Elle Mills and Michael Murphy Dish on New LGBTQ Short ‘Reply’

Creator+, a next-generation content studio and distribution platform for storytellers, made its first acquisition with the highly anticipated LGBTQ romantic short Reply.

Written and directed by YouTuber Elle Mills and produced by Michael Murphy, the coming-of-age story follows Casey (Ciara Riley Wilson) during her last summer at home before moving to Los Angeles to attend UCLA with her boyfriend Jackson (Corey Fogelmanis). However, her new neighbor Hayden (Ava Capri) makes Casey question her upcoming future as a budding romance begins to transpire between the two girls.

The entire story is told from the perspective of 15-year-old Sam (Anthony Rosenthal) through his mom’s VHS tapes from 2006, allowing the entire project to be shot on Super 16mm film, ultimately giving Reply a unique style and vibe. Additionally, the short, which is Mills’ narrative directorial debut, took home Bufferfest 2022’s Festival Honour Award.

Mills and Murphy took some time to talk more about Reply with OFM.

Let me begin by asking, how excited are you for Reply to finally be released?

Elle Mills: I’m super excited! We filmed this last October, so it’s been over a year now, which is crazy to think. A lot of my friends and family have already seen it, so it’s wild that people can actually go watch it now. I’ve been kind of reliving those feelings I had while on set, and it’s been so nostalgic. I’m very, very happy and excited.

Michael Murphy: Same here. Just knowing that it’s going to be out there is very exciting, and like Elle said, so many people have seen it, but I’m ready for a new wave of viewers. I’m excited to read the comments and tweets and see what people think. That’s going to be very special to me.

Elle, even though you have done a lot of iconic YouTube videos in the past, as well as music videos, this is your directorial debut. Can you talk more about how the concept for Reply came to fruition and what inspired it?

EM: For sure. I wrote the first draft of Reply during the beginning of the pandemic, and I had never written a script before. It was super daunting but having that time where the world was at a standstill, I just went for it. Then about a year later, I felt like something was there, so I looked back at it. I realized; this is the kind of film I wish I had growing up. I grew up loving 2000’s teen films, that’s my childhood, but to have a queer 2000’s teen romance was like fulfilling a dream of mine. I’ve been saying, in a way, this is like a love letter to my high school self.

Michael, why did you want to be involved with this project?

MM: I think it’s because I just love Elle Mills (laughs). I think a piece like Reply is long overdue, and it was something I kind of always hoped to see Elle do. A lot of our history on YouTube is very similar in the sense of what we were trying to create and where we intended to go, and when she told me about it and said, I have a script, I have a short film, there’s something I really want to do with it, it was kind of a no brainer. There wasn’t even a second guess about it. It was very easy to say, let’s go. Let’s make it.

It was very rewarding to be a part of Reply. I have made so many short films before where I was trying to do everything all at once, and while I was still learning at the same time, I think being able to have that knowledge going into this and say, hey, Elle, I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by all the additional little pieces of the puzzle. Let me take that on for you so you can make this the way it’s supposed to be. That was very rewarding to me.

Ultimately, what do you hope audiences take away from Reply?

EM: The fact that this was like a love letter to my high school self, that meant so much to me. There are a lot of great queer stories, films, and shows out there, but I think it was really important for me to have a queer story that wasn’t revolving around the coming out aspect. As important as those stories are, I just wanted it to be about these two girls who are experiencing first love, and that’s it. There’s nothing more to it.

So, I hope people take that away, and I also hope they see this childlike look at love. Love can be messy, and there are a lot of outside factors, but there is something very pure about love, and I hope people are reminded of that after watching this film.

MM: This film is so wonderful and comforting, and it gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling. The films that I love, the ones that I always remember, and the ones I always put at the top of my list, are the ones that I walk out of feeling some type of way, whether it’s sad or happy. I think this film is able to make you feel so many different things, so I hope when the credits roll, people will have a little tearful smile on their face.

What has the feedback been like so far?

EM: Oh, it’s been so overwhelmingly kind! Everyone’s been very sweet about it, and it’s encouraged me to continue. Going into this, I really wanted good vibes on set. The one thing I lead with when making YouTube videos, if you put heart and love into it, people can feel that, even subconsciously. That’s what I wanted to do going into this project, and the fact that people came up to me afterwards saying they felt how much love was put into this project, that meant the world to me.

Ava Capri and Ciara Riley Wilson play the lead characters, Hayden and Casey. What made them perfect for the roles, and how was it watching them bring these characters to life?

I’ve been friends with Ava, and I always thought she was just so charming, but in a warm way. Then I slowly started to meet Ciara, and then Jackson, who plays Corey. As I was meeting these actors, I just felt like they fit the story, and honestly, I wrote the parts with them in mind. They were kind of the last piece of the puzzle to help really form who these characters were. I had never seen someone like Ava in films before, and I think she should me. There’s something very special about her, and again, I feel like it would have meant a lot to me in high school to see a character like her.

When I initially first met Ciara, I was very intrigued. I felt like she had this presence to her, and then after I checked out her reels, I was like, this is a super talented actor. So, I knew that they were both good, and then I had this inkling that their chemistry would be very good. And that was totally just a guess. The first day of rehearsal when they were paired together and bringing these characters to life, I remember being like, oh, shit, this is perfect (laughs). I had no notes.

MM: Exactly. Before casting, you had to kind of guess who these characters were, and when Elle told me Ava and Ciara were going to play Hayden and Casey, I could totally see it, and I hadn’t even seen them perform or anything yet. They just matched up with what I was already seeing in my head. Then like Elle said, it was that first day of rehearsal, I was sitting there off to the side and Elle looked at me being like, no notes? (Laughs). They’re just so talented and they were a great choice.

Are there any plans to turn Reply into a full feature or miniseries at some point?

EM: I’ve been working on a feature script over the past year. I wouldn’t say it’s Reply exactly as a feature, but if people enjoy Reply, then they’ll enjoy this feature. It sets the tone of the world and the heart of what the film will be.

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you would like to mention? Do either of you have any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?

EM: I would like to say that I posted a short film on November 8 that Michael also produced, and it is a very personal piece. I know I’m being very vague, but if anyone has ever resonated with my YouTube content, this one is for them, and I hope that they see it.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Mills by following her on Twitter @millselle, Instagram @elle.mills, or YouTube @elleofthemills, while Murphy can be found on Twitter @mikeymurphy, Instagram @itsmikeymurphy, and YouTube @michaelmurphy. Reply is streaming exclusively on Creator+.

Photos courtesy of Dillon Matthew and Creator+.