Blue Fox Entertainment’s Empire Waist made a big splash at the film festival rounds earlier this year. The heartwarming high school dramedy starring Mia Kaplan (SMILF) recently made its theatrical debut and is set to open in more theaters later this year.
In addition to Kaplan, the brilliant cast also consists of comedy greats Rainn Wilson (The Office) and Missi Pyle (Galaxy Quest). Jemima Yevu rounds out the cast, making her first-ever acting debut.
Lenore (Kaplan) is a teenager struggling with insecurities about her weight, often making herself invisible to escape the bullying of her classmates and the judgment of her image-focused mother (Pyle).
Despite hiding her passion for fashion design, she finds solace in the unwavering support of her father, Mark (Wilson), and her best friend, Kayla (Yevu), who is confident, humorous, and proud of her plus-sized body.
With encouragement from them and her supportive teacher, Ms. Hall (Jolene Purdy), Lenore begins to break free from her comfort zone and embrace her creative talent.
PopWire connected with the lead star, Mia Kaplan, to talk about how the film has been received so far, working with their amazing co-stars, and why viewers should check it out when it comes to a theater near you.
While Empire Waist has only been on the big screen for a short time, the young LGBTQ+ actress and college student says the response so far has truly been “beyond my wildest dreams.”
“It has been so amazing to see young people come up to me and say, ‘Oh, my God, I feel seen,’ Kaplan tells us.
“Parents come up and say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that I have thought like this for years [about my child],’ and they [say they] need to go apologize to their children, which is just like truly the greatest reaction you could get at this point.
“The awareness that this film is bringing and all of that just really, really makes me very happy.”
With body positivity being an important topic for the Texas State University student, Kaplan says that the themes of Empire Waist had a profound impact that really resonated with them.
“I like to say that Lenore’s story is my story if I hadn’t found a way to heal,” they say. “As a plus-size person, it made me emotional to see a character living authentically in her own body. Despite her insecurities, she is able to prevail and follow her artistic passion. That felt very close to home for me.”
As Lenore’s parents, Kaplan shares the screen with Rainn Wilson and Missi Pyle, whose contrasting parenting styles add depth to the story. Off camera, Kaplan describes her experience working with the two as incredible, noting that they genuinely felt like a real family.
“Working with Rainn, it’s like, you just get to play, because he’s such a master at his craft on that set. It’s like you doing comedy with him is a master class. With Missy, I got to do some really tough stuff with her, and she made me feel so comfortable.”
Throughout the movie, Missi Pyle’s fitness and health-obsessed character has some hard conversations with her daughter. And prior to filming, the Bringing Down the House standout deeply expressed to her on-screen daughter that the harsh lines in her script does not reflect her true feelings.
‘[Missy] came into my dressing room day one and gave me a gift and said, ‘You know, none of these words are from me, and if you ever need a hug, I’m here.’ And to this day, she has my back and I’m forever grateful for that. And just what a talent.”
When it comes to talent, watching Empire Waist might lead you to believe that Jemima (Mima) Yevu has been in the industry for years. We were astonished to discover that this film marks her debut. Her portrayal of the easy-going, confident, and absolutely fabulous Kayla makes you wish you could be part of their friend group.
“She immediately came on set and I said, oh, this is gonna be a friend for life,” Kaplan says of Yevu.”We had this bond that was just so clear and and so lovely and we really were able to have each other’s backs in this film.
“This is her first ever film which is absolutely crazy because she’s brilliant and so lovely and fun to work with and follows her instincts as an actor so beautifully.
“We had the most fun on this set,” Kaplan continues. “I’m sure the outtakes are crazy because literally the whole time we were just messing around. That bond was instant and forever. I talked to her all the time, she’s the best ever.”
Aside from the great talent surrounding this film, including a powerhouse of a performance from Kaplan, who is destined to be big star, the actress gives their reasons on why you should check out Empire Waist.
“Do you want to have fun and also feel touched? If you’ve never felt seen on screen, chances are we’ve got something in there for you,” Mia Kaplan explains.
“If you want to grow your sense of empathy for all types of bodies, all types of people, go check out this film. If you love fashion, go check out the film. If you want to support some indie filmmakers, go check out this film.”
Not only is Empire Waist one of the best films of the year, it is truly the standout feel-good movie of the year.
Empire Waist is in select theaters now with a wide release coming soon.
