Towards the end of the runtime of Mark, Mary & Some Other People, after a particularly uncomfortable scene in which the titular married couple (played by Riverdale alum Hayley Law and Ben Rosenfield) have gone to Planned Parenthood to get tested for STIs (they recently opened up their marriage), comes a super tense moment between the up-until-this-point fairly happy-go-lucky pair. Mark is yelling at Mary about being reckless about safe sex. But of course, the argument isn’t actually about that; it’s about their relationship as a whole. After sitting there listening to her husband call her a promiscuous mess, Mary turns to him and sharply cuts through the long extended metaphor, clearly stating what’s at play here: “When did you decide that you hated me this much?”
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It's a gutting moment to watch, but it was even more emotional for the Canadian actress to deliver. “Even though that was only one line, I was really hurt saying that,” she tells Refinery29 over the phone. “I was channelling old relationships, thinking of an ex that I had, where it was like why are we still together? I feel like you hate me. I don’t know why we’re still doing this when you clearly don’t want to be here and neither do I. That moment felt like one of the realest moments in the movie for me. It’s [with] a partner, or a friend, or a school, or a job, there’s a moment where you’re like: This is not right.”
In case you’re wondering: the indie film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10 and is set for release in the fall, doesn’t start out this intense. In fact, it’s a comedy, which follows the aforementioned Mark and Mary, two former university acquaintances who reconnect at a convenience store over Fritos and Doritos. The plot, at first, is familiar: Boy meets girl, boy and girl quickly fall in love, and get married. But then, the twist: Girl asks boy if he’d try opening their relationship up to other partners. What follows is a completely contemporary and relatable exploration of monogamy, growing up, figuring out what it means to be an adult, and figuring out that what you initially thought you wanted might not be what you wanted at all. (Plus, there’s a lot of sex.)
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It’s a role that’s not entirely new for Vancouver native Law, who has built up much of her career in indie films that explore actually relevant topics to young people. This isn’t How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, where a low-level magazine columnist can inexplicably afford a chic apartment and has to figure out whether her extremely unethical hijinks will end with the perfect man falling for her. (Plus, Kate Hudson's Andie would've never dared even think about a threesome!) Many of Law’s films, like 2018’s The New Romantic and 2020’s Echo Boomers, delve into IRL issues like student debt, the world of sugar babies and romanticizing relationships; and now, figuring out what actually serves you as you enter adulthood.
A day after the film’s film fest premiere (a slightly overwhelming experience for Law), Refinery29 Canada spoke with the Riverdale actor about becoming a new type of leading lady, and watching sex scenes with her parents. Minor spoilers ahead.
Refinery29: This is your first role as a leading lady. What was it like taking that on?
Hayley Law: It felt really natural and right; having this film be the first one where I get to step into that role felt like the perfect transition into a leading role. Especially having it be a comedy, [because comedy] is where I want to live forever. I really hope that I can do more. I will say it feels weird to see myself [on-screen] for so long. [Laughs]. It’s like: Okay I’m here, oh I’m still here, oh people are still watching me.
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Are you someone that can watch yourself on-screen or did you have your hands over your eyes the entire time at the screening?
My dad was there [at the premiere], and I had my hand over my eyes for the parts that I didn't want my dad to see. But he was really cool about it! I don't mind watching myself because I don't feel like I'm watching myself. I feel like I can step outside of it.
Were you nervous for him to see the sex scenes?
[Laughs] Yes, for sure. There’s also one scene where I cry a lot, and my dad was upset about it. I know he has a hard time watching stuff like that and I didn't want to look at him when there were really emotional scenes. But mostly the sex scenes.
Sex was a big part of the movie. What was your experience like filming those scenes?
It was really not normal, but everybody was so kind, and we were all aware of what each other was cool with. It never got to a weird place where I had to get mad at somebody, because I would if I had to, but everybody was really respectful.
What I really love about a lot of your movies is that they explore relevant topics for young people. The New Romantic was about relationships and growing up via the world of sugar babies, Echo Boomers touched on student debt, and this film is about figuring out what you want and questioning monogamy. They're real conversations that young people are having with their friends. Why do you feel that these stories are important to explore?
