REPACKAGED: Interviews with the Cast and Crew of Gooshlems’ “Pseudo Mailman”
The entirety of Pseudo Mailman’s (2022) production, from Kris first asking for permission to remake the film to its live premiere on the Gooshlems Gaming Twitch channel, has felt like such a surreal experience. My original 2016 film of the same name was nothing more than a final assignment for my junior year Film Production class. In fact, Pseudo Mailman was my second idea for the assignment, with my first being an ambitious The Office parody that never saw the light of day. Pseudo Mailman proved to also be ambitious, as the assignment was only for a single scene of 2 minutes or less; however, the final runtime for my short film would end up totaling about 8 minutes. 16 year old Daniel was most likely just thrilled to have made a new short film; now at 22 years old, I reminisce fondly on the film as both a product of my high school experience and a reference point in my growth as a writer and filmmaker.
To celebrate the release of Gooshlems’ Pseudo Mailman, I’ve penned this article full of behind-the-scenes photos, interviews with co-directors Kristoffer Bradley Cruz & Marina Yap and lead actor Chris Gosine, and a closing retrospective on the legacy of 2016’s original short film and its impact on the creation of the 2022 version.
Left to right: Marina Yap (Olivia Torres/Co-Director), Lucas Yap (Sound Recordist/PA), Kristoffer Bradley Cruz (Co-Director), Kiera Barnes (Alice Metz), and Chris Gosine (Marco Torres) on set for Pseudo Mailman. (photo by Brandon Ramirez)
Interview with Marina Yap & Kristoffer Bradley Cruz, co-directors on Pseudo Mailman (2022)
DANIEL: Hey guys, always love getting to talk to y’all! So, this is Gooshlems’ first remake or adaptation of existing source material. How was the filmmaking process different this time around compared to previous films you two have made?
KRIS: Well, I think what’s interesting is that both Marina and I had kind of different approaches to this [film]. I was a big fan of the source material; I had watched it multiple times. So, like, I knew it. I knew it well, and Marina, I don’t think, has seen it at all.
[Marina and Kris laugh.]
So, like, basically for her, it was just like making an original short film, because she had no idea what the original was like, really, besides reading the script. Like, I don’t even know if she knows that the script is literally word for word—almost word for word—the original.
MARINA: Yeah, yeah! I mean, okay, to defend myself, I did watch it, but only after we filmed everything. And then, that’s when I realized, “Oh yeah! This is word for word!”
KRIS: It was definitely an interesting dynamic, because on one hand, one of us knew the material well, and on the other hand, it was like approaching something brand new. I think that was a good balance between the both of us, because, yeah, we’re still honoring the source material, but we’re also bringing a new voice into it.
MARINA: Also, I really like how Kris incorporated a lot of new elements. I’ve already watched the rough cut of the new [film] and from watching the original, I was, like, “Okay, yeah, there’s a lot of cool stuff that Kris added on to elevate it a little.” Not that the original wasn’t elevated, but just to [add a bit of] an original twist, I guess?
KRIS: It was also helpful working alongside you, Daniel! Like, with you being involved in some sort of capacity, because I got to see the original script, and that, of course, was helpful because I could just copy-and-paste instead of having to go through the [original] film and type everything out. But, there were also some scenes that were missing in the [original] final film, the 2016 version, that I decided I wanted to add back into the script. For example, the brownies thing…
MARINA: Oh, the brownies [scene] is very funny!
KRIS: Yeah, it was in [Daniel’s] original script and it was something, I’m not sure, that had to be cut…or I’m not sure what happened there. But, it’s not in the [original] final film, so I wanted to add that back in, ‘cause I thought that was a good joke.
Left to right: Ethan Zuchkan (Frank Jr.), Marina Yap (Olivia Torres/Co-Director), and Chris Gosine (Marco Torres) on set for Pseudo Mailman. (photo by Kiera Barnes)
DANIEL: My second question, for you, Marina—I wanted to ask, what was your experience like as both co-director and lead actor on this film?
MARINA: Yeah! I mean, not to toot my own horn, but I’m kind of used to it, I guess! Mainly because I’ve done it before in the past, with our other film (The Retreat of the Turtledove and The Honey Badger) that’s coming out as well, and also a play that I did when I was in my senior year of high school. I also had to co-direct and act as one of the leads in that, so I'm kind of used to it, I guess?
It really helps having a co-director. Like, Kris, I really feel took the reins on this one and I didn’t really feel like I had a lot of pressure to make it right, because I knew Kris was already very much in charge of a lot of the aspects of [the film]. So, I felt like I was mainly just adding on, really, to Kris’ vision. In regards to acting, it wasn’t necessarily difficult in any capacity. I felt like it was a very fun, cool experience.
DANIEL: Can you comment on the gender-swapping of Olivia/Oscar, as well?
MARINA: The gender-swapping, honestly, it didn’t really feel different whatsoever. It was really funny, because I hadn’t seen the [original] film before, right? So when I watched Pseudo Mailman, the original, after we had already filmed everything, I was like, “Oh! I kind of…I kind of got Oscar. I feel like we’re the same person now. Like, I feel like we got the same vibe going on.” We have the same apathetic look on everything, the same done-ness with [our] sibling. It just felt very natural. I felt a sort of kinship with Oscar.
