In “Sorry, Baby,” writer and star Eva Victor cracks open the messiness of friendships, boundaries, and cats. The new A24 dramedy is sharp, awkward, and undeniably human, and now playing across Utah. I sat down with Eva, along with co-stars Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges, to discuss building heartbreak with humor, why this story feels so personal, and how Utah audiences might see themselves reflected in the chaos.
Patrick: There’s kind of a quiet ache to friendships holding that love even as they shift in life and they move on. What was that balance of closeness and change? Was it something that you all had to consciously build during the filming, or was it already on the page?
Eva Victor: I mean, with us — I met Naomi and I felt obsessed. Like, I was scared she wouldn’t like me, but in that way where you really want someone to. You know? Like, you’re so into them that you’re like, she probably thinks I’m a loser.
And then we read together, and I felt like our vibe translated to the characters really seamlessly.
Naomi came a couple of days before we started shooting, and we were just in different rooms together doing hair and makeup tests. Then we started filming, and it became really clear to me that she wasn’t someone we needed to be rehearsing with, honestly.
It was like, we had the shot, we went.
We both felt like this doesn’t make sense to overwork. Let’s just talk. Let’s just try.
So we scheduled scenes at the beginning that were the friendship, getting-along moments. That way, we got to do some sweet, fun stuff first, before diving into the heavier scenes.
Patrick: Lucas, when you first read the script, what was it in there? Was there a line or something or a scene that made you think, okay, I get this story and I’m in.
Lucas Hedges: It was like a I’m more of like a rhythm. And, I just understood that I could plug my way of thinking right into the character. It was like the character, like, you know, they’re like, a part to, like, that go together. It was like I could plug myself right in. Like, I was like Neo in “The Matrix”. I just felt like I understood it, and sometimes I read great things, and I don’t feel like I belong in it. This was a great thing. I felt like I belonged.
Patrick: There’s something beautiful about how pets and animals can kind of be, show up when people can’t. Maybe. Or give you something that maybe, a support group can’t. What do you think the cat represents in this movie?
Eva Victor: You know, I honestly based the cat on my own cat and how she sort of saved me. I thought it was really important for Agnes to have someone, but for that bond to be silent. I remember seeing a tweet once that really stuck with me. It said if you don’t like cats, you might have issues with consent, because cats will tell you when they want to be touched. And if you have a problem with that, then maybe that’s something to think about. And I was like, yeah, legit. That’s interesting.
It kind of speaks to the film, too, though I won’t try to fully connect those dots… but I guess I just did. Still, I do think there’s something powerful about cats — they’re so autonomous in a way that really moves me. I like that they challenge the idea that you need words to understand what someone wants.
You can catch “Sorry Baby” now playing in select theaters across Utah, trust, it hits in all the right awkward places. For more interviews, reviews, and cinematic chaos, follow Patrick Beatty and See It or Skip It on abc4.com and the News4Utah+ app. We watch it all so you know what’s worth your popcorn.
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