Students and residents may have noticed closed off streets and camera crews hanging around in downtown Ellensburg over the past few weeks. That’s because cast and crew members have been busy working on the feature film, “Second Nature,” which is expected to debut towards the end of 2016.  

Breaking Gender Roles

“‘Second Nature’ is a female driven comedy,” said Michael Cross, Ellensburg native, as well as director, writer and producer of the new film. “It’s ‘Bridesmaids’ meets ‘Freaky Friday.’”

The film’s plot centers around a woman, played by actress Collette Wolfe, and man, played by actor Sam Huntington, vying for the position of town mayor when a magical wish transports them into an alternate reality in which gender roles are reversed.

“In this world—men kind of run the world, but in the flipped world, women run the world,” said Carollani Sandberg, actress who plays the best friend to the lead character in the show.

According to Cross, this is a film that challenges gender roles and explores the effects of nurture versus nature when it comes to how people generally perceive the opposite gender.

“In the first world within the film, I play a character named Penny, a waitress at the local Honkers restaurant,” actress Cosondra Sjostrom said. “In the second world, I play Sheriff Penny.”

Though a comedy at heart, “Second Nature” will take a critical approach towards traditional stereotypes, while providing a fresh and interesting take on how we view gender roles.

“[In the first world] I get to be kind of meek—having a hard time standing up for myself and willing to do a lot of grunt work without getting a lot in return,” Sandberg said. “In the other world, I take what I want and if I’m working, I want to get paid for it—I demand what’s mine.”

Bringing the Project to Life

Cross, a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, has been developing this project for several years.

He has a strong passion for filmmaking and is thrilled to see his vision being turned into a reality.

“I started making movies at age eight just with a home video camera,” Cross said.

Cross has been working on the script for the past six years. Along with co-writers JC Ford and Edi Zanidache, Cross has strived to perfect his screenplay.

According to Cross, having a team made up of both men and women has been especially helpful given the premise of the film.

Throughout the years, they have put together a talented group of cast and crew and now they are finally ready to make this film happen.

“Michael has been holding script readings in Seattle…and had a reading where I played the character that I’m playing in the film. I was able to read several versions of the script over the years,” Sandberg said.

Most recently, Sandberg has been in feature films such as “Brides to Be,” “Simple Creature” and “Lady Killer”.

“I was pretty excited because I’ve kind of been in it from the beginning so I was pretty thrilled to see it through the end,” Sandberg said. “It’s been really cool, the crew are fantastic they’re really sweet people—everybody’s really nice and helpful and by now we’re feeling kind of like a family.”

Cross is excited to see his characters being brought to life and made three-dimensional by his gifted cast.

Lead actress Wolfe is most known for appearances in “Interstellar” and “Hot Tub Time Machine.”

Lead actor Huntington has appeared in “Superman Returns” and stars in the TV series “Being Human.”

Sjostrom also has made appearances in a number of TV shows including “Fallen Cards” and “Dragon Wasps.” She is also the author of book series “Creepy Romance.”

“Nothing is more fun than filming a comedy with an unspeakably talented cast and a director that has a good sense of comedy,” Sjostrom said.

In addition to a multitalented cast, “Second Nature” has plenty of creative minds that work behind the scenes to assist with the film.

“I was asked to produce this film because of my experience with independent films in the Northwest,”  said supervising producer Nicholas Gyeney.

Gyeney helps with the financial process, as well as with creative decisions on set.

“I tell Michael constantly how much I wish I had someone like me on my previous films, who had made all the mistakes and learned from them,” Gyeney said. “It provides perspective and helps your film stand stronger both logistically behind the scenes and creatively during them.”

Why Ellensburg

Students and locals might recognize familiar locations such as City Hall, where John Akers, city manager, allowed Cross to use his office for filming.

According to Cross, the Palace Café also donated Pounders Bar & Grill as a filming location throughout the weeks.

“Working with a smaller budget on this film has been somewhat challenging at times. The production team is thankful for the city’s generosity throughout the process,” Edi Zanidache said.

Zanidache, who has written for a variety of films including “Matt’s Chance” with Gyeney, was brought on to help scale down the script, so that it could be feasibly and successfully shot here in Ellensburg.

“Businesses have been very, very nice and cooperative,” Zanidache said, referring to the several places in town that have allowed production to close down several streets for filming.

Being a third generation Ellensburg native, Cross believed his hometown would make a perfect location for the fictional setting of “Louisburg.”

Cross has received help scouting locations from his brother, Erich Cross, a realtor for Windermere Real Estate.

Cross’ father, David Cross, and aunt, Cyndi Loveland, have also assisted in feeding their cast and crew of about 20 to 60 people.

Additionally, students and residents have had the opportunity to help out either on set or as interns with the crew. Children and families have also had the chance to get involved as extras.

“[Students and residents] have [been involved], and it has been a great experience meeting and working with them,” Gyeney said.

Helping out with “Second Nature” has given students the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes of an actual movie production.

“It helps provide them with real world experiences,” Cross said.

As far as their own personal impressions of Ellensburg, cast and crew members speak warmly of the town and the people.

“The town has an artsy, quirky character to it and the townspeople are friendly and engaging,” Sjostrom said. “The entire experience in Ellensburg was amazing.”

The quiet atmosphere of the town makes it an ideal place for filming.

“It’s a great town. Lots of unique pockets of life,” Gyeney said. “It is interesting filming a movie on location removed from a big city. You feel a bit like you’re in a time warp. The world stops as you make your movie.”

Perhaps one of the most unique experiences occurred while filming on the outskirts of town.

According to Zanidache, there have been some wildlife encounters while filming.

One day, a deer wandered onto set and there was even a cougar sighting, which prompted cast and crew to begin traveling in pairs.

Overall, Ellensburg seems to have provided a great setting for the small town in “Second Nature.”

“I have never really spent time in the town and it’s been really, really cool. I’ve really enjoyed the time here because it’s a really cute town,” Sandberg said. “Everybody’s so nice and it’s super clean. It’s been a really fun experience.”

Cross is excited to see his work come full circle and be back in the town he grew up in.

Perhaps the inclusion of Ellensburg in the film will help showcase just how unique and beautiful this town truly is.

Keep up with “Second Nature”

Filming of “Second Nature” in Ellensburg wrapped on Sunday, Oct. 25.

The cast and crew have worked tirelessly and ambitiously on this film and they have high hopes for its future success.

Cross plans to submit “Second Nature” to top-tier film festivals and then hopes for a limited theatrical release, followed by TV on demand.

Audiences can visit facebook.com/secondnaturemovie or secondnaturemovie.com to follow along with the progress of “Second Nature.” The sites include set photos and more information about the cast and crew.