After an extraordinary opening weekend, romantic comedy A Date With Miss Fortune expands its run and opens today in theatres across Vancouver, Montreal, Mississauga and Cambridge, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Fresh off their success, we got a chance to chat with real-life couple Jeannette Sousa and Ryan Scott who co-wrote, produced and starred in the film.

As a real-life couple, what did you enjoy most about working together? 

I think we both enjoyed the creative aspects of the journey – the writing process and acting. It also helps that we had experience in these areas, whereas we were virgin producers. It was great to be able to have a nice shorthand with one another especially when time is everything.

What did you find the most challenging?

Trying to wear three hats (writers, producers and actors) while maintaining a family life outside of the movie. We have an amazing little girl who always grounds us.

Why was making A Date with Miss Fortune important to you? 

It is inspired by our real-life relationship and we thought a lot of people could identify with the journey of being in a cross-cultural relationship…or any relationship for that matter. There is truth in comedy and we had a lot of truth to tell. It was exciting but also nerve-racking to put it all up on the big screen.

What’s the biggest lesson that you’ve learned from this process?

To hire more people and delegate. When it’s a personal project you tend to hold on to it a little tighter. This made our jobs more difficult because, apparently, there are only twenty-four hours in a day.

I’ve tried to write screenplays, and even short stories with pals, and failed miserably. Do you have any tips for friends or collaborations looking to write together?

Try to be objective and use the best ideas. Don’t be afraid to get opinions from those you trust. If you think something is hilarious and ten of your friends from various backgrounds and ages do not see the humour, you need to re-examine. Don’t be afraid to take risks and fail. Our best writing came from scenes that started out disastrous. Most of all: lose your ego. The end result must be a fantastic script no matter whose ideas were used!

What do you hope audiences come away with after watching the film?

We hope they come away with a smile on their face, their abs hurting because of the laughter and lightness in their hearts. For an hour and a half we want the audience to have a whole lot of FUN!

What’s next for you? 

More of the same. We feel so blessed to have so many people watch and really enjoy A Date with Miss Fortune. The response has been overwhelming. Watching people lose themselves for a bit and get wrapped up in the story and characters is all we could ever ask for. It’s encouraging us to do another.