Interview With Rachel Suissa Writer/Director and Star of GREEK MOTHERS NEVER DIE

Greek Mothers Never Die, Rachel Suissa‘s newest and most personal project yet, is a comical and heartfelt ode to family, love and life. I was able to speak with the writer, director and actress about the fascinating origins of the project, her connection to the story, how she’s hoping this will speak to audiences, and more!

This piece has been edited for clarity. 

So, let’s talk about your film. You wrote and directed it, and of course, you’re Greek! I’d love to hear about the origin of the story, what inspired it and what you pulled from your life!

Rachel Suissa:
I’ll give you the full story! My mom is Greek. She moved to France when she was young, where she met my dad, who is French. I was born and raised in France. My mom ran restaurants and worked constantly. My dad was in the entertainment world. He was a songwriter and had a bouzouki, a kind of Greek cabaret in Paris that was well known at the time.

So I grew up between two worlds: one very artistic, and one rooted in hard work and hospitality. My mom was vibrant, overprotective, and wanted me to take over the family restaurant. But I wanted to go the artistic route, like my father. I chose acting over singing, which is different from the film, and we had some…interesting conversations about that.

I studied theater and began working in film and TV. On the side, I created a one-woman show about my relationship with my mom. She was overbearing but also very generous. She could make me feel guilty, but she always supported me. That show was called Mom, I Love You. PS: Let Me Be, and it was the real origin of Greek Mothers Never Die.

When was the one-woman show?

Rachel Suissa: Almost 15 years ago now.

Did you always envision it as a film, or did that evolve later?

Rachel Suissa: It evolved. While doing the one-woman show, I was also starring in a prime-time French TV series. It was supposed to be huge “the French Friends” but when it aired, my now-husband (who was just my boyfriend at the time) watched it and said, “This is really bad.” I said, “But look, I’m good in it!” And he replied, “Sure, but the show overall isn’t.”

He encouraged me to write and direct, saying, “You already write, your one-woman show proves that.” And he was right. The TV show failed, and I was faced with a choice: wait for roles to come to me, or create the work I wanted. I chose the latter.

I thought: what if the overbearing mother from my show never leaves, even after death? What if she comes back as an annoying ghost who never sleeps? That was the spark for Greek Mothers Never Die. It wasn’t meant as therapy. Ot was meant to be fun, to share how hilariously extreme my mother could be.

Originally, I saw myself playing Ella, the daughter. But I changed the character from an actress to a singer because music adds emotion and immediacy. It’s more cinematic and helps audiences connect quickly.

The show had success and was even developed into a prime-time TV version in France. But during that two-year process, I felt it losing authenticity. That pushed me to return to my original vision, and write Greek Mothers Never Die the way I wanted.

So you put it on hold?

Rachel Suissa: Yes. Around that time, I got pregnant, and my agent dropped me. So I focused on writing. I worked as a script doctor and built a reputation, eventually being seen as a writer and potential director rather than just an actress. But I never forgot Greek Mothers Never Die.

Then I got an incredible opportunity to adapt Dangerous Liaisons, yes, the French literary classic. It’s been adapted before—like in the 1980s film with Malkovich and in Cruel Intentions.

Your version was for Netflix, right?

Rachel Suissa: Yes. My take imagined the modern elite as young influencers, because today, you can be 20 and have lived as much as an aristocrat 300 years ago. The social games, the manipulation, the image crafting. It all made sense in the world of Instagram. That film became my directorial debut, released globally on Netflix in 2022, and hit 60 million views. It was in the global top 10 for non-English-language films that year.

After that, I moved to the U.S. to pursue my dream of making indie films. I started a company called RAD Pictures, which stands for Rachel’s American Dream. I’ve always felt like a cultural hybrid: Greek, French, Jewish, and connected to American culture through my Texan-Irish husband, whom I met at 16.

So finally, I called Eleonore Dailly, the producer of Dangerous Liaisons, and said, “I want to do the opposite of a big machine project—I want to make Greek Mothers Never Die as a passionate indie film. Will you come with me?”

She said yes.

That’s fantastic. Did you know right away you’d act in it?

Rachel Suissa: At first, I wasn’t sure. I thought I might be too old to play Ella. But age isn’t really the issue—you can be emotionally sheltered at any age. Still, I decided to cast it and see what felt right.

Eleonore said, “You have to play the mother. That’s the whole point.” And maybe she was right. Maybe my destiny wasn’t to play Ella, but to play my mom—to understand her better.

So I auditioned for myself, like everyone else. My daughter, who plays young Ella, read lines with me. I took it seriously—memorized, prepared, taped—and sent the tape to Eleonore and my husband. They both said I had to do it.

Your husband’s blunt huh? [Laughs] 

Rachel Suissa: Very. He said, “You don’t look too young,” and I said, “Okay then!”

So that’s the full-circle story. Fifteen years after the one-woman show, the movie was made. Quite a journey.

Wow! I love it. How different would you say the stories were from the show to the film?

