New Film Normalizes Type 1 Diabetes On Screen And Behind The Scenes

Movie scenes featuring a group of women bonding over wine aren’t hard to come by. But in the upcoming film Quarter, said scene packs a unique punch. Every one of the actors is a type 1 diabetic.

It’s just one of the ways writer, co-producer and star Kelsey Bascom is working to normalize living with type 1 diabetes both on camera and behind the scenes of her new film, an autobiographically inspired comedy about a young woman with T1D who’s about to hit her quarter-century birthday as she deals with the ups and downs of her blood sugar levels and the ups and downs of her personal life.

“I had this idea as we were looking for background actors to be at the party. Wouldn’t it be cool if all of the women were actors who had type 1 diabetes,” says Bascom, who used her Instagram to spread the word and contacted friends of friends to fill the roles.

In total, Quarter, which is on course to hit the festival circuit next year, counts more than 30 people living with type 1 diabetes or who have a loved one who is diabetic among its cast and crew—the largest assemblage of such to date. Este Haim, Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Gavin Lewis (Little Fires Everywhere) and Derek Theler (Baby Daddy) are among the T1D cast members.

“We had about 20 type 1 diabetic women in one room, and in between the takes we were sitting in a circle and sharing stories and showing each other our blood sugars,” Bascom says. “A lot of them had never met other type 1 diabetic women before, especially who are around the same age. It was really special and emotional.”

Since the shoot, the women have continued the conversation via a group text. “We stay in touch and share diabetes stories,” Bascom says. “And the scene in the movie is a wine club, and so the girls have started their own wine parties.”

For her part, Bassinger jumped at the chance to participate. “My team called me with the offer and before they could even finish—I was like, ‘Yes,’” she says. “As a type 1 diabetic, I am extremely passionate about educating people on what type 1 diabetes really looks like. And Kelsey’s film felt like an opportunity to do just that.”

Bascom, who created and stars in the digital comedy series Mondays, peppered the Quarter script with humorous educational moments, like an animated journey into her character’s pancreas, and plenty of scenarios culled from her own life, including being diagnosed at 17, on the first day of her senior year of high school.

“I had all the symptoms. I was really thirsty and had just had my wisdom teeth taken out and there was an infection that wouldn’t go away,” she says of her own story. “We knew something was wrong, and I went to the doctor and they called the house after the did the bloodwork and were like, ‘Her blood sugar is 400-something. She needs to be hospitalized right away; she’s a type 1 diabetic.’”

After spending years trying to hide the fact that she was diabetic, Bascom gradually got more comfortable about using her platform to heighten awareness and now works with organizations like Beyond Type 1 to help educate and destigmatize T1D. She recalls a day when she was wearing her Omnipod tubeless insulin pump and decided to snap a pic.

“I was wearing my Pod proudly and I took a photo and posted it on my Instagram and made a post about the pump,” she says. “And I couldn’t believe the responses I was getting. I had all these young women, people from across the world, parents, people who were recently diagnosed. Just posting that one photo meant so much to all these different people, and it encouraged me to continue opening up and sharing my story.”

That experience planted the seed for Quarter, which Bascom says is the kind of film she wishes were around when she got her diagnosis. While the entertainment industry hasn’t demonized diabetes, it hasn’t exactly responsibly embraced it either, she notes.

“The big thing is just being educated about type 1. There are so many misconceptions and stereotypes. A lot of people just don’t know what it is, and they don’t know the mental part that comes with it—and that’s reflected through Hollywood.”

When there is the rare T1D character in a film or TV show, she says her mind usually goes one of two places. “I think, either the character won’t make it to the third act or they’re getting a lot of things wrong; they didn’t even GoogleGOOG
what type 1 diabetes is like.”

“I think honest writing and representation is where the opportunity in Hollywood lies for type 1 diabetes education and empathy,” concurs Bassinger. “There are so many misconceptions about type 1 diabetes, specifically the confusion between type 1 and type 2. But I think having more content specifically commenting on type 1 diabetes is a great start.”

While Quarter specifically raises awareness about T1D, Bascom says the film’s message about empowerment is universal.

“It’s not only for type 1 diabetics. Everybody has something they are trying to overcome, everybody has a thing in their life they have to deal with,” she says. “But because of this specific story, the audience will naturally be educated about T1D.”