Heidi Gardner and William H. Macy are ready to make a splash with their forthcoming dramedy feature.
Gardner and Macy are set to star in the indie film The Swimming Lesson from writer-director Casey Twenter, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Production is scheduled to begin this summer in Gardner’s hometown of Kansas City.
The Swimming Lesson centers on Tay (Gardner), a single mother who leaves behind her complicated life in Los Angeles to return to her childhood home. She winds up embroiled in a custody battle over son Albee, an autistic child who is obsessed with the ocean but terrified of swimming. Macy co-stars as Leonard, Tay’s foul-mouthed father whose blunt nature can sometimes disguise the fact that he remains loyal to his daughter and grandson.
Making his solo directorial feature debut, Twenter helmed the project from a script he co-wrote with Jeff Robison. Twenter and Robison previously co-wrote the 2014 drama Rudderless, which marked Macy’s directorial debut and landed distribution after premiering at Sundance.
The Swimming Lesson’s producers include Dan Koetting for KP’s Remain and Robison for Kindling Productions, along with Jen Greenstreet and Mandi Kearns for Just Like You Films. Mark Williams serves as director of photography, and Mateo Messina is composing the music. Spark Casting’s Stefanie Seifer and Hailey Giles are handling casting.
“We knew Tay needed an actor who could carry the humor, chaos and heartbreak of this story, and Heidi is exactly that,” says Twenter. “From there, the goal was surrounding her with a supporting ensemble that could meet her at that level, and there’s no better place to start than William H. Macy. Bill brings the bite, warmth and lived-in humanity Leonard needs, and I’m thrilled to be working with him again.”
Known for her eight seasons on Saturday Night Live, Gardner’s other forthcoming features include Scary Movie and the Will Ferrell-led Judgment Day, while her series work includes NBC’s The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins and Apple TV’s Shrinking. Macy is an Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actor whose recent credits include The Running Man, Train Dreams and Dan Fogelman’s forthcoming Hulu series The Land.
Adds Gardner, “When I first read The Swimming Lesson, I thought this is both funny and real. And I’m excited to be in a movie that emulates that.”