Rachel Suissa: It’s a first feature that’s very personal, even if it’s fictional. I had just finished developing a TV show in France that won a national competition. We spent a year developing it, writing it, shooting the pilot, but by the time it was ready, the head of the network had changed, and the new exec wasn’t interested. We went from being the big winners to… no show. It was a moment of truth for me. I realized I wasn’t listening to myself.

I’d been told by French producers that I couldn’t write in English, or that French audiences wouldn’t relate to anything influenced by American cinema. But those are the movies that made me want to make movies in the first place. Greek Mothers Never Die was a way for me to reset and to make something honest and my own.

What was the writing process like? 

Rachel Suissa: Very fast, actually. The film is based on a short I made during COVID, and I already knew I wanted to expand it into something more. The short was inspired by a real family moment. My mother is Greek, and very dramatic, and I used that energy to imagine what it would be like if she died… and then refused to actually leave. That’s the heart of the story: a daughter dealing with grief, but also this overbearing, hilarious mother who just won’t go quietly. I wrote the first draft of the feature in about two weeks.

The film blends absurdity with real emotion, was that a conscious choice?

Rachel Suissa: Definitely. I wanted the audience to laugh, and then suddenly be hit with something true. Grief is so strange. It makes everything feel surreal. People don’t act the way you expect them to. I thought: what if I just leaned into that? Made it as weird and funny and uncomfortable as grief actually is?

Also, I love movies that don’t fit into one tone. The Coen brothers, Noah Baumbach, even early Almodóvar—they all play with that mix of comedy and tragedy. So I gave myself permission to do that too.

How did you approach casting the mother and daughter?

Rachel Suissa: I was lucky. I knew I wanted to play the daughter myself. It felt too personal to hand that role to someone else. For the mother, I met a French actress who had this incredible presence. She’s very elegant in real life, but she completely transformed into this chaotic, unapologetic Greek matriarch. We had such fun building the relationship together, it’s intense, but there’s love underneath all the madness.

What do you hope audiences take away from the film?

Rachel Suissa: I hope they laugh. I hope they cry a little. But mostly, I hope they feel seen, especially if they’ve ever had a complicated relationship with a parent. The title is funny, but it’s also true: our mothers never really leave us. They’re always there, in our heads, in our hearts. Even after they’re gone, they’re still talking to us. Still arguing with us. Still loving us.

What’s next for you?

Rachel Suissa: I’m working on another feature! It is also a dark comedy, but set in the world of tech and surveillance. It’s inspired by a real news story in France, but I want to give it that same personal, absurdist touch.

And this time, I’m not waiting for anyone’s permission to make it.

As you shouldn’t! It’s such an amazing story and a lovely film. I’m glad you were able to make your movie, and make your dream come true. Now that it’s completed, what has the experience been like? How excited are you to share it with the world?

Rachel Suissa: Oh, I’m very happy. It’s been a long journey. As an indie filmmaker, I went into this knowing in theory what it would take to make an indie film, but I didn’t truly understand the struggles of carrying a movie from conception all the way to release. And even now, the battle isn’t over.

When you make a movie without stars, on a smaller budget, you gain a kind of creative freedom, but you also make a conscious choice that it’s not going to be easy. Even after the film is released, you still have to promote it, raise awareness, and hope that the angels who helped along the way will keep supporting you.

My biggest hope is that the film finds a wide audience. I think people will connect to its many layers. It’s a multi-generational story, and I believe it has something that can touch everyone, no matter their age. Hopefully it will even help different generations understand each other better.

That’s a lovely message.

Rachel Suissa: Thank you. But above all, I want people to laugh and feel good when they walk out of the theater. That’s really the main goal.

And what about the Greek mothers? What do you think they’ll take from this?

Rachel Suissa: Oh, I know it speaks to them! At special screenings, I’ve had women of all ages come up to me with happy tears, saying, “It reminded me so much of my mom,” or “That’s exactly how it was with my daughter,” or even, “My mom’s no longer with me, but I know she’s watching over me, just like in the movie.”

Greek mothers may express themselves with different intensity, but the emotion is the same. It’s always about love. They’ll do anything to protect you. And being Greek, we have this colorful, passionate way of expressing ourselves: loud, dramatic, guilty, loving, funny, often all at once. I think a lot of Greek mothers and daughters will see themselves in this film.

But it’s also universal. It’s a mother-daughter story, yes, but sons will connect to it too. There are other characters in the movie that show different relationships, like Nick’s mother, who has a very different dynamic. There’s always more time for a son, and everything he does is great! [laughs]

I think you’ve made a wonderful film, and I hope you keep following your dream and creating work that speaks to you.

Rachel Suissa: Thank you very much, Kristy. Right now, I’m raising money for my second American film, it’s called The Americans. I really hope it works out.

But it only works out because of people like you. When I talk about “angels,” I mean people like you. In indie filmmaking, we don’t have the money for marketing. You are our lens to the world. So truly, I deeply appreciate your support. You can’t even imagine how much.

That’s very kind of you to say and I am always happy to help with that. Thank you so much for speaking to me and congratulations on this amazing project!

We want to thank Rachel Suissa for speaking with us.

Greek Mothers Never Die is currently available VOD.