Writer/director Matthew Yerby had a specific goal in mind with his new film, The Dirty South. He wanted to show the extremes human beings go to when protecting the ones they love. It all plays out to winning ends in The Dirty South, an emotionally rich action thriller that finds one woman (Arrow’s Willa Holland) and a compassionate drifter (Shane West) racing against time to nab $30,000 to save her family’s business. If she fails, she loses everything to a shady businessman (Dermot Mulroney).

Stand-out dramatic scenes and great acting pepper this compelling outing, which was near and dear to Yerby’s heart. He said the film gave him the opportunity to use the small town of Natchitoches, Louisiana to bring this story to life. Sure, Southern charm permeates the South, but Yerby also wanted to show the other side of all that. In this exclusive MovieWeb interview, Yerby opened up about the challenges he faced while filming and working alongside his “great” cast.

Pulling From His Southern Roots
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Matthew Yerby has been an artist for most of his life, but storytelling became one of his passions, too. He says growing up in Louisiana informed how he made The Dirty South, and he was clear on why it was important for him to get this story out.

“This is an important story to me because a lot of America — rural America — is very ‘small town,’” he said. “And a lot of people don’t relate to characters that are in Los Angeles or New York. But a lot of people do understand what it’s like to live in a small town. I just wanted to show what families will go through for the people they love to keep each other safe, fed, and housed. We would do anything for the people we loved. Time and time again, we see that in the South.”

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One of the most captivating aspects of the production was having the chance to work with Dermot Mulroney, who has shined in films such as My Best Friend’s Wedding, August: Osage County, Scream VI, and the limited series Secret Invasion. Yerby beamed:

“Dermot is such a force. When he showed up, everybody on set was on their best. This was a small town, a small film set, and when this man showed up for work, everybody was on point. Dermot is such a professional, and he brings the best out in other people too. He’ll set actors up to actually bring out a better performance from them.”

“He was on his mark before we ever said anything,” he added. “He just never wanted the camera to cut. He said, ‘Just keep it rolling, keep it rolling.’ He’s been doing this for years and it was just so clear.”

Yerby said it took four years to write The Dirty South, initially “spitting out” the first draft in one month’s time before moving through 100 drafts all the way through the casting process. “And a lot of people didn’t know who this writer Matthew Yerby was, and so every two weeks you put out an offer and wait for them to say yes. So, it took four years of rewrites, then took us 15 days to shoot it with the principal actors.”

Moving Through The Dirty South’s Biggest Challenge

Yerby is quick to also credit Shane West and Willa Holland, who turn in emotional performances in the action drama. One of the biggest challenges he faced was shooting the film in cold weather. Tricky, considering the story was to take place in warmer weather.

“Everything became challenging when the weather dropped,” he explained, “because this was supposed to be a summer film. But 40 days before we put the cameras up, the weather dropped to 29 degrees in Louisiana and that is very cold for this area. Filming on the water in boats on nights like that — it was freezing.”

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He went on to note that another big challenge was being able to light the water. For that, Yerby had multiple boats to carry various lights, including a “picture” boat and a camera boat. “It’s just way more than I ever expected, but I think audiences will be surprised at the film’s ending. I don’t want to go too far into that, but there will be some surprise at where it all ends up.”

Ultimately, Yerby hopes audiences enjoy the emotional ride here, but there’s a deeper hope. “I hope viewers take away the idea that family has always got your back,” he said, adding:

Doesn’t matter what point of their life they’re in — they could be completely lost — but when shit really hits, your family, the ones who you love, are going to be there. That’s definitely the way it is in the South. It doesn’t matter what has happened, you’re just there to help solve the problem.

Even one as big as what’s featured in The Dirty South. Catch the film in theaters, on demand, and on digital November 10.