed somebody, because we would do 90% of the fittings on the day also, which is unheard of crazy. And mind blowing, to shift from that to when we left and then voted Dash and Lily, which is
Mindy Cohn 21:31
maintaining budgets, and just even like
21:35
a week, but also like to switch to stylized characters, but also like, there's the high maintenance version of a look. And then there's like, the stylized TV version of a look. And sometimes Courtney diversity like Okay, wait, hold on a second, hold on a second. This is some high maintenance shit, like we took this, we take this like three steps too far. We're like, you can just get wild and do anything. And that process was really exciting. But they I think doing that show, I still try to do it as much as possible. I learned lessons on Dash and Lily about how everything can't even get even when it should be. And I had the greatest wardrobe team on the planet that everything. Most of Lilly stuff 90% of her stuff was one of a kind. Some of it I made myself because I'm a horrible person to my crew. No, I just, I there were just things that I did learn, I think important lessons about when you can't do that. Yeah. Yeah, I also think that that show looks the way that it does. Because so much of it is thrifted or things that we made or put together or just kind of like, Yeah, but
Mindy Cohn 22:36
you know, you're not going to talk about yourself this way. Thank you. But I mean, that is the skill of a costume designer to you and your eye and your aesthetic. And I mean, I'm so curious, what inspires you or who inspires you on a daily basis? or just in general, when I asked that question, like, who are what are your inspirations?
22:55
Um, I feel like I am so my most of my inspirations. There's so much of my own, like life reference in my work, meaning like, I do all of my research for my projects, all of it. Almost all of that comes from Instagram. Because I do want that realness like when a rabbit holes that you can fall down the brand's chicken fine, like, it's just crazy. Yeah, but I also feel like I'm constantly like, either the movies of my childhood or the people that I grew up with, or experiences that I have, like, I feel like that ends up speaking to me, I just think about like the this this was terrible what show it was we were doing but there was one character and I got a stack because I wanted to dress him exactly like I have a photo of his kid I went to high school with at like a at like a sweet 16. And it's the strangest selfie ever seen. It's like this weird vest and like collared shirt, but it's New Jersey in the 90s. And I just remember being like dude with this, this is what I want. And they were just like, that's not out in the world. Because it's the outfits, right? But in my head. I was like the bad thing. And yeah, I can get I'm flexible about so many things. I literally like don't care. Do that one do whatever it is. And then every once in a while but one thing and Courtney is like you really you're hell bent on this one. I'm like, this is the thing. That's fine.
Mindy Cohn 24:10
You know it? Listen. Yeah, I mean, all creatives, right? We get stubborn, you get stuck on something, and you have to do it, period. And you know, my opinion is that's why they hired you. I mean, right for you. I
24:21
hope so. Yeah, I would hope so. And I do. The thing that you said about being a producer is that I also do, do really pride myself on really knowing what things are going to cost because ultimately like, it is my art. It's very much my art. But this is a business like Thank you, I'm running a business. As much as it I get to exist. I get paid every day to do what I love and no day is the same and I feel very fortunate. It's fine and good to say that I'm going to keep being hired back for my creative ability and whatever it is, that's great. And I I'd like to believe that hopefully, you know that comes you you have the type of freedom that like an Android Who would like those people? Yes, I don't have that. So what I can do is visually deliver what they want from me, like not necessarily for the amount of money they gave me, meaning like being able to tell them, this is what this is going to cost. Your creative solutions. Let's do this like, yeah, I think it's important because ultimately, yes, like I said, it's my art, and I get it is very personal to me. The shows are very personal to me, all the characters, I can usually tell you, like, people still send me DMS about things on Gemini man. And like, I remember where everything came from, like, amazing. It's all personal to me. But I also do recognize there's a business side of this, and I can be Oh, yeah, I can make the most beautiful costumes in the world. But when it comes down to it, you know, a line producer is gonna ask another line producer, and they're gonna find out Yeah, looks spectacular. But that person was what $100,000 over budget and over budget, they don't want to mess with that. And so, right. I like that. I find that part to be sometimes it's annoying, but it's a good challenge. Also, you know, struggling because Betty, high maintenance, even dashing Lily, like, these aren't huge budget reductions. And right, I was fortunate on all three of them. Much like nice girl just to have like wonderful producers and directors and people that want to solve problems with you. And he doesn't understand. This is what I love about working with Chris and Nick on the movie that Mindy and I did together is like people that understand crystal Moselle and Betty is like this. This is our, okay, we want this here are all the things that reasons why we can't do it. So let's talk about options B through D. How do we do that? What can we afford? What can we make happen establishing this trust that when I tell you, I will never say no to anybody, but when I tell you like, Alright, y'all, this isn't happening. It's because my team has sat down. And we've looked at every option at every idea in our timeline and our budget, whatever it is. And so I think that I've been really lucky up until now, even on the smaller projects. I feel like I've had such collaborative and like sort of visionary directors and producers that will sit down and have a conversation with you. And I feel very fortunate in that way. Because even the hard ones studying. I mean, that is just a dream team. Yeah, it's just hard shows, but I love my team. And I love that the people who we made the shows with I never felt gas lit by anybody, I guess is the way to put it. I've never I never felt like somebody was like, No, but this is just a T shirt and jeans show and I'm like no, that's another thing right? I did make one once though that literally was just a T shirt and jeans show doesn't mean it's not complicated. You try finding the perfect t shirt takes a minute That's right.
