Tow’s Rose Byrne & Dominic Sessa Talk Remarkable True Story, Working With Demi Lovato

ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Tow stars Rose Byrne and Dominic Sessa about the new drama movie. The duo discussed their approach to telling a remarkable true story of resilience, their on-screen chemistry, and more. working with Ariana DeBose and Demi Lovato. Directed by Stephanie Laing, the film also stars Ariana DeBose, Octavia Spencer, and Demi Lovato and is now playing in theaters.

“Based on a true story, Tow follows Amanda Ogle (Byrne), a woman living in her aging Toyota Camry on the streets of Seattle. When her car — her only lifeline — is stolen and impounded, Amanda is thrust into a relentless legal battle against an indifferent system. What begins as a fight to reclaim her car evolves into a deeply human story of resilience, dignity, and the power of one woman’s voice in the face of systemic failure.”

Tyler Treese: Rose, we see the real-life Amanda Ogle at the end of the film, which is just a really sweet ending to it. There’s always extra weight when portraying somebody’s true story, and I really felt that here with you. Did you get to speak much with Amanda before this portrayal, and if so, what did you take away from that?

Rose Byrne: I did. So I went to Seattle, and I spent a couple of days there just hanging out, and it was fantastic. She was very candid with me, and we drove around. I got to see the city. Just take me to the place where your car got towed. Take me to the towing company. Take me to where you went to high school. I’d never been to Seattle, so I wanted to see, and it’s such an extraordinary historical place. I mean, that’s where Nirvana is from. It’s this legacy of the town. We shot in New Jersey, which is not the same, so I wanted to try to have a little bit of perspective on that and spend some time with her.

She’s such a fascinating character. She has had many, many hardships. She’s an unlikely hero in many ways. How she ended up unhoused is really a series of bad choices and circumstances, which could happen to anybody. So it was a very revealing experience to me about being in America and what that could look like sometimes, or anywhere for that matter, but specifically in Seattle where it’s historical levels of people who are unhoused. So, she was wonderful, and I know Dom got to spend time with Kevin Eggers, who is her lawyer. Also, a wonderful gentleman and a really fun character to play.

Dominic Sessa: The best.

Dominic, there’s such a fun back and forth between you and Rose’s character since Amanda doesn’t like lawyers. How is it getting that chemistry with Rose to where you were able to have those moments of frustrations feel really real and human? Because I love those moments. I love it when she kind of snaps a bit at you, and you’re not too hurt over it.

Sessa: [Looks at Rose] I mean, you’re just so hard to be mad at.

I just remember we did this one scene where I discover Amanda kind of passed out in my office, like on my desk.

Byrne: Oh, that was a funny scene.

Sessa: Yeah, I remember not really knowing how I’m gonna react to it, but Rose is so great, and she just kind of flopped herself over on the desk and just swung her arms at me. So, I guess it was something that [felt natural].

Byrne: They’re so sort of polar opposite.

Sessa: Yeah, yeah. They’re so opposite that it was like there’s no way for me to respond to it other than to kind of brush it off because it’s so absurd. It’s so like, what is going on? Especially in that scene where they kind of meet each other again for the first time, and really see each other for the first time. It was just comedic.

Byrne: It was just funny. Yeah.

Rose, you’ve got really good scenes with Ariana DeBose and Demi Lovato in the shelter, and they each get to tell their own stories of perseverance. How is it working with those two talented artists? Because it felt like a sisterhood there.

Rose Byrne: It was wonderful. You do these [indie] movies because you love them. It’s not a paycheck; you can’t anticipate how it’s gonna be received. It’s really just the faith in the material and wanting to work with good people. So they brought their best game. They were so game.

We were in this tiny town in the middle of New Jersey, and we had a really fun time and we had fun material. Ariana was just brilliant, so fun to work with. Demi, I got to be serenaded. She sang to us in one scene, and she’s obviously just the most beautiful voice. So, she was really game, really, really game.

Thanks to Rose Byrne and Dominic Sessa for taking the time to talk about Tow.