Who says a midwife must be female? In 2022, anybody with experience, skill, heart, and integrity could possibly fill the bill. Even if they are an eccentric man boy who inadvertently tosses an emotional wrench into your relationship. Welcome to Doula, the new slice-of-life comedy from actor-turned-producer Chris Pine. That’s right, the Star Trek and Wonder Woman alum ventures behind the camera and wears the producer’s hat alongside frequent collaborator Ian Gotler (All The Old Knives). Together, their Barry Linen Motion Pictures enterprise has given birth to a timely story for today’s modern audiences.
“I think we made a truly unique film,” Pine says. “Perhaps an odd film, and I say that in the best way.”
Without a doubt, Doula is as quirky as it is charming. After dating for several months, thirtysomethings Deb (Troian Bellisario of Pretty Little Liars) and Silvio (Arron Shiver of Boardwalk Empire) are expecting their first child. Then their elderly midwife, Penka dies — mid-meditation, in fact, which, if you’re going to go, may be one of the best ways. Freaked, Silvio acts on impulse and hires Penka’s son, Sascha (Will Greenberg), to take over as the couple’s live-in doula. Surprised that Silvio didn’t consult her, Deb resists at first, but Sascha’s unconventional lifestyle captures her attention and the two grow closer. As the pregnancy nears its inevitable endgame, Silvio feels like the odd man out and wonders if he should force Deb to choose between him and Sascha?
“The film depicts pregnancy and two people becoming parents in a way I've never seen depicted before,” Pine notes. “And I think that really important.”
A Great Backstory
The genesis of the project began with Gotler, Pine’s good friend and creative partner. Gotler wanted to produce a project, so he encouraged Pine to lean into that realm of filmmaking, too. “I had no interest in doing it, but Ian came back with a bunch of incredible material,” Pine says. Coincidentally, Pine’s close friends (Shiver, Bellisario, Greenberg, director Cheryl Nichols) — folks he’d known for more than 20 years and all creators in their own right — were contemplating projects, too. “Arron brought me Doula and it was one of the first things I read that he wrote. The idea was to have Cheryl direct it, which I loved. I immediately thought of Will and Troian, and the whole thing coalesced quite naturally. Filmmaking is so hard. It takes a lot of time and it's obviously a passion-filled endeavor with obstacles you must overcome mostly by sheer will. So, if you're going to spend time with people, you may as well enjoy being around them during filming.”
At the time, Pine was on location shooting another project, so much of the creative process initially happened via Zoom. When shooting began, Pine appreciated knowing that his good friends were making the film together. He’d arrive on location much later to shoot several scenes — his take on a cheery, absent-minded doc stands out, in fact. “I loved knowing that during quarantine, when things were so difficult, that we were all making a piece of art. And being able to make it with your friends was a joyous adventure.”
Shiver finished the script back in 2019, springboarding off an idea about his own experiences with alternative birthing professionals — his son was born at home. He tossed around the idea of a male doula, a rare thing in doula circles, and the story filled out from there.
Another interesting aspect about the production was that Bellisario was herself pregnant during the shoot. “It was just the bizarre timing of it,” she says. “I was only four months pregnant and I wore a ‘belly’ over my constantly expanding belly. So, over the course of the film, as I continued to expand and eat more, they had to carve out the inside of my pregnancy belly so that I could comfortably fit inside of it. When we came back a few months later, I was eight-and-a-half months pregnant. It was time to shoot some scenes with Chris and finish up the movie. At that point, I didn't need the “belly” anymore.” Chuckling, she adds, “So really, these guys were just cheap and wanted to hire somebody who didn't need a real prosthetic.”
Power of Pine
To be sure, Pine is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. He can morph into comedic roles, like Doula, as smoothly as dramatic ones. Blockbuster franchises aside, Pine’s performances are realistic (People Like Us, The Contractor, Hell or High Water), even when he’s asked to play things over the top (This Means War, Into The Woods). Doula is just one new project of several that place Pine behind the scenes. Earlier this year, he and Gotler shared producing credits in Amazon’s All the Old Knives. He also serves as an executive producer on Hulu’s hit limited series, I Am the Night.
How does he choose his projects? Nearly a decade ago, when I interviewed Pine for People Like Us, he admitted that he pays attention to synchronicities and “serendipity" — those seemingly random life moments that may holder deeper meaning. In conversation, Pine's depth shines though — he comes across as present and humble. In a recent interview about his career choices, he told Metro UK, “I’m led by curiosity, so my job affords me this great opportunity to just follow my inner compass to what I’m feeling and grooving on.”
Up next for Pine? The buzz keeps building for that hard-to-creatively pin down Star Trek sequel, but you can catch Pine in next year’s highly anticipated Dungeons & Dragons film. And while everything’s been tightlipped about Newsflash, in which Pine reportedly plays broadcast icon Walter Cronkite covering the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on live television, curiosity surrounding the project keeps growing. He also stars in Olivia Wilde’s fall drama, Don’t Worry Darling alongside Florence Pugh. And for the indie comedy Poolman, Pine took on director’s duties in a tale about a befuddled pool technician.
As for Doula, the star is optimistic that today’s streaming audiences will embrace the heartwarming tale. “I loved having a viewpoint, a perspective, and a voice both behind and in front of the camera, and on the page that is not ‘straight’ ahead,” Pine says. “It’s unique. This is ‘filmmaking’ and good art in my book. I really love the filmmakers behind this — the artists behind the artists stand out, and the way the subject matter is told is appealing.
“I mean, here’s a serious subject with all the absurdity of life,” he adds, “and I think right now, given everything that's happening — and happened over the last two years [with the pandemic] — I love the idea of putting out a message that’s all about love and family connection; imperfect people dealing with the trials and tribulations of this life and how hard that can be. But at the end of the day, being able to have a laugh and giggle along the way. We all need that.”
Doula is available on Digital and On Demand, beginning Tuesday, June 28.