Jennifer Esposito Brings us Fresh Kills.

Jennifer Esposito on rage, survival, and refusing to wait for a seat at the table.

Jennifer Esposito has been a familiar face for three decades, appearing in Summer of Sam, Crash, Blue Bloods, and The Boys. Growing up in Staten Island, she fought against Hollywood stereotypes that limited her to secondary roles. Later, she battled a severe celiac disease, which she documented in her best-selling book, Jennifer’s Way.

This resilient background fuels her debut as a writer and director, Fresh Kills. Remarkably, Esposito has carried this concept in her mind since she was sixteen. The film breaks away from typical mafia movie tropes by focusing on the survival strategies of women living in the shadow of organized crime.

To realize this project, Esposito displayed radical determination and personally financed the film’s independent vision. Her work reflects her core convictions. Currently, she refuses to wait for the industry to grant her opportunities. Instead of fighting for a seat at an occupied table, she advocates for building an entirely new structure. Consequently, Fresh Kills serves as a raw immersion into the lives of women who must define their own reality within a system they never chose.

IRK: You first imagined Fresh Kills when you were just 16 years old. How much of this film comes from your own life, and how much is pure imagination?

Jennifer Esposito: The story first took root when I was 16. Growing up on Staten Island, I lived alongside mafia families and their daughters. Girls just like the ones you see in Fresh Kills. I always needed to understand why. These young women were extraordinarily violent, and that question never left me. Why were they so angry? I eventually realized it was because they knew exactly what their fathers did. That kind of knowledge would make anyone rage.

I carried that question with me long after I left Staten Island. Once I entered the industry, the « why’s » kept resurfacing, because I had never fully answered them. Gradually, the answer became clearer. These women were born into a world that would never change, trapped in a slot they never chose. I started recognizing that same feeling in my own life. Simply for being a woman in this industry.

Their rage became my rage. That was the turning point. Fresh Kills is very little about the mafia. At its core, it is about finding a voice in a world that tells you not to have one.

IRK: Why was it so important for you to tell this story from the perspective of the women living inside that world?

Jennifer Esposito: No one had told this story from a female point of view before. Most films glorify the mafia world through a male lens or imagine what women think, rather than letting them speak. Fresh Kills goes inside that world through the women who actually live it. It never glorifies anything.

I wanted to show the toll it takes on the real victims. The women of the family. Not all of them are innocent. Some willingly participate. But when you are born into that world, choice is an illusion. Sadly, no one had shown that before.

Pushing Fresh Kills through was a real challenge. Nobody wanted to hear the women’s point of view. Then the film came out, earned critical acclaim. Suddenly, the Puzo estate decided to tell the Godfather story from Connie’s perspective. The Don’s daughter. Coincidence? I thinks not.

IRK : The three central women represent different survival strategies within the family. Do you see parts of yourself in them, and which character feels closest to who you are?

Jennifer Esposito: They certainly represent three distinct types of survival. Personally, I relate most to Rose, as she looks at things head-on and sees them exactly for what they are. In contrast, Connie and my character, Francine, are able to disengage and dissociate from reality, which is not my nature. If I had to choose, Rose is who I actually am, but Connie is who I had to become to survive in this world. As a female filmmaker, I have been told to sit down so many times that I could not simply exist as Rose. Instead, I had to adopt a “fight” mentality, which is a sad but necessary reality.

IRK : Was it emotionally difficult to portray Francine, a character who is so conflicted and often difficult to love?

Jennifer Esposito: Not entirely, because she was based on a real person, and I believe she is highly realistic for many women. While she may seem intense, there is an underlying issue among women: a form of resentment toward those who manage to excel. Because opportunities are so scarce, those who reach the top often become envious or unwilling to share their position. When people call her “mean,” I remind them that they likely know someone just like her.

IRK : The three central women represent different survival strategies within the family. Do you see parts of yourself in them, and which character feels closest to who you are?

Jennifer Esposito:  They certainly represent three distinct types of survival. Personally, I relate most to Rose, as she looks at things head-on and sees them exactly for what they are. In contrast, Connie and my character, Francine, are able to disengage and dissociate from reality, which is not my nature. If I had to choose, Rose is who I actually am, but Connie is who I had to become to survive in this world. As a female filmmaker, I have been told to sit down so many times that I could not simply exist as Rose. Instead, I had to adopt a “fight” mentality, which is a sad but necessary reality

IRK: Do you think the daughters should be just as angry with their mother as they are with their father?

