By Lisa S. Lenkiewicz

When Michelle Goodman was 10 years old, she was an “unnamed orphan” in the children’s theater production of “Annie” at the Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford. Fast forward two decades, and Mischa Dani Goodman (as she is now known professionally) is an actress living in Manhattan with commercials, films, and two off-Broadway roles on her resume.

Now, the West Hartford native is costarring in a new comedy film, “Unbridled, in which she also served as co-creator, producer, and editor.

The comedy is a short film (14 minutes, 35 seconds to be precise) about a bachelorette party gone awry. According to the film’s trailer, the film centers around a “buttoned-up bride and her party-girl sister who find themselves lost in the woods on the day of the wedding.”

Goodman plays “Maxie,” the wild sister, and her BFF/creative partner Caitlin Simpson plays “Catherine,” the bride-to-be. Although the screenplay is not autobiographical, Goodman says the characters they play are very true to who she and Caitlin are in real life.

“In general, Caitlin and I are polar opposites,” laughs Goodman in a phone interview. “I’m the loud American – outspoken – and generally I speak louder in order to make sure I am heard. Simpson, who is British, is more reserved.”

Caitlin had to lose her accent for this role, but Mischa had the more daring challenge – she appears naked in the film. “It is very tasteful,” she explains, saying there is no full frontal nudity, and props are cleverly placed to keep the “R” rating. Ever supportive, Caitlin chimes in: “Mischa is incredibly brave.”

“Unbridaled” was filmed during five days in the woodsy vacation home of Mischa’s parents in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Her dad is Dr. Joel Goodman, a longtime dentist in West Hartford, in practice with Mischa’s sister, Dr. Tamara Stein. Her mom, Claudia Goodman, recently retired as a hygienist at CT Pediatric Dentistry in Bishops Corner.

Growing up, Mischa caught the acting bug performing in JCC plays and at Hall High School, where she was .selected to be a jazz dancer for the school’s prestigious Pops ‘n Jazz show.

“I felt very loved and was given a lot of opportunities that gave me confidence and trained me well,” said Mischa. “There were very strong people around me.”

After graduating Hall High in 2008, she went to the University of Connecticut in Storrs, where she received a BFA in acting and minored in business. She then attended Michael Howard Studios, a two-year acting conservatory in New York, where she first met Caitlin.

Mischa, now 31, appeared on stage at the Connecticut Repertory Theater, studied improv with the sketch comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade in Manhattan, and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London where she studied Shakespeare.

“There was a time in college where I exclusively wanted to be a Shakespearean actress. But then I wanted to have money,” she joked.

She has appeared in several TV commercials, starred as “Pinkalicious” in the off-Broadway show of the same name, and played “Nancy” in the off-Broadway production of “Fancy Nancy.” In 2016, she wrote, produced, and starred in the TV film, “Gold on Bank Street,” playing Becca Gold, a banker who loses her Wall Street.

She and Caitlin brainstormed the story line for “Unbridaled,” then hired LA screen writer Thom Harp, co-writer/producer of actor Rainn Wilson’s podcast, “Dark Air with Terry Carnation,” to polish the script, and Chelsea Bryn Lockie, whose credits include the award-winning web series “Woe Is She,” to direct.

The two women raised $45,000 through a Kickstarter-type artist platform and also solicited private funding.

Fleeing her apartment in the Chelsea area of Manhattan during the pandemic, Goodman edited the film back home in West Hartford.

“Unbridaled” premiered at The Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California on June 12, as part of the annual independent film festival “Dances With Films.” The two women then plan is to go to the film festival circuit for a year.

“The world can be an extremely dark place,” Goodman said. “Now more than ever, we need to laugh. So, there has never been a better time to premiere a story about two city-slicker sisters happening upon a nudist retreat.”

Fans may follow them on social media such as Instagram (@unbridaledfilm) and Facebook where viewers can view the film. For more information about “Unbridaled,” visit unbridaledfilm.com. 

This article is reprinted with permission of WE-HA.org.

MAIN PHOTO: Unbridled