Mindy Cohn 27:33
Oh no. Perfect jeans. No, I get it. Absolutely 100% so totally different subjects. But what designer Are you like gaga over right now? Or are you you have kind of obsessed with anybody current collection
27:48
Heidi Bevins forever. Oh, costume designer fashion design because I have an idol. It goblins forever and ever. I do we I feel like what we've done on the last couple shows is try to look at smaller designers. Like really especially on Betty. I've been really excited about the kind of like, tinier makers that you find on Instagram. We had a woman make this corset for us on Betty called the label Ray. And she it's just like, kind of remnant material upcycle these beautiful courses. She makes incredible stuff. I love kalita strada, which I know lots of people do but I just been enjoying like just finding little weird brands but have have also always in forever in my personal life. I'm a whore for Rachel comi like an absolutely for each. It's really in the shoe collection like candy. It's disgusting. It's actually Yes, Scottsdale.
Mindy Cohn 28:42
No it isn't.
28:43
I'm in there sometimes. And I'm just like, I'm holding them all like new babies. That I took Chris right outside me this like Internet personality tests. And I no matter how many times I took it, I was an 89 to 94% match with Carrie Bradshaw no matter what. And I was like, that's so
Mindy Cohn 29:03
funny. level. It's hysterical and so appropriate. I mean, I get it. I'm just listen, I know you're about to embark on this, you know mega long and what will be a very exhausting show. The reboot of queers folk, however, do you have an aspirational something? Is there a goal is there a kind of movie or project that you want to be doing? Do you really
29:27
want to know? I do is I want to do a real and I buy through this whole thing before telling you guys I don't do like major period that being said, I have to Okay, I would like to design the adaptation of sweet Valley High. But like, as the books were written, like actually looks like the 80s eyebrows right? Always icon makeup, eyebrows clothes, like and the thing is, does the world need this? I don't think the world needs the story about like, you know, two blondes twins in California and how hard their lives are. That being said from a perspective of I just want to design like 1980s. Nonsense, sweet Valley High. Understand, I loved it. Yes. And also and again, referential books of my youth. I loved Christopher pike books more than anything. And there Oh, well, I have remember me on my bookshelf, because one day, when I wasn't working, I was like, I could just, I'm gonna write this script that on occasion, I'm gonna do it. This did not happen. But I love to chip ridiculous story. And his books are ridiculous. But like, I do I know. It's like, I love to do yeah, like crappy adaptations of books that I loved in the 80s.
