She knocked it out of the Park. Megan Park is an actress-turned-filmmaker whose directorial debut The Fallout drops today (!) on HBO Max. The story follows teen Vada (Jenna Ortega) as she navigates the emotional aftermath of a school tragedy and finds the hope that emerges from loss. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, and Megan was listed in Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch for 2022.

Here, the Canadian tells us how she’s giving light to untold stories, why being in front of the camera made her better behind it, and whether things are looking up for women in the industry.

Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, and Shailene Woodley are perfect for their roles. How did you cast them?
I had friends read the script and they were like, “You should think about this girl, Jenna Ortega,” so I got coffee with her and her mom. I could tell within seconds of meeting her that she embodied the character so much, so we built the rest of the cast around her.

I thought of Maddie when I wrote the character of Mia because she’s a dancer. She came in and read and she was amazing. Getting to know her in real life, I realized she really is like Mia, because she’s very reserved and quiet, yet she expresses herself through movement.

And Shailene has been a friend of mine for years and wanted to read the script. She said, “Can I play the therapist? I just want to be in it and work with you.” A lot of people think we cast Shai and then built the movie around her, but she really came in at the end. She just believed in the project and believed in me.

What inspired you to make a movie about a school shooting?
Unfortunately, there wasn’t just one event that inspired this, but it drew out of complete frustration and feeling like I couldn’t do anything to help. I grew up in a different time and in Canada where I didn’t feel threatened going to school every day, so I couldn’t stop thinking about what it’d be like to be a high school student in America. I wanted to tell a different version of a story that we’re unfortunately all too familiar with.

A lot of films try overly hard to appeal to Gen Z. How did you get it right?
When I was the age of my characters, I was an actress myself, and I felt I was constantly acting stuff that didn’t feel authentic to me. So when I was making this movie, I wanted to make sure it didn’t feel like an old person looking in from the outside. It was a combination of being open-minded while also not pushing a fake narrative. In my next film, there’s a nonbinary character, and the people who have read the script have hardly noticed because it’s just there. Sometimes being inclusive means letting the audience pick up on it instead of force-feeding them a message.

In the past year, Chloé Zhao won Best Director at the Oscars, Julia Ducournau won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and you won the Grand Jury Prize at South by Southwest! Do you think the tides are changing for women in film?
Definitely, but there’s still a long way to go. The fact that we’re talking about these accomplishments as being new and exciting is proof that there’s still room to grow. But I do think people are reflecting more on the past and trying to make a conscious effort with not only who they’re hiring but also what stories they’re telling.

What advice would you give young female filmmakers looking to break into the industry?
Sometimes what you think is your greatest weakness can be a huge asset. For me, not knowing a lot about how to write a feature film actually worked in my favor, because that can be refreshing in an industry that tells the same stories over and over. Also, make stuff as much as you can, even if it’s just on your phone. To continuously experiment is really important towards figuring out who you are, what kind of art you want to make, and what stories you want to tell.

What’s next for you?
I definitely want to spend the majority of my time behind the camera. It’s weird because acting was all I’d ever known for so long, but directing brings me a whole new level of joy and satisfaction that I’m addicted to now. It’s a super busy time, but I’m excited to tell stories that haven’t been told before.