As a child, Stefanie Walmsley watched the Oscars on television and year after year, she was always in awe. Back then, she began dreaming about attending the grand show when she grew up. Little did she know, dreams do happen and hers did, plus a major bonus: an Oscar win.
We caught up with Stefanie when she returned to New York, a week after the Oscar hoopla had died down a bit. Over that weekend in Hollywood, her life as she knew it had changed.
“I got back Monday night and the next day, I had to go to work. When I walked into my job, everyone was clapping. I heard from probably every single person that I have met in my entire life,” a giddy Stef tells us, as we enjoyed shooting the breeze.
We asked her to take us back to the day she began as a producer of God of Love, which won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. The film is about a lovestruck lounge singer who mysteriously receives a box of magic, love-inducing darts.
Stef told us that she first met film-maker Luke Matheny when they were shooting a music video back in June 2008.
“I was a giant dancing plate and he was a giant spatula. He told me that he was working on this film at NYU and I was like, ‘Great, I’d like to produce it. Ang kapal ko’,” she says with a hearty laugh.
She didn’t know if Luke thought she was serious so she emailed him. A month later, she got the script and immediately started doing legwork and producing it. Location hunting followed, then cast. The crew started filming around February 2009 and the film was shot over a span of six months.
After post-production, they decided to go the film festival route. It was a mixed bag as some of the smallest film festivals rejected them while others embraced the film with open arms. The short film began receiving top awards after screenings in Woodstock, NY, New Orleans and Aspen.
The road to the Oscars
Then, the biggest opportunity of them all happened. The film qualified for the Oscars.
A total of 76 films qualified. According to Stefanie, it wasn’t an easy journey.
“The films had to win Academy-recognized film festivals around the world. Our film won the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2010 Student Academy Awards so we got qualified. From the 76, they picked ten. From the ten they picked five so we knew we had a 50 percent chance to be nominated. That was more than enough for us then. It was already the biggest thing in the world for us. Being a student film from New York to go all the way to being nominated, it was just amazing,” she shares.
The film has three Filipino-American producers: Stephen Dypiangco, Gigi Dement and Stefanie.
“Stephen, our producer for marketing is fantastic. He has worked with Luke before and he came onboard during post-production. Gigi is the lead producer because she’s also from NYU and she has so much experience doing this already,” Stef says, describing her compatriots.
Oscars night
“It was everything that I imagined it to be and it was more,” Stef recollects, trying to remember all the details.
“We wanted to take a limo, but since most of us were from New York, in Brooklyn, someone said, ‘Oh, we can walk to the Oscars’. So we ended up walking, and we reached Hollywood Boulevard and people were like ‘Is there something wrong with your limo? Why are you walking? You can’t walk to the Oscars!’” she says.
Red carpet arrival was between 4 to 5pm. By this time, it was already 4:30.
They were eventually advised to walk to the back alley where they were supposed to get in. When they arrived there, they were informed that they couldn’t get in there because it was the press entrance.
“Wala na, nanghina na ako. I started praying,” Stefanie recalls, as they moved towards the actual entrance.
One of the other producers, Ryan Silbert thankfully had a car that had a limo pass and that was able to bring Luke, Sasha (Gordon, Luke’s girlfriend and the film’s composer) and him to the red carpet.
That left Stefanie, Gigi (Dement, the other Filipino producer) and the rest of the crew wondering if they had to wait for the car to circle around and pick them up. But in their estimates, by the time the car gets to them, the red carpet event would have been over.
“So pray to death uli ako,” she says, stifling laughter, “Then one of the security guys said, ‘We do have some golf carts on the lot…”
So there they were, in their full Oscar regalia – gowns and tuxedos (Stefanie wore a creation of Martin Bautista, one of the top young designers in Manila) - riding a golf cart on their way to the red carpet.
“When we got off, we heard fans from across the street cheering us on. ‘Whoo! Golf cart! Go, golf cart!’ It was an awesome ride,” she says.
By then, they were on the actual red carpet, and there were two lanes, one for the nominees and celebrities and the other lane for everybody else. “There was no choice, we had to be on that red carpet. The Philippines was watching! Then we saw the members of the Filipino media. Then we saw the stars,” Stef recalls.
This was when she got star-struck.
They saw Sandra Bullock, Christian Bale, Robert Downey, Jr who were all behind them.
“We knew that it was Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams that were announcing the category. So when we saw them walking down after the commercial break, my heart was in my throat. I’ve never been more nervous in my life. Then when they announced that we won, I was screaming so loud and crying so hard. It was the best feeling ever,” she says, “I called my mom, I called my boyfriend and by this time my phone was beeping endlessly and text messages, emails, Facebook notifications began pouring in..”
Then, it was party time, Hollywood-style.
First up was the Weinstein party at Chateau Marmont. Then they trooped to the Vanity Fair party.
“It was classic Entourage. We went to the Vanity Fair party and the security guys were asking if we were on a list or if we had an invite. We said, ‘Luke, show your ticket!’ Luke rolled down the window and showed them the Oscar trophy.
Stars like Tom Hanks went through a crowd at the party to approach and congratulate Luke and his team. Justin Timberlake also came up to him and told him that he delivered a great speech.
“All of us women were like, ‘Hey Justin! We’re part of the film, too!’” Stef says.
At 2:30am, they decided to go to the Madonna party, which by then was at full capacity. Luke had a brilliant idea for their entourage to just go to a diner. Next stop: Mel’s Diner on Sunset.
.Oscar weekend was hectic. Prior to the awards ceremonies, nominees had an opportunity to attend luncheons, gatherings and discussions.
One of the events was a talk held at SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans) where they gathered the three Fil-Am producers with Black Swan cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
“The SIPA event was so cool. I met Matthew and I told him that I have been following his career. I thought he was French. Yun pala, Pinoy! Libatique pala! I told him I was a huge fan. He’s incredible,” says Stef.
Stef also met Hailee Steinfeld twice—first at the Hollywood Reporter party, then at the Vanity Fair party on Oscars night.
“She came up to me and complemented my necklace, which was a Bea Valdes necklace. She’s really, really sweet. She said she was bummed she couldn’t join us at the SIPA event,” Stef adds.
In one of these parties, Stef also got to meet The Social Network’s Aaron Sorkin.
“I was fawning over Aaron Sorkin and I actually told him, ‘I know that all of Hollywood is in love with you but if it means anything, there is a New York film-maker who worships the grass you walk on’ to which he responded after shaking my hand, ‘Thank you dear, you just made my night’ and I replied back with ‘Thank you, Mr. Sorkin, you just made my year!’” she recalls.
Then, she also met Adrien Brody, Matthew McConaughey and Chace Crawford.
“I was like a kid in a candy store after not having candy for a year. Buti na lang I have all this acting experience, I had to try to act normal and poised even if I was already screaming inside,” she says laughing.
For now, it’s back to her day job working with a cosmetics company. On the side, she is looking at a string of projects, trying to decide which ones she should pursue. One thing is certain, Stefanie is looking forward to working with both starting and established Filipino film-makers.
(Photos courtesy of Ms. Stefanie Walmsley)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(NYNJ Mar 18-24, 2011 LifEASTyle pg. 2)
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