*We caught up with Kiki Layne and Thomas Doherty to discuss their captivating roles in the new IFC Film “Dandelion.”
The drama feature follows Dandelion (Layne), a struggling singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, who takes a last-chance gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota. She meets Casey (Doherty), a guitarist who gave up on his dreams years ago. As they join a nomadic group of musicians, they create music together and spark a whirlwind romance. Through this journey, Dandelion shifts from a narrow view of success to discovering her authentic artistic voice.
In a statement, director/writer Nicole Riegel said, “Dandelions are often mistaken for weeds because they can grow and thrive under the harshest climates.
“Like the title character of this film, dandelions don’t have a specific place they belong since they can survive most soil conditions, even freeze.” Riegel continued. “They are roaming herbs. There are a lot of music movies out there, but few about the women who write music. DANDELION is a deeply personal film about my experience as a filmmaker searching for a place to belong, told through the lens of a musician.”
The filmmaker added, “I wanted to share how it feels to go through my artistic process in a world that quietly tells me each day that my voice does not matter. In a world and industry of male hero worship: men are mentors,” Riegel said. “Women, their muses. Men with strong visions are moody auteurs. Women with strong visions are stubborn nightmares. Men pick up guitars and film cameras. Women inspire and are filmed.”
We asked Layne what attracted her to the role of Dandelion and how she prepared to portray the journey of a struggling singer-songwriter.
“I think the big thing that drew me to it was the opportunity to share that I’m a singer and my own love of music, and also that this character was also from Cincinnati,” Layne told EURweb. “So I knew that it would give me an opportunity to pour my love of Cincinnati and everything I learned growing up there. I think having such a close connection to such an important part of the character allowed me to pour more of myself into it.”
She continued, “The preparation for me was just mining so much of myself and just seeing where the overlaps in Dandelion’s journey as a singer/songwriter, my journey as an actor, and the things I wrestle with that I see Dandelion wrestling with and I got to pour all of that into it.”
The film highlights the transformative power of music, so we asked Layne how the music shaped her portrayal of Dandelion.
“The music is everything,” she said. “It’s Dandelion’s heart and soul… I had to be committed to pouring as much of myself into that music. It was such a gift that both of us are from Cinncinatti, so I could pour more of my real experience of growing up in the city, things that I’ve seen, things that I’ve gone through on this journey as an artist, even my own experience of the things that I’ll put into my own songs, she explained.
“I don’t think it would have worked without it because it’s such a massive piece of who she is in the story. So, in some ways, it was scary to be that vulnerable. The music is everything. It’s everything,” Layne said.
Watch our entire conversation with Kiki and Thomas via the clip below.
IFC Film will release “Dandelion” in theaters on July 12.
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