90-year-old actor William Shatner on October 13 became the oldest person to fly into space when he rocketed into the great beyond aboard the Blue Origin. Best known for playing Captain Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, Shatner had actually just wrapped up shooting of his latest film, Senior Moment, produced by out and proud Gina Goff of Goff Productions. While billionaires have been criticized for their space exploits, many of us watched in awe as Shatner climbed the many steep steps to board the rocket and looked as cool as Captain Kirk after landing back on Earth’s terra firma.
Shatner, who is a vegetarian and remains an accomplished athlete, is helping to shatter senior stereotypes not only with real life exploits such as the space voyage, but also with his character Victor Martin in Senior Moment, a romantic comedy-drama now streaming on multiple platforms. Goff shared with the San Francisco Bay Times what it was like working with Shatner, female lead and no senior slouch either Jean Smart, and tackling ageism in Hollywood.
San Francisco Bay Times: Congratulations on the success of your latest film, a star-studded rom-com. Why aren’t more feel-good movies like this made in Hollywood?
Gina Goff: That’s a great question. When I first read the script, I loved it and also saw a big built in underserved audience for mature audiences, as well as anyone looking for a feel-good movie. I’m not sure why more movies like this aren’t made, except I believe there is a disconnect between the studio executives and what most audiences really want to see.
San Francisco Bay Times: What was it like working with William Shatner?
Gina Goff: It was awesome! As an actor he was a total pro on set, very professional and on a mission to help make a great movie. I’m now very friendly with Bill, and as an out gay independent producer, he has been such an inspiration and support for me.
San Francisco Bay Times: Did it surprise you to learn that William Shatner recently journeyed into space?
Gina Goff: (Laughing) Nothing really surprises me with Bill, so no, I was not surprised he traveled to space. He’s a risk taker, an adventurer, and he’s very active in his life. Bill swims daily, rides horses, races cars, is busy with his acting career, writing books, recording albums, and has generously donated his time and resources for great charitable causes. He works non-stop to this day at the ripe young age of 90.
San Francisco Bay Times: Did he mention anything about his space trip plans during the Senior Moment filming?
Gina Goff: Not really. The filming was before his trip to space.
San Francisco Bay Times: Did his daredevil nature reveal itself during your film shoot?
Gina Goff: Bill did the actual car racing scene on the racetrack in the movie.
San Francisco Bay Times: How did he prepare for his role in Senior Moment?
Gina Goff: Bill was very actively involved in input to his character with our director, who did some rewrites on the script prior to filming. Bill also mentioned that being sequestered away in Palm Springs for four weeks allowed him to really prepare for his role as Victor Martin.
San Francisco Bay Times: Many of us also are familiar with Senior Moment actress Jean Smart. We remember her from her Designing Women days. What was it like working with her?
Gina Goff: Jean is a wonderful person to work with, super talented and a wonderful human being. What a year she has had both professionally and personally. Her performance in Hacks is stellar and she was incredible in Mare of Easttown. And, yet after winning another Emmy recently, her fifth one, and all of her success this year, sadly she lost her husband Richard Gilliland, shortly after our movie was released in March. Professionally, they are now calling Jean the “Meryl Streep of television.” She has earned it! During filming in Palm Springs, there was record-breaking heat. Jean found an ice cream truck and surprised all of the cast and crew with ice cream! It was such a nice surprise. She’s a real sweetheart!
San Francisco Bay Times: Your movie’s casting was diverse, with both older actors and several prominent actors of color. Was this intentional?
Gina Goff: We cast this movie to look like Palm Springs, California. Much to our surprise after casting all 36 of the roles, we found out we qualified for the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) diversity incentive. We felt very proud about this at the time. It was before the #MeToo movement was in full force and before Frances McDormand made her famous award speech about “inclusion rider.”
San Francisco Bay Times: In your cast, we noticed a few other famous cameos throughout like Kaye Ballard, Ruta Lee, and Wesley Eure. How did you come about having them in your movie?
Gina Goff: Since we were filming a movie in Palm Springs, we wanted to involve the community and people who actually live there. We put some feelers out with people we knew who lived in Palm Springs and reached out personally to try to include them. We were very lucky to get Kaye, Ruta, and Wesley to join in the fun. We also tried to get Barry Manilow and Suzanne Somers who live in the area, but that didn’t happen. Sadly, Kaye Ballard passed away before the release of our movie, so she never got to see it. She was such an icon and kept saying to me the day I spent with her on set, “I’m so glad to see a woman in charge!” That really meant a lot to me, and for those strong woman like her who came before us, it made it possible for me to see myself as the sole producer of a movie.
San Francisco Bay Times: We don’t often see Palm Springs as a movie backdrop, which is surprising because it is so scenic. Did you enjoy filming there and would you do it again?
Gina Goff: Yes, and yes! We loved filming there and the community was very supportive in every way. Our car sponsor was Todd Blue of Indigo Auto Group who gave us all of the cars in the movie for free. The Riviera Hotel (now Margaritaville Resort) became our hotel sponsor and gave us amazing deals. The list goes on. I’m not sure why more movies aren’t shot there. Even movies with the title Palm Springs were not filmed in Palm Springs! I’m hoping to get the television series spinoff from Senior Moment made and will definitely film it in Palm Springs when that happens.
San Francisco Bay Times: Your film has an all-too-rare focus on older characters: their lives, loves, and ambitions. Shatner, for example, clearly is still vibrant and striving to reach major goals. Do you plan to focus on senior characters in your films again in future, and what do you hope viewers of Senior Moment take away from this film that might benefit their own lives?
Gina Goff: I’m definitely open to storytelling with older characters in my future films and series because that audience has been neglected by Hollywood and there are some very interesting and funny stories to tell. What I hope viewers will take away from Senior Moment is two things: inspiring older adults that there is a full, vibrant and active life to live, and, finally, you are never too old to fall in love!
San Francisco Bay Times: For those who haven’t seen Senior Moment yet, where can they view it?
Gina Goff: Thanks for asking! (Laughing) You can see the movie on Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango Now, Vudu and a few others, as well as most recently on Showtime Network. It’s also available on DVD at all major retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. You can always go to our website to keep up with everything: www.seniormomentmovie.com.
Published on November 4, 2021
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