KRIS: It was very interesting! I’m actually, like, partially glad you didn’t watch the original, because you had your own original take on the character. But even then, you still got the character down pretty well.
MARINA: Thank you, thank you. Yeah, I mean, I had my own assumptions. I was like, okay, this character seems to be very—and also, you had really great direction, right? Like, you were very sure of how you wanted Olivia to act, as well.
DANIEL: I feel like Olivia/Oscar’s character is pretty easy to nail down. They’re just constantly shitting on Marco the entire time.
[Everyone laughs.]
DANIEL: Thanks for letting me interview y’all for the blog! I’m sure we'll all be back here sooner than later, so until then!
Interview with Chris Gosine, lead actor on Pseudo Mailman (2022)
Left to right: Marina Yap (Olivia Torres/Co-Director), Chris Gosine (Marco Torres), Kristoffer Bradley Cruz (Co-Director), and Ralph Ramos (Sound Recordist) on set for Pseudo Mailman. (photo by Brandon Ramirez)
DANIEL: Hey Chris! Got a couple questions for you. So, how did you approach playing Marco? Did my original portrayal influence your performance at all?
CHRIS: So, basically, when the role was introduced to me, it was through Kris and Ryan when they asked me if I wanted to star in their remake of Pseudo Mailman. Before we started filming, all I knew about the film up until that point was the script I received. Kris also sent the original film for me to watch, and that kind of helped me build a foundation or template for who Marco was as a character.
Normally whenever I act in these types of projects, my characters are always very nonchalant. I don’t really express much emotion or my actions are kept very minimal. So, I’m not really much in the spotlight, which I don’t mind. But, being introduced to this role [of Marco], I realized that this would be out of my comfort zone, which I was up for the challenge for, because Marco is a happy-go-lucky, bit of a naïve type of character. That basically contrasts all of the roles that I’ve played up to this point. So, it was a really fun challenge, more or less, and taking a bit of inspiration from you in seeing how you portrayed Marco kind of gave me an idea of how I should act as Marco. What I tried to challenge myself with was to try to be a gullible character, try to be someone who goes over the top sometimes.
So, I think that’s what I tried to do while playing Marco. Obviously, overall, I had a lot of fun. It was a great challenge and I enjoyed filming it with everyone.
DANIEL: My second question for you is: how does it feel being one of the only two people that have played Marco Torres? It’s like being a part of an exclusive club.
CHRIS: I enjoyed [playing Marco] a lot actually! Kris and everyone involved joked about having pretty big shoes to fill. After seeing your performance [in the original], I was a bit nervous trying to adapt to this character. But, after going through the process of acting in this film with everyone, it was really fun and I feel very honored to play this character. If [Gooshlems] ever does a sequel in the future and they invite me to take up the role again, I’d be very flattered to do so. I feel very honored to be a part of this exclusive club!
DANIEL: Whenever the Americans go up to Canada, we have to take a photo together just to have proof of both Marcos in the same room.
CHRIS: Just to flex on everyone.
DANIEL: Yeah, and then we’ll pitch it to Kris—and he’ll probably want to do it, actually—but the Pseudo Mailman multiverse film. I bet if we told Kris that idea, he’d want to do it immediately.
CHRIS: I mean, we can at least [take the photo] in our character outfits!
DANIEL: Right, right! They’re pretty similar, actually. Glad we were about to get together and ask my questions I had for you! Thanks for the chat!
Hosting this film’s live-stream premiere on the Gooshlems Gaming Twitch channel was such an amazing opportunity. Not only were both co-directors and lead actor present, but so were other Gooshlems members and friends of mine, whom I got to share the pleasure of watching the film with for the very first time. I knew going in that much of the film’s script and scenes were going to feel very familiar—almost beat by beat recreations—however, I was so impressed by this fresh and different interpretation of the film, and I truly felt like I was watching this all too familiar story unfold with brand new eyes. The crew’s dedication to making this new film an homage to the original and packing it with as many easter eggs and voice cameos as possible filled me with so much joy and appreciation. It’s not often that you feel like your art has made an impact, big or small, on someone else’s life. It’s even less often that you’re able to watch such an earnest and lively adaptation of your very own work.
I used to look back on my Pseudo Mailman and cringe at my questionable acting and oddly written dialogue, wanting to move on and create something more impressive to flex my creative growth. Now, when I think of Pseudo Mailman (2016) and the kind words my friends have said about it over the years, it warms my heart and I’m able to finally recognize it as less than “a film I made in high school” to an actual coming-of-age film about growing up and accepting responsibility. Pseudo Mailman, the original and Gooshlems’ remake, also strengthened my relationships with Kris, Marina, and Chris, with all four of us having now worked on the same film concept. I’m honored that I’ve had so much involvement in this film’s development too, from sharing production stories and the original script with Kris to writing this blog post and hosting the live-streamed premiere. I’m really fortunate for all of this! <3
If you haven’t watched the film yet, head over to the main Gooshlems YouTube Channel or watch here!
