1/2 New Year: Actress Brooke Lewis talks work on latest film in new interview

In a recent interview with Brooke Lewis, we sat down with the talented actress to discuss her role in 1/2 New Year. Continue reading for more details.

The title of the movies speaks for itself, but there’s a lot of heart and soul in 1/2 New Year, too. The reason we know a lot of love went into this movie’s production is Brooke Lewis. We interviewed the veteran actress recently and chatter about the journey to making 1/2 New Year a reality.

As far as the premise goes, 1/2 New Year centers around a group of friends who gather annually to celebrate the last week of June—the half-point mark of the year. They’ve done so without interruption, but a tradition comes to an end when one member moves away.

In the movie, Brooke Lewis plays a character by the name of Pam DeLuca. She’s described as the mother hen to all her brother’s friends and sticks close to them at all times. Keep in mind that Pam isn’t a fuddy-duddy either. She’s also sassy and likes to hang around with the young crowd as much as possible—think Stifler’s Mom but in 2019.

For more on 1/2 New Year, you can check out the entirety of our interview with Brooke Lewis, below.

Hidden Remote: Brooke, getting right into 1/2 New Year, can you share a few details about the character you play?

Brooke Lewis: As far as the actual character goes, Pam DeLuca was written for me. I’m so grateful and honored to have a character written specifically for me in a movie. I think that’s something every actor and actress wants in their careers. Pam also really captures the crazy components of my own personality too so that was fun bringing her to the screen. I’m just so blessed they created this amazing character for me.

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To answer your original question, Pam is in her early 30’s and a bit older than her brother Reed and his friends. We’re also Italians from South Philly and really close. Pam sorta sticks her nose in everything her brother and his friends are doing. She hangs out with the younger crew but she’s sort of the mother hen to them all. And even though they don’t always ask for it, Pam always speaks her mind.

The best way to describe her is she’s sassy, mouthy, and speaks the truth, but she also has a heart of gold and a very good bond with her brother.

HR: Alright well my next question is slightly different. I noticed that Drew McAnany is both a writer and an actor in the movie. He’s actually portraying your onscreen brother [Reed DeLuca]. Did these factors present any challenges for you from an acting perspective?

Lewis: I’ve produced and executive produced a lot of projects that I’ve been cast alongside the producers in, at the same time. I’ve worked with the writers and the lead actors in films in the past, and the people who wrote directed and produced those projects as well. So many people I came up with are creating these opportunities where people are wearing so many hats, they can create a career for themselves as I have—and Drew [McAnany] has.

Drew, originally started out producing in LA. He was actually working at E! entertainment and interviewed me on the Red Carpet when he asked about Philly and we bonded during that meeting so he really became like a little brother to me.

After Drew wrote the script he went over it with Georgia Menides and she helped re-write then she was also the producer who made this happen. After that Tom Morash came in as the director to really help pull the project together. But to answer your original question, to have someone write a role for you and then to work with someone you love in real life, it was a real joy—not a challenge at all. Drew really proved himself with this project. Drew really pulled it off. He pulled it off as Reed DeLuca too.

HR:  In the movie, all the characters who gather together for their 1/2 Year Party are undergoing some sort of personal growth. Can you say anything about Pam’s journey in the film? 

Lewis: Her journey is more so about protecting her brother Reed and giving kind guiding advice to the girls they hang out with. Pam is a great example of what we as actors go through in Hollywood life. Pam is single and all about her career, she loves to party and doesn’t want to grow up.

Sometimes I think as actors in Hollywood, we never want to grow up either. Peter Pan Syndrome if you will. My character. She wants to party with the younger crowd and stay young forever, that’s who Pam is.

HR: This is sort of a background question: How were you approached with the project and what excited you most about the pitch?

Lewis: As I mentioned before, the role was written for me seven years ago when Drew [McAnany] wrote it. And then after all the disputes and controversies were resolved, it ended up in the hands of the person it was supposed to.

What excited me was that so rarely when you’re not producing, that the production team is so welcoming. Tom Morash, such a wonderful kind, and generous director allowed me to sit in on all the auditions when he first joined the team. They didn’t have to as I’d been given an offer for the role as Pam DeLuca from the start but they invited me to sit in on the auditions anyway. I did that on Sinatra Club as well since I was a main producer and other times in the past. To be able to do that now is just amazing.

When I tell you as a veteran in the independent film industry, the number of TV A-listers who came in to audition for the movie, it would surprise you.   Some of the people who were cast have worked with the producers before and the lesson is, the famous actor doesn’t always get the role.

HR: Did you have a favorite moment or experience while shooting the movie?

Lewis: I have so many. So many. All I’m going to say is check out the shower scene, and the laundry room. Just keep Stifler’s Mom in mind while watching them; see American Pie.

HR:  Like 1/2 New Year, do you yourself celebrate any unorthodox holidays?

Lewis: I didn’t before but now the cast and crew celebrate it [1/2 New Year] together. We all make new year resolutions but why wait until the new year, you can do it at the half-year mark too.

HR:  Aside from 1/2 New Year, are you working on any other projects you can talk about at the moment?

Lewis: As far as what I can talk about. The Mourning is a drama with a supernatural twist and some slight romance too. It’s a film I’ve been so proud to be a part of and it’s getting a new release in New York very soon because it didn’t get the release it deserved before. I believe it’ll be at the end of September.

Following The Mourning, the crew is getting together to collaborate on another project which I have a central role in. That’s all I can say for now.

Will you be checking out 1/2 New Year when it debuts later this month?

1/2 New Year is scheduled for release on VOD on Sep. 10, 2019. The film is directed by Tom Morash and written by Drew McAnany and Georgia Menides. It stars Bo Youngblood, Shanley Caswell, Brooke Lewis, Rome Flynn, John Ierardi, Rebecca Vinagro, and Jermaine Alveraz Martin.