Jennifer Esposito: It is hard to say. That question is also why I chose to play Francine myself. On the page, she reads like a villain. But she does the best she can with what she has. Without the tools to teach her daughters anything better.

The real issue at the heart of this is internalized misogyny. We live in a world where women outwardly cheer each other on. Yet underneath that, a deep and conditioned resentment often sits. When another woman does more or goes further, something in us asks: why her and not me? Why does she get that opportunity? That resentment runs very deep. That is exactly who Francine is built on.

So should the daughters hate their mother as much as their father? Honestly, no. But that is the beauty of Fresh Kills. The film lets you decide for yourself.

IRK: You directed yourself in your first feature. Was that intimidating, or did it make the process easier?

Jennifer Esposito: It was much easier. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew every detail of Francine. You can love and hate her in the same second. She can be your best friend and your worst nightmare, again in the same second. That is pretty difficult to explain to someone else, especially under such a tight, budget.

Everything needs to move fast. We shot Fresh Kills in roughly 20 days, across three time periods, working with children. So I knew exactly what I wanted. But looking at the big picture from above, then stepping into it. That was definitely much more tricky than I ever assumed.

IRK: Before directing, you worked with many accomplished filmmakers. Which directors most influenced Fresh Kills ? And now that you’ve made it, has it changed the way you think about acting?

Jennifer Esposito: Twenty-five years on sets teaches you everything. What works, and what you never want your set to become. No single director shaped my approach. However, stepping behind the camera gave me a much deeper appreciation for what directors actually carry on their shoulders. That weight is real.

As for acting, I have no desire to be in front of the camera all the time. My goal is to keep telling stories. If I happen to love a role I have written, then great. But honestly, my name does not bring money to a film. So starring in everything I direct is simply not a realistic option.

What drives me is the story. That has always been enough.

IRK:  Fresh Kills was shot in 19 days on a small budget during COVID. How did you manage that?

Jennifer Esposito: Yes, we shot Fresh Kills in 19 to 20 days, across three time periods, during Covid, on a very limited budget. Our first producer had no idea what was happening and put us in a serious financial hole. It was, simply put, a mess. Had I not held onto a clear vision of this story, we would have been done for.

The lesson is simple: know your story and stay true to it. Because everything will fight against you. Prep obsessively. Know exactly what you need and what you don’t. “Nope, not that shot. This one. We’re going this way.” Everyone will pull you in fifteen different directions. Hold your ground. You are the only one in the room who truly knows the story you are trying to tell. On an independent film, that clarity is the only thing that saves you.

IRK: What were the biggest challenges, beyond the budget? Were people hesitant to back a first-time female director? 

Jennifer Esposito: Difficult does not begin to cover it. Fresh Kills demanded a word that does not exist yet.

The financing process was meeting after meeting. Primarily, actually entirely, men. One told me straight to my face: “It’s not really mafia unless Robert De Niro is in it.” I was offered money to step aside for a male director. The message was clear: there is no place for women’s stories. And I am not talking about a man writing a woman’s story. I am talking about women writing, directing, and owning their own narratives. That is a very different thing.

Even today, a female-led film still tends to center on men, relationships, or clothes. That is by design. The people in control do not want to move over. This is why I never understood why women keep waiting for a seat at the table. You are not welcome there. Build new tables.

The statistics say everything. Women direct roughly eight percent of major projects. People ask if it is getting better. It is actually getting worse. And given the current political climate in America. Everyone. Not just women. Should be paying attention. When women lose their voice in culture, look at where we end up. It is right in front of us.

However, that is precisely why Fresh Kills exists. You stop waiting. You make your own way.

IRK: How did you find your cast, and did they understand these roles?

Jennifer Esposito: I had a great casting director. But this process was deeply, deeply personal. I grew up with girls like these. You cannot expect someone who didn’t to fully understand. The level of rage, anger, and sheer ferociousness these young women carry is not usual.

To this day, audiences walk out of Fresh Kills feeling uncomfortable with how angry these young women are. And that says everything. Nobody wants women to access their rage. They want to shame you for it. What I am trying to show is simple: women are angry, they are allowed to be angry. It is a human emotion. However, when you only see women through a male lens, you start believing that anger is unladylike. That is not correct.

