Austin Film Festival Conversations: Susie Mendoza, Writer of ‘Dick Bunny’

Drew Droege as Dick Bunny in the Television Series, ‘Dick Bunny’.

Dick Bunny is a refreshing new television series that recently screened at the Austin Film Festival, that offers up some honesty regarding what motherhood is actually like. And we here at NTG the distinct honor of sitting down with the show’s writer, Susie Mendoza to discuss the construction of this fascinating series.
 
John Betancourt: What was it that inspired you to write Dick Bunny?
 
Susie Mendoza: Well, my ultimate goal is to write shows that are a full expression of my creative voice. And, sometimes, when you have an inner weirdo like I do, it’s not easy to translate for other humans. So, I was writing spec pilots and getting feedback like, “We liked this, but we're not ready to dive in yet.”  I decided that the only way I could showcase who I am was to create a whole season of a show, starting with an original concept. And who can afford to shoot that? I decided to shrink it down into short episodes. So, then I sat down, and said, “Well, what is my skill set, besides whistling and lining up my remotes? (Laughs) I knew I wanted to do a deep dive into the first year of motherhood and the psychological rewiring that happens. So, the idea of, like, having puppets in the head came pretty quickly. I mean, doesn’t every new mom have a mason jar filled with nuts-and-bolts rattling around in their heads?

Then I brainstormed, “What can I offer that another writer can’t?” And one thing I know how to do is illustrate children’s books. I thought, “I can create a children's book, now, what if the character came to life and was this Beatrix Potter-esque, sarcastic man, rabbit. He could poke holes in society's expectations for moms and the culture of perfection that we live in. And then it kind of went from there. I also wanted to work with my friend, the fabulous actress, Kim Griffin, and created the role of Max for her, paired with the Dick Bunny character, for all mankind. (Laughter) So she could have an ally in this strange new world.
 
John Betancourt: I'm very curious what it was that went into the decision to create the antithesis to what we see in television and film about motherhood?
 
Susie Mendoza: Well, you know, they always say, write what you know, and I think that means–write the raw stuff. Write what you know, emotionally, in that moment. When I was deep in the weeds of early motherhood, I wrote a McSweeney's piece called, “The Biggest Challenge of Parenting is Becoming a Human Meatsuit.” (Laughter from Susie and John) And the meat suit became a metaphor for the experience. I wanted to continue to find unique ways to go into that period of time where your brain is completely rewired. It's almost psychedelic, and that, of course, tied into the Alice in Wonderland of it all. Really, it’s… a documentary. (Laughter) I thought it was just a truthful depiction of my experience, but it resonated with mothers who also had talking cotton balls in their heads that were, you know, castrating them for their lack of conversation at adult dinner parties. So, by writing what I knew in terms of raw emotional specificity, I ended up subverting traditional tv mom tropes. And why would you want to write anything that wasn't raw? That’s where connection exists.

John Betancourt:  I think that's a fair point. I'd much rather…. if I was to be a parent, I would much rather prefer watch Dick Bunny and get an understanding that this is not going to be easy, as opposed to getting, you know, just pomp and circumstance.
 
Susie Mendoza:  The best comedy tells the truth in the most specific way, and that's what I tried to do. In improv, there's this thing called “The Cloud.” So, once you get on the stage with all these people, if someone says, “buttermilk” or “hairnet”, it goes into an invisible thought cloud. Then you draw from this thought bank for other scenes. I felt like motherhood was its own “Cloud”. So, what would be in a new mom’s “Cloud”? It made sense for her cloud to be filled with hallucinatory conversations, but also, it'd be items from her world. Things like soup cans and spices. There’d be a screaming sheep that she saw on YouTube and things like that.
 
John Betancourt:  Now, obviously, you just mentioned that there's been some positive feedback, some real recognition of it, what does it mean to you to have that kind of validation come into play?
 
Susie Mendoza: This is where I take a minute to thank the director, Katie O'Brien, who is not only a seasoned television director, but has amazing comic sensibilities. She was the person I needed to translate the whole thing, so that people got it. And so, her coming on board and recognizing it at the beginning, made all the difference.  Her saying, “Hey, this is the fresh take on motherhood that I want to do,” validated the idea. And she was willing to take time away from her busy schedule flying to shoot Ghosts, and other shows, to shoot, Dick Bunny, which was amazing because she created this whole visual world I never could have. I guess what I'm trying to say here is you have to find creative soulmates that get it. Her vision was what I saw in my head and beyond, and people understand it now. It looks like a gorgeous, real, television show, instead of just me filming sock puppets on my phone.
 
John Betancourt: Ultimately, what do you want this series to accomplish for people? What's the message you want them to take away from it?
 
Susie Mendoza: I want other moms that are going through this and are in the weeds to feel less alone. And I also want… I want to connect with all people and let them know that society's expectations are absolute “bollocks,” in the words of Dick Bunny. Just find your people and it's going to be okay. Just lean into it all and be your authentic self. And there's your after school special moment, actually, it truly is what I want to say. Just be yourself. Yeah, you're beautiful.
 
John Betancourt: See, that’s so refreshing to hear. Because I very much appreciated the fact that you really hammered home what motherhood is actually like, and that there isn’t some superhero moment, and that there’s not a ton of knowledge of what actually happens when you become a mom.
 
Susie Mendoza: It was amazing to me when I had a baby, that suddenly I was expected to know how to install a car seat correctly, or my child would die. And, the news tells you people are leaving their kids in the backseat of the hot car, so make sure you put a flip-flop back there to remind yourself and it’s like, “Oh, my God, this is all my responsibility.” You have to know what schools to get into, what nipple cream works best, and make sure they don't eat honey. Apparently, that’s like giving them an eight ball. (Laughter) And these are all tasks that used to be performed by an entire community. We're missing the community of people to help raise children now. It's all being put on mothers, and it's too much. So, I just want to say to all the moms–be your own version of motherhood. And, you know, my version might be McDonald's drive thru. I mean, allegedly, every three days, I don't know. (Laughter)
 
John Betancourt: Allegedly, my dad might have taken me there every weekend.
 
Susie Mendoza: Just find a public school near you and just walk there and just, it's all fine. They're gonna be okay. As long as they're loved, you know, and you don't leave them at the YMCA.
 
John Betancourt: Yes, because then they might get raised there.
 
Susie Mendoza: Well, that might be better. (Laughter from Susie and John)
 
John Betancourt: That’s a whole different show altogether! And then obviously, I'm assuming this brings, you know, a level of catharsis and a level of, of just understanding for yourself. Which leads me to my next question, because what I've been noticing this whole weekend, and this whole event has been a lot of passionate projects. And there's a lot of passion that went into this, I hear it in your voice. So really, ideally, what did you find most fulfilling about working on this project?
 
Susie Mendoza: Having a point of view on the world, being able to execute it, and then having someone say, “Hey, that reminds me of the time that, you know, I did that.”  I had a lot of moms on set, and they would pull me aside and say, “You really captured my postpartum anxiety.” And I realized that maybe I didn't even know myself, and so a conversation was started. Connecting with real moms and having a unique window into that was so cathartic for me.
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have for you today. What are you most proud of when it comes to project?
 
Susie Mendoza: Oh, that's, that's a tough one. What am I most proud of? That we captured a specific human experience through an unusual lens and, in doing so, connected with a universal audience.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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