In the spotlight

By Casey Gillis

Published: November 12, 2008

Name: Rebecca Pelletier

How you know her: The Heritage High School grad was active in community theater while growing up in Lynchburg. After graduating in 1995, she moved to New York to attend the American Musical & Dramatic Academy for two years, and landed roles on “Guiding Light” and “All My Children.”

Her short film “Swing Vote,” which she wrote, directed and stars in, will be screened during Riverviews Artspace’s CINEviews Film Festival at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

A wake-up call: Pelletier was living and working in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, and says it changed her outlook on life.

“It was just sort of a wake-up call for me,” she says.

“My priorities shifted, and I started to see the world a little differently.”

She decided it was time to enroll at a four-year college, something she’d always wanted to do, and she studied anthropology at Purchase College in Westchester, New York.

“I felt I needed to be grounded in the world,” she says. “I needed to know what was going on.”

Being there inspired a stronger interest in community and political activism in Pelletier, who created experimental films and documentaries that questioned ideas of self and society.

“I’m a big fan of Bob Dylan, and he has a quote that says everything he does is political,” she says. “I feel the same way about my work. Even when I’m not trying, I hope there’s a bigger message.”

Bait and switch: She wrote “Swing Vote” with longtime friend Emily Morse, who also costars.

In the comedy, Pelletier and Morse play two friends who are disenchanted by the results of the 2004 presidential election. So they set out to swing the results of the 2008 election by swaying male Republican voters with their womanly charms.

“We were wondering (if) maybe women have a special power of persuasion (with men),” Pelletier says.

“We ran with it. With comedy, you really take it to the extreme.”

They’re certainly not saying that this is the way to sway voters, but “it’s symbolic of a bigger movement (and) throwing yourself into a cause,” Pelletier says.

“This is a comedy, but it still deals with a lot of issues,” she adds. “I like to call it the bait and switch. The sex gets the attention, but at the same time, there’s a message thrown in there, too.”

She and Morse wrote the script in three months and shot the film over 10 days in New York City, which was standing in for Philadelphia (they wanted the story to take place in a swing state).

Pelletier says the film was made, “including every granola bar,” for about $10,000.

Coming home: Pelletier, who still lives in New York City with her actor-husband John Shortall, says she’s excited to show her film here.
“I have a real connection to Lynchburg,” she says. “I have so many good memories from high school there. I’m excited. It really means a lot to come home.”

In this feature, we catch up with Central Virginians who have gained notice in the entertainment world. Do you know any former Hill City residents who are doing something interesting? Contact Casey Gillis at .