The new episodic series pilot Delivery Girl centers Trisha Donahue, a woman struggling with her queer identity and Catholic upbringing while making money delivering drugs in her conservative New England town. Trisha, played by Kate Krieger, who also wrote and directed the show, delivers a painfully relateable performance for anyone who has wrestled with the raw experience of coming out to their parents and struggled to be honest about themselves despite their surroundings.
Kate's character faces the compounded heartache of falling in love with Sammy, a woman who is dating a violently homophobic and possessive man. In this clip, Trisha arrives at Sammy's house to spend an intimate moment with her before they plan to leave town the next day, but Sammy hasn't exactly broken that news to her boyfriend yet.
The series features Krieger playing a different delivery girl in each episode. The multi-talented creator spoke to The Advocate about playing a queer character and what she hopes audienes take away.
"From an acting standpoint, portraying Trisha is such a joy for me. I love playing her because she has such a rich, interior life. I wanted to tell her story because I see her as an underdog whose inspiringly brave. I will say that regardless of her sexual orientation or my own, I relate deeply to the fear of disappointing the people you love (in Trisha's case -- her parents) as well as being in love with someone who cannot show up for you -- someone who's unavailable in one way or another -- and the profound heartache that comes along with that. So much about who Trisha is has to do with taking challenging emotional risks and letting go of the results and the responses of others. My hope is that queer audiences -- particularly people who are still closeted -- will see her as an inspiration to live their truth with complete abandon. Easier said than done, I know, but as a woman who spent a lot of life dodging vulnerability and emotional transparency for fear of what others might think or feel about me, I can say that leaning into your truth and being true to who you are ultimately pays off in spades. To that end, every character portrayed in Delivery Girl will be a complex woman who struggles with owning her truth, before ultimately embracing it. I hope that is inspiring to audiences across the board."
Delivery Girlscreens at the Sundance Film Festival tonight at 5:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, January 30 at 9 p.m., and Thursday, January 31st at 1 p.m.
