We Spoke to Rebecca Holopter About Her Directorial Debut

Everybody has that one place they go to for peace—to decompress and just get away from it all. That’s the setting for Rebecca Holopter’s first feature film, Big Mike’s Cabin. It’s a story about two friends who have a dream of owning a flower shop. However, when that dream implodes and one of them moves away, they decide to reunite at a cabin in the Ozarks to navigate through their grief. “There’s definitely some mysticism going on,” Holopter teases. The film draws inspiration from her own experience with her co-writer and best friend, Verity Butler, following the collapse of a project they poured their hearts into. “It was our baby for 10 years and it meant a lot to us,” Holopter says. “It hit us hard, and there was a lot of grief over it.” 

The cast for Big Mike’s Cabin is already stacked. Jane Flowers is the casting director, and Christian Camargo (Dexter, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1 and 2) is playing the lead male role. “He usually plays bad guys, but in this, he’s playing a spiritual, enigmatic weirdo,” Holopter says. “I think he’s going to be really great.” The movie is slated to start filming this year, and Holopter is hoping to secure screenings at major film festivals early next year. 

Local Ties

The actor, writer, director and producer is from Springfield, went to grade school in Rogersville and graduated from Missouri State University in 2006 with a degree in theater performance. In 2007, Holopter moved to Los Angeles, California, to join the entertainment industry. Over the years, she has appeared in numerous commercials for brands such as Blue Bunny, Ring Alarm and Morgan & Morgan. She has showcased her talent as a producer by staging plays in L.A., including Crimes of the Heart, which sold out every night. She and Butler also created a short film called Finding Keanu about two best friends traveling through the desert looking for actor Keanu Reeves, which was featured in several film festivals. 

Showcasing her love for the Midwest through Big Mike’s Cabin, Holopter wants to emphasize all the Ozarks has to offer. “I really wanted to show the warmth of the people there—the craftsmanship there,” she says. “It’s just so charming and so magical.” She plans to film around Springfield at locations like McSalty’s Pizza—where she worked throughout college—and her grandma’s basement near Lake Springfield, as well as around Table Rock Lake. “This is my first feature directing, and having it being filmed in Missouri feels like the sweetest most supportive thing on the planet,” Holopter says. “I’m so grateful and appreciative that it’s happening this way. It’s a scary thing to do, and I feel so supported by my home.”