Lisa Anderson – Legit Married

We had the opportunity to interview Lisa Anderson, the filmmaker of Legit Married. Legit Married is an official selection of the 12th annual Utah Film Festival. 

When a Pakistani immigrant with big dreams of making it as an actor enters into a green card marriage with his privileged American friend, they get in over their heads. Will their fake marriage spark real feelings?

What was the inspiration to make Legit Married?

We were interested in exploring how you navigate two institutions that set you up to fail: Immigration and Marriage. We were interested in putting a comedic spin on a serious topic.

From idea to completion, how did Legit Married change? 

We actually started out with the half-hour version of our pilot script that we are in the process of pitching to tv production studios. But since that can be a lengthy process, we were interested in condensing our pilot script into a webisode format that we could make ourselves on a shoestring budget. So we cut our 38 page pilot script down to 12 pages and simplified the shooting script by setting it in just a few locations.

What was the biggest challenge in getting this show made? 

One of our biggest challenges was shooting with a three person crew. We had a microbudget and stretched it out by doing several of the production roles ourselves. For example, co-writer/co-star/co-producer Lisa Jill Anderson was also in charge of production design and costumes, and co-writer Stephen Brown was also the script supervisor.

What do you think is the most important takeaway from Legit Married?

One of the most important takeaways from Legit Married is that pursuing a green card through marriage is not a simple route! It’s not this straightforward and easy path like so many people seem to think. It’s intense, it’s complicated and emotionally draining.

If you could have a do over with Legit Married is there anything that you would do differently? If so, what would that be?

We would have loved to be able to shoot more than one episode! This story has a full 5-season arc that we’re hoping to get out into the world.

What do you have next in the works?

We are finalists for the ATX TV Festival pitch competition and are in the process of pitching our series to production companies.

How can we learn more about you and your projects?

You can learn more by visiting our website at www.legitmarried.com.