Mark Duplass Pens Supportive Letter About Language Lessons’ Co-star Natalie Morales

Dear film community (and anyone else listening!):

When I first got to know Natalie Morales, I was shocked that wasn’t already a huge star. Both in front of and behind the camera. She had such a singular voice. Funny, honest, sad, truthful, human. It was that thing where you say “Oh, I get it why this person is a megastar.” Yet, she wasn’t a megastar. This baffled me. Maybe it was because she was a triple threat and hard to easily define? I didn’t understand it. But I was also selfishly excited by this conundrum because it meant she wasn’t too fancy to come work with me. So I asked her to direct her first two episodes of TV on my anthology show ROOM 104, and she simply blew us all away. As I assumed she would. I knew I had to collaborate with her more frequently, and more deeply.

So when the pandemic arrived and shut down production on her feature film directorial debut PLAN B, I called her and asked if she’d consider making a small, personal film with me instead. Something we could make during lockdown. That we could produce, write, and act in together. That she could direct (she’s just better than me, period). That film turned into LANGUAGE LESSONS. And, juggernaut that she is, as soon as we wrapped LANGUAGE LESSONS she immediately turned around and directed PLAN B, which received its green light once the COVID filming protocols were ironed out. So… yeah. She directed another feature film while editing LANGUAGE LESSONS. I watched in awe as she juggled these two projects with enormous heart, precision, and steadfast dedication. It’s something I haven’t seen anyone do before.

Now it’s Awards season, and I find myself asking why Natalie isn’t getting more attention. And the question is oddly familiar to the one I asked myself when I first met her… why isn’t everyone recognizing the great talent of Natalie? Is it that Latinx women are just traditionally left out of the Awards conversation? Possibly. Is it because our distributors don’t have the massive campaign budgets to compete with the big dogs? Possibly. Or is it something more subtle. For instance, there has been a debate about which film of Natalie’s is her “First Feature.” She prepped PLAN B first, but she shot LANGUAGE LESSONS first. LANGUAGE LESSONS publicly premiered first (at Berlin and SXSW Film Festival) but PLAN B released on Hulu first. Because of this confusion, Natalie has been difficult to define in many of the Awards categories, once again slipping through the cracks because she does not fit inside a clearly defined category.

And this, frankly, sucks. So this is why I am writing to you. I humbly ask that you took a closer look at Natalie and her work. As a director, producer, writer, actor. Take a look at what she has done. Somehow, in a year when most of us were trying to figure out how to bake a decent loaf of sourdough bread, Natalie Morales directed two of the most critically acclaimed films of the year (both are currently 96% on Rotten Tomatoes). And yet there are no clear awards for this feat. So, in the absence of those awards, please watch her films. And if you like them, discuss them. Share them with your loved ones. And honor the work of this brilliant artist that deserves way more than she has been given.

— Mark