Mindy Cohn 30:37
I love that, too. I mean, obviously, I'm an 80s. Baby. So yeah. And who would you like to costume design for? I'm not talking whether it be producer, director, actor who's in your list of tops that you want to work with? Or for? Oh, wow, wow. Wow. Wow. Well,
30:54
I love promising young woman, I would have loved to have done that movie. I would like to work with him. He would have hit that out of the park. Yeah, I love the costumes and crossing a woman. I just loved it as a thing. And I don't. something does happen when you do television. And I understand it. But it's Yeah, you become a TV designer. And people who say, oh, like studios are like, you can't design a feature. And you're like, I just cross boarded 10 episodes and haven't slept in three months. I can design your Exactly. But it's like, I would love to do a movie like that. It's so stylized. So interesting. I loved that script. It was the first movie I saw back in theaters, my friends, I went to the Nighthawk, and saw Ponce, a woman, and I think I could have watched it like 10 times in a row. So I would love to work with them. I think that would just be yes, I loved everything about them. It lit me up. The movie hadn't lit me up in a really long time. Yeah, yeah, very much. So
Christian Brescia 31:47
I've got a question. For Christina, this goes back a little bit, because I keep thinking about it as we're talking about your progression and all these kind of major things that you've tackled. And you sort of touched on the fact that you do like little binge on reality TV and such before you made the decision to quit the job and rent the car and had sort of this career epiphany. Like I'm trying to do the timing in my head. And I'm thinking this is like the season of when like, Project Runway was huge on television, like all these shows were really, really big in the sphere of creating clothing and designing and fashion stuff. Did it ever cross your mind? Or did you ever think like, maybe I should throw myself onto one of those and see what happens? Or was that like, not even a thought,
32:23
you know, it wasn't really a thought, because I really did know that I didn't want to do fashion. And but I didn't know what I wanted to do. Right? And I don't, I used to have a blog that is now very much locked. Because I now work in television, and it was called TV is my boyfriend. And I would just do, I would just like post about all the television shows I watch, because I just knew I didn't want to do it. And I think, yeah, I'm very grateful for how much like so much has changed since I graduated college 20 years ago. But even just being, you know, when I got out of college, like even being like overweight in the fashion industry, I felt really prohibitive to like what I wanted to do. And I really did feel like I was in a space that wasn't like welcoming or comfortable. And yeah, that made me not want to do it. And so I didn't feel like any type of poll to do one of those shows, it doesn't mean that I didn't sit on the couch. And again, be like, of course you can't. So like, what do you what do you do, we do what we talked about, but I did know that, like, I wanted so much more, if that's the way to put it and like, but I also didn't, well,
Mindy Cohn 33:37
I'll take it back. If I can please, I can interrupt you. I mean, I'm speaking for you What else is new, um, you are a fashion designer and a designer because you create clothes. Having said that you really are a visual storyteller, you really are meant to be doing what you're doing from an actor who's worked with you and praise that I get to work with you numerous numerous times over the course of our careers, because you are truly my favorite. I say that to anyone who and everyone who asks me that is a whole different animal, what you're doing to fashion. I mean, it's it's close. And that's the beginning, middle and end of it. It's so different. So the idea
34:11
of the influence, like I like that people are starting to talk about it now with this situation with krewella. And just, you know, and things like that. It's like you go out on Halloween, and it's like people are dressed up as anybody you've seen any movie character, all this stuff like, yeah, and they think that it is it's something we talk a lot about within the designers that I know and just the general the greater conversation that's happening right now about equity. And just means that because costume design is traditionally a position held by women and gay men and people within the queer community that we are just, you know, we're marginalized. And people, you know, I've worked in this now, like, things have been better in the 12 years that I've been in the industry, but I've had people say wild things to me. I've had people I've heard of stories. People saying to designers, why do I need to pay you to do something my wife can do? And really? Yeah, I mean, I think it's really hard.
Mindy Cohn 35:07
I think it's so interesting. I think every industry I mean, I mean, I can say my actor friends and I are always like, Why are actors sometimes asked to act for free? Is the gripping paid? Is the makeup artist being paid? Why aren't you paying the actors like, So? What people don't know? Yeah. And I think in your part of the production, so many times the budgets are slashed, they go first to costume design, or they go for, you know, yeah, there's no sense of what everyone really, really does to create this thing. So I really appreciate that. I'm so excited about what's happening for you with you, whatever. And I can't wait to see the new season of queers folk, you will definitely be creating books that people will be completely copy and need. I know that to be true. And I adore you. Thank you so much for joining us here on this episode.
35:55
This was such a joy. I miss you when I get to see you. I see Joey soon. It was a
Christian Brescia 36:01
Christian. It was great meeting you ladies and gentlemen. And what a wonderful conversation. We just had one big round of applause for Christina spiridakis.
