Brea Grant is a multi-hyphenate from Texas best known for acting in “Heroes” and “Dexter” and for writing and directing the apocalyptic feature “Best Friends Forever,” which premiered at Slamdance 2013. In 2017 Grant became a producer on the Emmy-nominated LGBTQ series “Eastsiders,” and in 2018 wrote, directed, and acted in an episode. More recently, Grant co-starred in Jeremy Gardner’s “After Midnight” and wrote and starred in Natasha Kermani’s SXSW 2020 select “Lucky” and Jill Sixx’s upcoming feature debut “The Stylist.”

“12 Hour Shift” was scheduled to screen at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

BG: “12 Hour Shift” is a black comedy heist film set in Arkansas in the ’90s. It follows a junkie nurse and her psychotic cousin as their involvement in the underground world of organ trading goes awry.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

BG: I have always been fascinated by urban legends, particularly the one where a person wakes up in a bathtub full of ice and missing a kidney. I wanted to take that idea and run with it in a setting that I knew well: a small town in the ’90s.

This is, in part, my love letter to my small hometown in East Texas — with all of our grittiness, faults, and strengths.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

BG: When I started writing the film, my goal was to make a female anti-hero. It’s not something we see enough of. We see a lot of male anti-heroes, particularly in the action genre, but rarely do we get to see a woman in that role. Humans have flaws. Women happen to be human. Until we start treating women as humans with flaws in film, I think it’s difficult to have equality on screen. So, I’d like people to walk away with a new definition of what a female lead could look like.

I also want people to have a fun time watching “12 Hour Shift.” I love comedies and wanted to infuse the movie with humor, and a few musical numbers. I really think that cathartic art is important particularly right now.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

BG: “12 Hour Shift” is essentially a one-location film. Most of the movie takes place in a hospital and all the rooms are the same boring square. So we had to get really creative on the lighting, changing up decor, and the way we shot each scene so each space would look and feel different to the viewer. We didn’t want it to feel like Mandy (Angela Bettis) was walking into the same room every time.

Early on in prep, Matt Glass, our cinematographer, and I set the feel for each room based on camera movement, framing, and lighting. That helped a lot. Also,’ 90s era clothes. Luckily, a lot of our cast wears nurse uniforms but Gypsy Taylor, our costume designer, was able to find killer outfits and period-specific cop uniforms. That’s tough to do on an indie budget.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

BG: I feel like it’s a miracle that any indie gets funded. I had done a short film with my producers at HCT.media and they said if I ever had any features, I should send them their way. I write all the time, so I had a lot to send!

They responded to “12 Hour Shift” and they found completely independent financiers and a hospital to shoot in, which was a huge financial hurdle. I have to credit them because they really worked to make it happen. Shout out to my financiers who have been so incredibly supportive through the entire process.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

BG: The need to create. I have been writing plays since I was a kid and then forcing those around me to partake in them. Apparently, I have just continued that process. Filmmaking fills up both sides of my personality: I can be creative and sit in my own mind, envisioning worlds and I can be more analytical. I really enjoy the problem-solving aspect of filmmaking — I love things like time management and math!

I started in the industry as an actor and I just felt like that wasn’t fulfilling me in a way that being on the other side of the camera has.

If I wasn’t making movies, I’m sure I’d be forcing my pets into some creative endeavor. It’s in my blood.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

BG: The best advice was from Bobcat Goldthwait and that was to wear a funny hat. I don’t actually do that, but I try to bring the spirit of a funny hat to a set. Because if everything is going poorly and you look over and the director is in a cowboy hat, you have to think that things aren’t that bad. I try to have fun, be goofy, and encourage everyone to have a good time.

I think the worst advice is something I hear people saying to those just starting out in the industry, particularly to actors, but I think it applies all around. They say something along the lines of, “If you could possibly do anything else, do it. Because the industry is too hard.” As in, if you can imagine yourself doing something else, you should do that instead. I’m a very capable person and could do a lot of things. I personally don’t want our industry to be full of people with passion for film but no other life options or experience. Just because you might also be a great accountant doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write a script.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

BG: Don’t hold back. It never helps you in the long run and it definitely won’t help the next female director follow in your footsteps. Some people are going to support you and treat you like a director, while some won’t and will purposely try to exclude you. It’s probably impossible to change the latter, but you can demonstrate how you’d like to be treated and maybe that will help a little bit the next time around.

Also, women who are making things similar to what you make are not your competition. They are your best allies. I call these women for advice all the time. They are going through what you’re going through and there is enough room for everyone.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

BG: “Raw” by Julia Ducournau. It’s a beautiful French coming-of-age story about cannibals. I was blown away by this movie because I had never seen female friendship and a girl coming into her own portrayed in such a realistic way — and on the backdrop of a horror film, no less.

I also was very influenced by the 1992 “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui. It probably shaped me more than any other movie in my childhood. It’s funny, irreverent, and has great action sequences. Plus, Paul Reubens!

W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?

BG: It’s been a big adjustment. This week, I was supposed to fly to see the third screening of a film I wrote and starred in called “Lucky,” directed by Natasha Kermani, which was supposed to premiere at SXSW. And then I was going to go to Tribeca to see the premiere of “12 Hour Shift” with the entire cast and crew before going to Bulgaria to direct a CW show. And now there is a permanent butt divot on my couch because I almost haven’t left it.

Overall, I have stuck with my normal routine. I get up. I work out. I write in the mornings. I’m finding a lot of joy and creativity in seeing what other people are making.

I go on really long walks in the afternoons. I feel like I’ve really seen LA on foot at this point. I’m also reading a ton. Books have always been a source of escapism for me and I am really relying on them right now. Thank you, novelists!