Journal
Championing Queer Stories with Tommy Dorfman
Actress, author, director, and producer Tommy Dorfman has built a career around storytelling in its many forms. First known for her work on screen, Tommy has expanded her creative practice in recent years to include writing, directing, and producing, most recently publishing her memoir, Maybe This Will Save Me, and launching her production company, Good Girl Productions. We sat down with Tommy to discuss the vision behind Good Girl and the importance of sharing queer stories, now more than ever.
Tell us a little about your production company, Good Girl Productions.
Good Girl was the result of many, many years of flying solo as a producer and working to get projects off the ground for myself and artists I believed in. There were many name iterations, identities, concepts thrown on the whiteboard before I ultimately landed on the name, an ode to all the good (and bad) girls (and people) that I love. It’s an identity and an ideology, it sparks something specific in everybody who engages with the phrase. I love when two words can open up a world of pleasure, grief, possibility…
I want to make work at Good Girl that reflects the nuance and nerve of the name, collaborating with artists and filmmakers to provoke audiences, share stories and characters that we haven’t seen before. The urgency of our work cannot be understated in a time when conservatism, control, and censorship permeate all aspects of the media we engage with in America.
What are some themes you find yourself returning to again and again as a filmmaker and producer?
While we remain genre agnostic, much of our work at the company (and thus my work as a filmmaker) explore themes of becoming, emancipation, limerance, grief, expectations of femininity, and identity.
Is there a genre you haven’t explored yet that you’re eager to move toward through the lens of queer artists?
When there are thousands of rom-coms, action films, horror movies, sci-fis, dramas that center around what we deem as “traditional” relationships, or straight/cis, I’ll barely scratch the surface of evening the scales, but I will do my best to champion queer stories in all genres.I’m currently focusing on an adaptation of Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom, which is all about body modification and the plight of late aughts influencer culture, as I’ve just finished my film Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me.
What do you think people are nostalgic for right now that we’re not hearing or seeing enough of?
Originality.
“I want to make work at Good Girl that…collaborates with artists and filmmakers to provoke audiences and share stories and characters that we haven’t seen before. The urgency of our work cannot be understated in a time when conservatism, control, and censorship permeate all aspects of the media we engage with in America.”
- Tommy Dorfman
Was there a moment early in your career where someone made space for you creatively in a way that you hope to carry forward?
Yes, and I don’t think she would mind me sharing this. During the pandemic, early in my transition, I was trying to find the space to write I Wish You All the Best. Lena Dunham gave me the gift of a home in the woods to detach from my looming divorce and focus on my ever changing body and my writing. I’m not sure I would’ve made the movie without her generosity and faith in me as an artist.
What kind of person are you always excited to see represented on screen?
Anyone trans.
What's an unpopular opinion you have about beauty, fashion, or culture?
That it’s all made up, make believe. Everyone is storytelling, especially through marketing when you’re a larger fashion/beauty company. It’s all pretend. Culture is subjective to access and impermanent.
You've spent a lot of your life being looked at—through fashion, television, social media, and now film. Has becoming a producer changed your relationship to being seen?
It’s given me a chance to step out of the public sphere without fear of losing my value or worth. It’s a tangible reminder that being looked at does not equal being alive and present in one’s life.
What is inspiring you right now? Books, movies, art?
These two boys from YouTube who are making big movies with mostly original concepts and ideas! Janciza Bravo and Nora Ephron! Ruhamah, my incredible creative executive and partner at GG. Being in love. SUBSTACK.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Please find Good Girl on Substack. We have incredible pieces—interviews, fashion, and so much more to come!
Tommy wears the Suzette Dress
