In Lily Platt’s Crisis Actor, Celine (Sarah Steele) commits too much to her performance in her teaching hospital acting gig and tries on other addictions as a way to feed her need to be seen and given attention by others.
Awards Buzz spoke with Platt about where the idea for this short film came from:
“I had made another short the previous year about a woman who lies about a pregnancy and planned abortion to try to manipulate her ex-boyfriend into taking care of her for an afternoon at the gynecologist’s office, and I really liked the character a lot. I really liked the challenge narratively of how to execute the lie, when to reveal it to the audience, the balance of mystery and clarity around writing a lie, and how to show it. That character was just stuck in my head and Crisis Actor was born out of that person. I really wanted to make a story about an actor or make a film about an actor.”
On whether Celine is based on a real person, Platt commented:
“I think that all of the things that Celine does in the film and the previous character does in the other film, it’s the logical conclusion of, or the extreme of impulses that I think we all have. We would never do those things. I would never do those things. It’s the intrusive thought that crosses your mind when you’re in a state of emotional distress or whatever, whether it be from a place of heartbreak or frustration or a loss of control, I wanted to play with what it would be like to push that impulse. So I think this person does exist. But she’s not me!”
Watch the video above to hear about casting Steele and Philip Ettinger, and what might be next for this very watchable protagonist.
Crisis Actor makes its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival as part of the Short Film Program 4.