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I definitely prefer to do things that have some sort of message or people can relate to in some way. They all are quite relevant, and I'm glad that it worked out that way, but at the time, I didn't think I want each to be teaching something or starting a conversation. But I think it is really important. Especially this movie and The New Romantic, I felt like I knew people that were going through things that the characters were dealing with. It’s really special to be able to tell a story and have my friends [relate to it], or even channel some of my friends into the characters. When I was doing The New Romantic, a friend of mine asked me where I was getting inspiration for that character, because it felt familiar, and I was like, “I was thinking about you!”
I felt like I could see aspects of myself in Mary. Did you identify or relate to any parts of her?
Definitely. Not in every way, but I felt like I understood where Mary was coming from in every situation. It gave me an opportunity to explore things that in my personal life I'm too shy or nervous to, but Mary’s just down for whatever; I wish I was a little bit more like that. And it was fun to be that way for a month because I always want to be more like that. I feel like Mary's my alter ego.
Kind of like a Sasha Fierce situation. I also didn't know if I really liked Mary or Mark at certain points in the film. Did you feel that playing them or watching it back?
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Totally. I kind of love that about it. They're not good for each other, so they don't bring out great parts of one another in their relationship. Maybe in another relationship Mark is the most lovable one and in another relationship Mary’s the most lovable one. It’s hard.
It's realistic, though.
You know when you have a friend that’s dating someone and you're like, “Ugh, man I can’t stand that guy,” because you’re only hearing the bad parts of your friend’s relationship? I'm sure he's fine in another relationship, but just with this person he’s not the best — or she’s not the best.
I really liked this throughline in the movie of not knowing what you want before you want it. At the beginning of the film, Mark talks about good opportunities coming from things that don't exist, or things that you don't realize you want. Is that something that you can personally relate to?
Definitely. It's a hard pill to swallow, but the more I meet people [the more I realize] that everybody is constantly figuring it out. It's okay to not know what you want and go with the flow. Instead of trying to figure out exactly how your life is going to go, the whole purpose is to just go with it and enjoy it and let it take you where it’s going to take you. It's still hard for me to accept that, but that's the only way you enjoy every day.
The film’s ending was pretty ambiguous. What do you think about the way it was left?
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The first time I read the script I was like, What? So what happened? Then after I read it again and started learning about the characters, I really liked how it ends. Because real life almost never ends how most movies end, and even though it may feel like there's no closure, it’s honest. People break up, and they feel something about it, and they still have feelings for an ex; whether it's that they want to get back together or they just have memories. There’s comfort in being familiar with someone. I don't necessarily feel like [Mark and Mary] were thinking, I wish we got back together, but they had a really big moment between them that you just can't forget. A lot of people can relate to that.
How do you think the characters end up?
I don't think that they're friends. I think that was the closure. I'm in my twenties, too. So not to be like “you do crazy stuff in your 20s,” but some people get married young and then you get divorced and you move on. Life begins again. A lot of people feel weird about that. I have a friend that was married early and got divorced at 25 and she felt like crap about it. But that’s life, and I'm really happy that this movie shows that it’s totally fine. You can get married one time, 10 times. It’s all just your path and there's nothing wrong with whichever way it goes.
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What are you looking to do next?
I would love to work with Seth Rogen. I’m also writing my own comedy. It’s fun to write your own stuff and it’s the only way you can get your whole soul into a movie. But I would love to work with Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, comedians that I have watched and loved for so long. Superbad is my favourite movie of all time.
Maybe you could write your comedy and Seth Rogen and Bill Hader could star in it alongside you?
Ugh, that would be cool.
My final question is bringing it back to the question that started everything between Mark and Mary: Do you prefer Fritos or Doritos?
You know what, I've never had Fritos.
Really?
I'm from Vancouver and I don't know if we have Fritos in Canada.
I was gonna actually say, I'm from Vancouver as well...
Oh really?! Do we have Fritos there?
I don’t think so! You’re right; the only time I’ve ever had them is in the States.
And to be honest with you — I'm not a huge fan of Doritos. There goes any sponsorship I could have gotten [laughs]. I used to love them, but as an adult now...I prefer Kettle chips.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.