So I was looking for something very, very specific. Not just anger. A visceral rage. For the role of Connie, I saw Odessa A’zion in a TV show and immediately knew. That was her. No question.

Emily Bader came through casting but was not initially pushed forward. Yet I kept coming back to her. By the end of her audition, there was nobody else in my mind. Nobody. Emily does not have the flashier role. She has the harder one. Her silence, her presence, moment to moment, saying everything without saying anything.  It is one of the best performances I have seen on screen in a long time.

IRK: Why do you think many people haven’t discovered the film despite the great reviews? 

Jennifer Esposito: I have my theories about why Fresh Kills still hasn’t reached the audience it deserves. The film earned critical acclaim. It tells a genuinely new story. However, if the person telling that story doesn’t belong to the right category. Male, or one of the few women allowed into the club. It simply does not get through. We keep hearing “we need new stories.” Yet the industry keeps making the same ones with the same people. That is by design.

Then consider this. I told a story from the point of view of young women inside a mafia family. Shortly after Fresh Kills came out, the Puzo estate suddenly decided that was a great idea. Funny enough, they share my agency. Coincidence? I do not think so.

Do I think this film was deliberately buried?. Abso-fucking-lutely, and I say that with my full chest. Had Fresh Kills broken through. The first woman to write and direct in this male-dominated genre, compared to Scorsese and Cassavetes. I would have had real power to make the next one. That is not a message the current agenda wants anyone to hear.

I have been in this industry a long time. Films are never judged purely on merit. It has never worked that way. Moreover, it is worse now. What people see is spoon-fed and deliberate. Designed to keep the status quo, especially for women, especially for people of color. If you never see yourself on screen, you never believe you can do anything. But if you do? That can change everything. And the people winning with money and power have absolutely no interest in letting that happen.

IRK: Where can audiences watch the film and support independent artists?

Jennifer Esposito: Find Fresh Kills. It will not be easy. Find it. In the United States, it streams on Amazon Prime and Hulu. In Canada, it is also available. Right now, I am working to bring it to European markets, so screenings are coming. A VPN always helps.

However, finding it is only the first step. Share it. Talk about it. This is not just about one film. It is about every story that could change your life, or the story you have been waiting to tell. Independent artists need you to show up, literally. Visit freshkillsmovie.com, and follow me at JEsposito. I post every update there.

Moreover, if you want to support independent film more broadly, look up artists with Kickstarters. I will likely crowdfund my next film. Put in twenty dollars. Put in forty. Invest if you can. It matters more than you think.

Because this is bigger than Fresh Kills. When a small group of people controls what stories get told, they control culture. And when they control culture, they control how you see yourself and what you believe is possible. Showing up for independent artists is how you fight back. Show up.

IRK: What did making Fresh Kills teach you about yourself?

Jennifer Esposito: Making Fresh Kills was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Personally, financially, spiritually. And yet, it was single-handedly the best thing I have ever done for myself. It changed me on a cellular level.

I carried this idea since I was 16. I told strangers, friends, and people in this industry who could have helped. Nobody did. That doubt got under my skin. For many, years, it kept me from stepping up for myself. I believed I couldn’t do it.

Until I decided I was no longer going to live by what other people thought I was capable of.

I sold everything. Including my home. To make this film. I bet everything on myself. That is a lesson I cannot explain to you. You simply have to go and do yours. Whatever that is. That dream, that idea. Whether it wins or loses. Because the moment you bet on yourself, you take the reins of your own life. You put yourself in the driver’s seat.

Fresh Kills changed every piece of me for the better. And I would do it all over again.

IRK Magazine @irkmagazine

Featuring Jennifer Esposito @jesposito

Photographer: French Cowboy AKA Mia Macfarlane & Julien Crouigneau @french_cowboy @miamacfarlane @juliencrouigneau
Stylist: Fodé Ka @fode.ka
Art Director: AP Delarp @iamthedrama69
Makeup Artist: Nadia Kyrychenko @makeup_paris_beauty
Hair Stylist: Liubov Rabota @makeup_hair_liubov_paris
Photo Assistant: Joy Lagning Bamba @Oyayoj 
Production & Editor Mila Jaso milaaa_jaso

Special thanks to Regine Sarallier for her artist studio https://www.sarallier.com

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