‘Blockers’ Director Kay Cannon Discusses Importance Of Making An LGBTQ-Inclusive Movie

Over the past 10 years, Kay Cannon has accumulated some impressive credits on resume — from co-producing “Baby Mama,” writing and producing the “Pitch Perfect” movies and running her own Netflix show, “Girlboss” — but the recently-released “Blockers” marked the first time the word “director” appeared on the list.

The R-rated comedy, which was released to digital on Tuesday, followed a trio of parents — Lisa (Leslie Mann), Mitchell (John Cena) and Hunter (Ike Barinholtz) — as they tried to stop their teenage daughters from completing a pact to each lose their virginity on prom night. Cannon earned this movie as her directorial debut in a fairly smooth process.

“Good Universe and Point Grey [Pictures], which is Seth Rogen’s company, they sent me the script with a straight-up offer to direct,” Cannon told International Business Times about how she landed the gig. “I think they knew that they had developed the script as far as they could from a male — from their point of view, which happens to be male — and that they really wanted a woman to direct this movie because, of course, of the nature of what the movie is about.”

She read the script and “thought it was super funny,” but also knew there were a few things she wanted to do to the script and changes she wanted to make. One of the most important changes she wanted was to make sure it was an LGBTQ-inclusive movie. With that in mind, Sam’s (Gideon Adlon) coming-out story was born.

“I’m really happy with people’s responses to that storyline because I did not want to get that wrong,” Cannon told IBT. “I wanted to represent that the best way possible. In looking at what kids dealing with in high school and what’s important to them, it became super clear, like, one of these girls should be grappling with their sexuality and maybe a little bit confused and figuring it out.”

The director’s “particularly proud” of Sam’s gay storyline and romance being included in a mainstream movie. To top it all of, “Blockers” didn’t try to capitalize on this plot point by focusing its film marketing on it, but instead had it as “just one of many things these kids are going through.”

Aside from Sam figuring out who she is and what she wants, Cannon’s “really happy” of the relationship that Sam ends up having with her estranged father, Hunter. One of the scenes she’s most proud of? “When [Sam] comes out to her dad and the love that he shows her.”

“Blockers” is now available on digital and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 3 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.