Caleb Hearon reveals how grief inspired him to write ‘Trash Mountain’

Caleb Hearon got candid about Trash Mountain.

The new comedy-drama romance stars Caleb Hearon as Gavin. Moreover, he served in the movie as a co-writer alongside Ruby Caster.

In a recent interview with People magazine, Caleb revealed how his father’s death inspired him to start writing the film and he didn’t think that it would actually be made, stating, “I started writing this film in the immediate aftermath of my dad passing away.”

He went on to say, “It’s one of the first things I’ve ever written that I just started writing because I had to, and I didn’t necessarily have a conception of us ever really getting it made.”

Noting, “That’s evident in me being in every scene.”

“I probably wouldn’t have done that if I thought we were going to film it!” Caleb further noted.

However, the film’s director, Kris Rey, said that it “comes from Caleb’s real life, although it’s not exactly Caleb’s real life,” she added. “And it’s just so warm and funny and human.”

Moreover, the “specificity of it” allows it to be “relatable to so many people.”

On the other hand, Caleb’s co-star Zooey Deschanel praised the script, saying, “I read this script and I just fell absolutely in love with the story and the writing.”

“I love getting to tell a story that’s kind of a small, intimate story about just a few people. It’s my favorite thing to do. And that’s how I started my career out, doing a lot of films like that,” she added.

It is worth noting here that Caleb and Zooey are siblings in the movie and are navigating their father’s death.

Speaking about the movie’s deeper theme, Caleb said, “I think the movie is a lot about what gets left behind.”

Adding, “Little gay kids that grew up in places like rural Missouri or Alberta or wherever you may be, rural parts of whatever country you’re in, you just kind of spill out over the edges of your hometown and you go out into the world.”

“You leave a lot of things behind. You leave your family, you leave your experiences and home and you go and try and make a new home.”

“There are past versions of yourself that you want to leave behind. I hope that people get that from the movie,” he further added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Trash Mountain made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15.