Ep 068: Disney+'s Out of My Mind and the Importance of Being Heard
Sarah had the pleasure of interviewing Amber Sealey, director of the newly released Disney+ film OUT OF MY MIND, alongside the movie's star, Phoebe-Rae Taylor.
Listen to recent episodes on Apple Podcasts:
Listen on Spotify | Amazon | iHeart | Any player
Out of My Mind is based on the best-selling novel of the same name and tells the story of Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, who has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.
This film is a compelling story about acceptance, love, friendship, and joy and it doesn’t shy away from the challenges that come when people judge you by your disability. It’s a great testament to the importance of inclusivity and giving everyone a chance to be heard.
Listen to Braaains on these platforms (or anywhere you listen to podcasts!)
Music: Deppisch
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast
ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Phoebe-Rae Taylor (actress, plays Melody Brooks in Out of My Mind)
British-born Phoebe-Rae Taylor makes her acting debut in “Out of My Mind,” after having submitted a home-made audition tape at her mother’s suggestion. She is thrilled to be starring in a Disney movie and hopes to continue acting in the future.
Phoebe lives in Essex, England with her mother and three sisters, Heidi, Farrah, and Kiki, and like most teenagers, loves listening to music, spending time on her phone, and playing with her labradoodle Ludo and her cat Flur. Phoebe attends high school and is a passionate advocate on the topic of childhood bullying. Like her character Melody, she is the biggest fan of the TV show Friends.
Amber Sealey (director, Out of My Mind)
Amber Sealey is an award-winning filmmaker whose most recent film, OUT OF MY MIND (Disney/ Participant/Big Beach), premiered at Sundance 2024 to multiple standing ovations. Based on the best-selling YA novel of the same name, it stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, and Judith Light with Jennifer Aniston voicing the inner life of the lead.
Projects she has in development include two of her original scripts — the comedy feature COMING OF AGE and the romantic comedy BODICE RIPPER. She’s also attached to the feature MULHOLLAND with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way producing; the comedy feature BAT SHIT with Counterbalance producing; RUSS & ROGER GO BEYOND with Sobini and Permut Pictures with Josh Gad attached to play Roger Ebert; and VICTORIA with Nicky Weinstock producing. Her feature NO MAN OF GOD (SpectreVision/Company X/XYZ Films/RLJ Entertainment), starring Elijah Wood and Luke Kirby, was theatrically released in 2021 to rave reviews.
She has been supported by Sundance, Film Independent, Women In Film, is a fellow of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, and has written scripts for Duplass Brothers/Donut Productions. She was selected for Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, the NBCUniversal Directors Initiative, the WeForShe DirectHer program, Film Independent’s Directing Lab, and their Fast Track program.
Her short film, HOW DOES IT START, world premiered at Sundance and (among other awards) won Best Narrative Short at Sarasota FF, and is being turned into a feature film. Her feature NO LIGHT & NO LAND ANYWHERE was theatrically released by Factory 25 and won a Special Jury Award at the LA Film Festival. Her second feature, HOW TO CHEAT, won Best Performance at LAFF, and won both Best Narrative and Best Acting at BendFilm. Her first film, A PLUS D, was released by IndiePix.
Sealey has a BA in Theatre Arts and Modern Dance from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MA from The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She studied Shakespeare at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She was born in England and lives in Los Angeles with her family.
LINKS
Watch Out of My Mind: https://ondisneyplus.disney.com/movie/out-of-my-mind
More info on the film: Wikipedia, IMDB
Instagram: Amber Sealey, Phoebe-Rae Taylor, Disney+
Amber Sealey website: https://www.ambersealey.com/about
Other episodes you’ll enjoy:
Working with Disability and Mental Health Consultants - Episode 047
You’re Not Alone: How Stigma Hurts Everyone - Episode 036
Speechless, Special, and Cerebral Palsy- Episode 025