Jeff Wallace is the captain of Angel By Thursday, a Hawaii-set movie that was on the site on March 8, 2022 and was well-reviewed. In fact, I said, “I was surprised just how much this movie made me consider my life and the roles of those within it.”

You can watch it now on Tubi and we had the opportunity to as Jeff some questions about the movie.

B&S About Movies: How long had you been looking at bringing Angel By Thursday to the screen?

Jeff Wallace: Ten years start to finish. A labor of love for sure for all involved.

B&S: Where do you start – with a screenplay or with finance-hunting?

Jeff: It began with a screenplay. In fact, it started with title alone. I had no story, but  something about “Angel by Thursday” rang true and our story developed around it.

B&S: How long did that screenplay take to complete?
Jeff: With rewrites and tweaking, a year.

B&S: And is the shooting script different from that early draft?

Jeff: Yes. There were twenty-one rewrites, and with each revision, it got tighter and more refined. Fun fact; early versions had no boat scene ending. I can’t even imagine that now.

B&S: Did you encourage your cast to share ideas and their vision for the film?

Jeff: One hundred percent. Film is collaboration on all levels. This being my first feature, and not ashamed to admit, I had a vision but no experience on the intricacies a feature-length project. I was fortunate to be surrounded with those who did (cast and crew) and they were a tremendous resource to draw upon both in front and behind the camera.

B&S: Is there anything you had to compromise on, maybe for budgetary reasons?

Jeff: Everything except food. It was self-funded by my wife and I, and with limited resources, made do with what we had. A must “shout-out” here to our cast and crew who gave so much in terms of time and gear to make it happen.

B&S: Did you have an idea on who would play the lead pretty early on?

Jeff: Yes casting call, day one. Another fun fact. Olga Kalashnikova (Julia) and Ken Matepi (Clint) came in to audition only for the love-making scene. But their chemistry was electric, and we knew on the spot, they would carry the movie. Best decision made.

B&S: Being an independent production, I’d think you probably ended up wearing more hats on it than credited. Was that the case?

Jeff: Absolute understatement of all time for both my wife and I. In fact, it got embarrassing when we made up the “credit roll”. But the great thing about ten-thousand hats is, we learned so much. The experiences gave a greater appreciation for all the moving parts hidden under the higher profiles.

B&S: If an awards ceremony were going to show a moment from the film, what moment would you ask them to play?

Jeff: For me I’d have to say on the boat when Julia watches Toby write on the lantern and realizes it was him who brought all together. The mystery of “how” is still out there, but Julia now accepts a higher calling at work here.