[Editor’s note: This interview was recorded prior to the SAG strike.]A “private creator” no more. After spending a good deal of time developing ideas and keeping them to herself, Molly Gordon makes her feature film writing, directing, and producing debut on Theater Camp, an achievement that will hopefully pave the way to continued work behind the lens with original ideas.

Gordon shares her writing and producing credit on the film with longtime friends and collaborators Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and Nick Lieberman, and also co-directs alongside Lieberman. Inspired by their short film of the same name, the feature version of Theater Camp focuses on a group of teachers deeply dedicated to their work at AdirondACTS, a theater camp in upstate New York. Right in the midst of some financial trouble, the camp’s founder (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma and her “clueless tech-bro” son, Jimmy Tatro’s Troy, is put in charge. The camp’s only hope is for the teachers to help Troy understand what they love so much about camp and theater in general, but while evolving AdirondACTS traditions to encourage even more to share that passion.

In celebration of Theater Camp’s theatrical release, Gordon joined me for a Collider Ladies Night interview to retrace her steps from her earliest inspirations to hitting the point where she’s confident in being unapologetically herself when tackling a project.

Image via Searchlight Pictures

Gordon’s resume is packed with unforgettable titles including the TNT series Animal Kingdom, the 2019 big-screen gem Booksmart, Good Boys, Life of the Party, and then some. However, when talking about the experience of “breaking out” in Hollywood, Gordon insisted it doesn’t feel like she has just yet. The closest she’s come though? Being on a hugely popular, widely acclaimed series — The Bear.

“Oh my god, I don’t think I’ve — I feel so lucky to just have another job so I don’t think of anything that way. I think getting to be a part of things that people actually watch is new for me. I think getting to be on The Bear. A lot of times it’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t catch that.’ Or, ‘I watched it on a plane!’ So to get to be on something that’s so in the zeitgeist is so cool, and I feel very lucky to be part of that.”

Even though The Bear Season 2 reportedly posted the highest viewership numbers in FX history and is bound to be a major player in the 2024 Emmys, one big hit doesn’t exactly change everything. Here’s what Gordon said when asked to name a misconception about the experience of “breaking out” in Hollywood:

“A job doesn’t lead to another job. Yes, people are more aware of you, but it’s kind of this clean slate every single time you go into an audition or a self tape. They might have seen you in something that they liked, but also they have a vision of what the character is and you just might not fit that. That’s the biggest thing I had to sit with. I’m now like 10 years into this career, like, ‘Oh, it’s just so not about me.’ And especially auditioning kids on our movie, they would be amazing and they would just be not how we envisioned the character. And sometimes they wouldn’t be, but they would totally switch our idea of it and we’d want them to be in it. But a lot of times, it’s just not in your hands, and that rejection has gotten easier as I’ve gotten older.”

Image via FX

While no one is ever free and clear of rejection in this high-pressure business, hopes are high that Gordon will continue to create opportunities herself via her writing, directing, and producing work after Theater Camp. Gordon and co. got the opportunity to tell a story about a place and craft they’re deeply passionate about and did so with a scriptment that called for maximum collaboration on set and sparked a wealth of opportunities to play and discover. The process sounds idyllic.

Yet another element of the Theater Camp production that strengthened the on-set environment and helped make it a place artists genuinely enjoyed being in? It’s something Gordon picked up from The Bear creator Christopher Storer. Here’s what she said when asked for a past director who heavily influenced her own approach to the work:

“Chris Storer, the director of The Bear and the creator, I worked with him on Ramy about five years ago. I worked only three days on that show, but it was the most special experience. I have always dreamed of returning back to that home. He treats every member of the crew like they’re the most important person there, the caterer, the hairdresser, the actor, every single person. And everyone’s so excited to be at work, and I think people don’t realize but actually, most people on film sets are not happy to be there and I think that’s been a sad thing I’ve discovered like, ‘Wait, we have our dream jobs,’ and everyone’s like, ‘When are we done?’ And everyone just so wanted to show up to Ramy and show up to The Bear. And yeah, I really tried to do that on our film, which I made with four people so it was like a collective and I wanted every crew member to feel a part of that collective and every cast member as well as the children. We had 19 days and it was chaotic and crazy, but everyone wanted to be there which is something that I’m proud that we were able to pull off.”

As Gordon noted, that collective included her youngest stars and it was important to Gordon to make them all feel equal to the adult actors involved in the production.

“The hardest thing when getting this movie financed was that no one could believe that kids could improvise, and I always just had this strong gut reaction that they would be so much better than us because they’re so free and uninhibited. And also, you can throw something out at them like, ‘Hey, why don’t you try this?’ And they’re not thinking, ‘Oh, they didn’t like what I just did.’ They haven’t gotten jaded and self-conscious as they’ve gotten older. They’re just free and happy to be there. And they just showed up and were absolutely brilliant and improvised around us. But it was because we didn’t baby them like kids. We treated them like adults with such care and made sure that they felt comfortable fully through it. But I think I’ve been on sets where the kid gets so babied and I think they want to be treated like professionals and they all just wanted to be a part of this ensemble and really feel a part of it and have a seat at the table.”

Image via Searchlight

Ultimately, that was the best possible approach because Theater Camp’s camper cast, including Bailee Bonick, Donovan Colan, Luka Islam, and more, not only appear to be effortless improvisers but also successfully turn characters with limited screen time into memorable forces with inspiring drives and goals. And that right there is one of many winning aspects of Theater Camp, a film that taps into the joy of theater and theater camp for those already familiar with the experience, but also successfully invites in newcomers in a way that encourages one to learn about and then share in that passion.

There was a point when Gordon was quite private about the personal projects she worked on, but with a little nudge from Rachel Sennott and Emma Seligman on the set of Shiva Baby and now the success of Theater Camp, hopes are high that Gordon will always be “unapologetically [herself] and ambitious” as a leader on the projects she’s spearheading.

“I think I had written all this material and I just hadn’t showed it to anybody because — I think what holds most people back is just fear of failure, and all you have to do is be brave enough to fail and if you fail, look, you might not make anything else, or you’ll try again and you’ll learn from that experience. But just first starting to send out my material and take myself seriously as a writer was a huge shift for me because I had done so much in private. I feel like I’m a private creative person or something. And actually, working on Shiva Baby and watching girls my age be so unapologetically themselves and ambitious and knowing that I wanted that too but I was doing it more privately, was a really big shift for me.”

Looking for even more from Gordon on her journey in the industry thus far? Be sure to check out her episode of Collider Ladies Night at the top of this article! And stay tuned; we’ll have the uncut version of this interview in podcast form for you soon.