“Baron deftly cycles through tonal shifts, balancing tender and heartfelt moments with humor, absurdity, and even elements of horror. The script tells an intimate story of two professional rivals while ruminating on a woman’s struggle to survive in the cutthroat world of acting.” ★★★★★ — Katie Chew
Take 2 Indie Review - Betty & Mary: The Actors Prepare
“Betty & Mary: The Actors Prepare is a thoughtful, relatable exploration of aging, womanhood and vulnerability...that classic show of solidarity and empathy that so many will do without thinking, something that’s even more valuable in today’s society that’s increasingly filled with selfish and uncaring behaviour.” ★★★★ — Rebecca
Film Carnage Review - Betty & Mary: The Actors Prepare
“You’re still fuckable. Please don’t speak badly about yourself like that...”
"I feel like I’m disappearing…like I’m losing my mind."
"There’s always something fucking with our childhood dreams."
“CAN I get you a cup of coffee?”
Behind the Scenes
About the Film
Betty, a vibrant middle-aged actress, prepares for yet another laughably low-stakes one-liner when she's suddenly crippled by excruciating pain. Enter Mary, her younger rival, eager to “help.” Betty, convinced she’s experiencing the world’s most tragic miscarriage, spirals into her neuroses about aging, irrelevance, and survival in the cutthroat acting industry.
Betty’s self-mocking wit contrasts with Mary’s overconfidence and blissful ignorance, as the latter throws out empty platitudes, oblivious to the tension crackling between them.
Their exchanges bounce between sarcasm and vulnerability, with fleeting moments of connection that highlight shattered dreams and the struggles of women in a youth-obsessed industry…and world. As Betty’s physical and emotional distress escalates, she reflects on fame and her life choices, while Mary, well-meaning but clueless, pushes ahead. "Betty & Mary" is a humorous and quirky exploration of ambition, aging, and female friendship, set against the backdrop of a trivial audition that becomes a metaphor for their deeper struggles.
Writer's Statement
My stories always begin with a character. She shows up—half-formed, defiant, demanding—and slowly reveals where she wants to go. Betty was born from a long-brewing obsession of mine: What if Lady Macbeth and Martha from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? had a love child? What kind of woman would she be? Fierce, funny, messy, maybe a little monstrous—but deeply human.
In Betty & Mary: The Actors Prepare, we meet Betty in a particularly fragile moment: aging in an industry that romanticizes youth, preparing for a humiliatingly small role with outsized stakes. Enter Mary—the younger, shinier, “fuckable” option, who seems to float through life with all the confidence Betty has lost. It’s a confrontation of generations, ambitions, and insecurities, set in the absurd and sacred space of an actor’s pre-audition ritual.
I’m drawn to ambiguity. I don’t like tying things up in neat bows. Life rarely works that way, and neither do my endings. I want the audience to be unsure. To argue on the way home. To see themselves in both characters, even if it stings a little.
This film is one in a series—each a stand-alone, yet all exploring Betty & Mary in parallel universes. Different timelines, same ghosts. They haunt me, and I’m letting them lead.
— Dana Lyn Baron, Writer
Director's Statement
Betty & Mary: The Actors Prepare is a story about ambition, aging, and survival, told through the lens of two women at very different points in their careers and lives. What drew me to this project is how our writer, Dana Lyn Baron, uses humor and absurdity to explore deeper themes of insecurity, relevance, and identity in a youth-obsessed culture. Betty’s spiraling neuroses and Mary’s clueless optimism create a comedic, yet poignant, dynamic that reflects the tensions women face in an industry that often values youth over experience.
This film is not just about the entertainment industry—it’s about anyone grappling with the fear of being left behind in a world that moves too fast. Along with the producers, Lauren Selman and Dana Lyn Baron, we wanted to bring to life the humor that can emerge even in moments of vulnerability, and how our deepest insecurities sometimes manifest in the most ridiculous ways. Betty’s exaggerated sense of tragedy and Mary’s blissful ignorance are mirrors to how we deal with our own fears—either with wit or by pretending they don’t exist.
Visually, the film embraces an intimate style, allowing the small gestures and expressions to speak volumes. We wanted the audience to feel close to these characters, to experience the awkwardness and tension in their interactions, while also being swept up in the absurdity of the situation.
At its core, "Betty & Mary" is a reflection on aging, ambition, and the complexities of female friendship. It’s about the ways we protect ourselves, how we perform our roles in life, and how, sometimes, in the midst of all that, real connection can emerge in the most unexpected places. Through humor and vulnerability, this story is both a celebration and critique of the industry—and the world—that pits women against each other.
— America Young, Director
