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Then, we worked together on an episode that I was acting in, and I was also on set to kind of be an assistant, and a second set of eyes,” Jensen added. Jay Duplass , who is a very close friend of mine, knew I was doing this. The writer, director, and star’s first documentary, “Walking to Werner,” chronicled his 1,200-mile walk to meet Werner Herzog, and now he’s back with the new short-form series, “While “The Ride” is a scripted comedy, it too emerged from a true story about Phillips’ daily grind — as executive producer “Linas had been Lyft driving since recently moving back to L.A. a couple years ago — and not loving it,” Duplass said. Linas told him about being so frustrated that he’d kicked out a few passengers, then pitched us on the idea his character being a wanna-be spiritual coach that annoys his passengers by trying to practice on them.”Inspired by his fascination with spiritual teachers, Phillips’ project has earned him a place in the Indie Episodic lineup at the 2020 Six episodes will premiere at Sundance, all of which feature Phillips playing more roles than your average multi-hyphenate — and in tighter conditions. While driving strangers around, Wayne discovers that he can find meaning in his life by giving them spiritual advice, and a little help with their negative thoughts—whether they want it or not.At the time, DBP’s Charlie Leahy and Nigel Lopez-McBean were looking for shows to develop. Serving as the series’ creator, director and writer, Phillips also stars as Wayne, a 40-year-old rideshare driver and spiritual coach who has recently moved back in with his mom. Send us a tip using our annonymous form.Copyright © 2020 Penske Business Media, LLC. Watch the trailer (and check out the poster) below.Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft.Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox The Duplass brothers, through their production house DBP Donut, helped Phillips get the episodes made with a little ingenuity and elbow grease.“Watching Linas trying to focus on the acting, directing, and editing while driving a car on a tiny crew with our D.P. All Rights reserved. But at the same time, it’s proven an opportunity to work with up-and-coming talent, while testing the boundaries of a relatively new and exciting space. A close friend of Phillips’, Jay Duplass approached him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. “And I was like, ‘Yeah.’”As he began to develop the short-form series, Phillips felt a great deal of pressure. A graduate of New York University's Experimental Theater Wing, Linas Phillips started out as a live performer of experimental theater and alternative comedy while living in New York City. Nathan [Miller] in the front seat, squished up against the door, just out of frame, so every time they hit a speed bump or turned too quickly he’d get the door handle shoved into his ribs — making shorter form stuff, sometimes you just gotta figure things out,” Duplass said.For Duplass, it’s all worth it in the end when you’re making projects you’re passionate about.“The thing I love most about this show is that it is, at its core, a broad comedy premise,” he said. Linas Phillips: Well, I was a Lyft driver in real life, and the production company DBP Donut wanted to do a show about a rideshare driver. “The format lends itself to new and diverse creators with a cool point of view being able to do something with this,” the EP said, “so Donut was essentially set up as ‘The Experimental Lab of Mark and Jay.’”For more from our conversation with the team behind Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networksWe want to hear from you! “It was really great having that perspective—being [Linas’] friend, knowing which part of the show are from his real life and which parts are created, and seeing that blur to all seem real.”For Leahy and Lopez-McBean, who executive produced From the perspective of Lopez-McBean, the future of short-form remains unclear. “But the execution is sad, sweet, and super oddball. “He called me up and said, ‘Do you want to do a show about how horrible your life is?’” the writer/director recalled. Linas Phillips, Actor: Manson Family Vacation. I hope this is the kind of show people will click on because of the inviting concept and ideally stay for Linas’ unique version of this story.”“The Ride” premieres Tuesday, January 28 at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
“Joslyn was very helpful,” Phillips said, “and would remind me about little moments, real things from my life, that I was maybe too embarrassed to put in on my own.”“We’d go on these walks, and we’d talk about it, and he’d show me some scripts. Linas' day job for over 5 years was babysitting special needs kids, with whom he started making short videos.