LGBTQ Indie Film ‘Jump, Darling’ Introduces Newcomer Thomas Duplessie

Last month, Breaking Glass Pictures announced the U.S. release of Jump, Darling, an LGBTQ family drama starring Hollywood legend Cloris Leachman, who passed away last year at the age of 94, and newcomer Thomas Duplessie.

Written and directed by Phil Connell, the film follows aspiring actor Russell, played by Duplessie, reeling from a disastrous performance as his drag persona Fishy Falters, and a breakup from his status-conscious boyfriend. Needing an escape, he travels to the country and takes shelter with his grandmother, played by Leachman, who is coming to terms with her own mortality while determined to hang on to her independence.

According to Connell, the initial seeds for Jump, Darling were two parallel tracks: his experience with end-of-life care conversations with his grandmother and his experience choosing life as an artist.

“Over a period of years, my late grandmother struggled with how to prepare for her ‘decline’—be it physical or mental,” Connell says in a press release. “It was the topic of conversation each time I would visit her. Meanwhile, I was struggling to maintain my resolve against the forces and voices of self-doubt that every artist faces and wanted to explore that in the distinctly queer context of drag.”

OFM caught up to talk more about the film with Duplessie. Born and raised in New Brunswick, he moved to Toronto in 2008 to study theater and television and has already clocked a few credits under his name, including parts on Reign, Murdoch Mysteries, and Man Seeking Woman. Additionally, he touched on starring alongside Leachman, performing in drag, and working as an acting coach.

Let me begin by asking, how did it feel to make your debut leading role in a featured film?

Honestly, it was a bit of a dream come true. This script was so layered and had such a journey for the character, then to be coupled with the opportunity to do drag and working opposite Cloris Leachman, it was way more than I could have asked for.

What makes Jump, Darling worth checking out and appealing?

Oh, gosh. There’s so much. The most responsive audience so far has been middle-aged to older women. They have really connected to the film the most effusively out of any group that we’ve presented this film to. Then for all the people who love Cloris Leachman, this was her last starring role, and she is so towering. I’m biased, but it’s true (laughs). This film is for all the Cloris Leachman fans out there, as well as fans of drag, fans of family dramas, fans of indie films, and also the music, I can’t say enough about it.

What’s the significance behind the title?

There are a few meanings. Most obvious, it kind of alludes to taking chances in your life and really kind of jumping off the proverbial diving board into what feels right in your heart. Darling refers to—Cloris Leachman plays my grandmother, and she is always calling me darling throughout the movie. Then there’s an aspect to the ending as well, which kind of a literal interpretation of it.

Your character, Russell, is an amateur drag queen. Was this your first time doing drag?

Yes, I’ve never done drag before. Of course, I’m very familiar with drag, and I have friends who do drag. I’ve been going up to the strip here in Toronto for 12 to 13 years watching drag, and I love it, but this was my first time throwing on a wig and heels and having a go at it.

What was it like for you to take on this role, and what did you gain from this experience?

I gained so much from this role, and it was just such a joy to work on a script that was so juicy on so many levels. Then to also put a ton of work into the drag aspect, I put a lot of pressure on myself for that, and it was just a role with so many facets to it. This was my first time leading a feature and taking on that kind of responsibility and pressure, and what I found was that it really is about the work first. Everything else is secondary.

I also choreographed all the numbers in the film, so that was something I was very enthusiastic about. I put a lot of work into them and felt very motivated. Phil Connell, the director, was quite adamant about a lot of the choreo coming from whomever he was going to cast as Russell because he wanted it to feel as authentic as possible. I love it, and I took advantage of that.

I still can’t imagine how exciting it must have been to work with Cloris Leachman, especially since this was her last starring role. Did she offer you any tips or career advice?

She didn’t offer any blatant career advice, but at the end after her last take, I obviously went up and thanked her and said that she taught me so much. She was like, “What did I teach you?” I said, “You showed me how to be in the moment. Every single take, it was like you were truly living it. Each time, it was always new.” She was like, “Yes, of course. I never know what’s going to happen. Everything is a surprise.”

Of course, as an actor, you know that and you work towards that, but to work opposite somebody who just embodied that so effortlessly and to see that in front of you, it was like the best of reminders.

You also work as an acting coach. What is the number one lesson you teach your students?

It really depends on where they are in their process. It’s very different teaching a child that’s just starting out and not knowing anything about the craft versus people who have been doing it for years. So, it all depends on where they are in their acting process, but it basically comes down to whatever you’re saying or doing. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that it’s real and it feels true to you while you’re saying it. There are a lot of different ways to get into that spot, but whatever it is, it must ring true to you. Then it’ll ring true for us.

Have you always had a passion for acting?

Yes. I started acting when I was around 12, and I fell in love with it. I did it every year in school and whatnot. Then when I graduated, it was kind of a now or never decision for me. I moved to Toronto and went to musical theater school. Of course, I did the vocal lessons and dance classes, but it was always acting that I fell back to as being my primary joy.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career?

So much! Obviously, I would love to continue doing indie films here in Canada. There’s so much talent here in the writing and directing game. It’s crazy. So, I would love to keep doing film, a range of different genres, and I also want to keep doing theater. Theater is where I got my start, and I’d say the majority of the professional work that I’ve done has been in professional plays and whatnot. Eventually, I’d love to try my hand at things behind the camera, maybe doing some direction or art direction in the future.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?

I’m shooting a project in a couple months with a dear friend of mine, which I’m very excited about. It’s a short, and then I’m just taking the auditions as they come. Things are starting to get quite busy here in Toronto, which is great.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Duplessie by following him on Twitter @thomasduplessie and Instagram @tomsdup. Jump, Darling is available on DVD and digital platforms including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play.

Photos courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures