Pandemic lockdown — remember when? COVID-19 kept us indoors for a then-unforeseen length of time, leaving us questioning the future and perhaps our livelihood. The virus is sadly still around, but at least we’ve been out seeing the world for quite some time at this point. Most of us hadn’t used Zoom before the coronavirus, but many of us turned to the app and VR-type technology back in 2020 and 2021 to help pass the time and help us feel somewhat like the social butterflies we once were.

This sort of digital Metaverse is explored in satirical fashion with Love Virtually, a new ensemble comedy feature from director L.E. Staiman that stars Cheri Oteri (Scary Movie), Stephen Tobolowsky (Silicon Valley), Tom Virtue (Even Stevens), and more. We recently caught up with Staiman to learn more about the unique new project that he also co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in.

Bringing Love Virtually to Life ‘Was a Blast’

Staiman certainly had his hands full wearing multiple hats for Love Virtually, but that’s not all that kept him busy. “It was not only a difficult movie to execute, just writing, directing, producing, acting in it,” he told MovieWeb. “The medium of live-action integrated with VR, and then the amount of VFX that had to go into all the screen replacements and merging those two worlds, it was a massive undertaking. It took way longer than we thought when it went to edit. But it was a blast.”

Starring in the movie you’re directing — would one ever decide to do it a second time? “Acting and directing is fun and really challenging. And you really need a great support system, ghost directors and people to watch your back when doing it,” said Staiman. “But yeah, I would love to do more of it.”

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