By Debra Wallace
Wilmington, Delaware (The Hollywood Times) 5/28/26 — Actor Carly Otte found more than a sharp comic role in The Conspiracists. She found a project built around friendship, creative trust, and the kind of timing that can make a movie feel personal before the cameras even roll.
In the Delaware-produced mockumentary, Otte plays Gabby Washburn, a podcaster connected to the strange, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt world of ConCon, the world’s first all-inclusive conspiracy convention. The film follows siblings Daisy and Eric Sureloc, played by Broadway star Terrie Lynne and Christopher Murray, as their convention dreams begin to crack and a larger conspiracy starts to take shape.
Directed by Michael Perrie Jr. and produced by Uncultured Swine and Delaware-based King Creative, The Conspiracists was filmed in just 11 days on a modest $250,000 budget. The fast-moving production became the feature film debut for executive producers Beatriz Naranjo and Edward Layfield of Uncultured Swine, and a meaningful acting milestone for Otte.
The film began with an original script by husband-and-wife team Michael Perrie Jr. and Lacy Reily, longtime friends of Otte. Years before the movie was made, Otte had read the role of Gabby during a pandemic-era Zoom script reading. When the project came back years later with producers attached, the role felt familiar, personal, and unfinished in the best possible way.
“As we wander into another time of emotional, political, and social insecurity, conspiracy runs rampant with every new post online,” said Perrie Jr.
“You’ll find hours of conspiracy theories ripe for the picking. But there is one simple, beautiful thread tying it all together – people just want to be part of a community,” he said. “We wanted to write something that makes people think a little, laugh a lot, and come together.”
Christopher Bruce, the film’s main location scout, key grip during filming, and post-production supervisor, called the 11-day production “truly a miracle.” Bruce also composed an original song for the film with Grammy-nominated Platinum Producer Herb Middleton and celebrated vocalist Jacci McGhee.
“It was also the result of incredible preparation, tenacious work ethic,” said Bruce, “and a deep desire to make this little movie a love letter to the State of Delaware!”
For Otte, the movie was also a return. After stepping away during a difficult period in her life, including a second cancer diagnosis in 2023, The Conspiracists became her first role back and her first lead role in a feature film.
The following is a Q and A interview with actor Carly Otte:
Carly Otte on The Conspiracists, Gabby Washburn, and Her Acting Journey
What attracted you to this project in this movie, and how does it fit in with other projects that you’ve worked on?
Carly Otte: The writers Michael Perrie Jr. and Lacy Reily are longtime friends and really good actors, whom I have known since 2016 or 2017. I was actually writing and producing a web series at the time. Mike was cast to be an actor in it, and we became really good friends. I feel like when you meet kind of like-minded creatives, you like to keep them in your orbit.
Then, jump forward to the pandemic; he started doing socially isolated script readings on Zoom as a way to kind of get his actor-writer friends together and to keep that community going. Later on, he and his wife, Lacy, started writing The Conspiracists together.
What happened next regarding this clever movie?
Carly Otte: In April 2020, at one of the script readings, they got us all on Zoom, and they had written the movie with some of the parts loosely based on certain friends. I did the original reading as Gabby, and I enjoyed it. We all laughed and thought it was fun, then a lot happened for me in the following years, and I kind of forgot about it.
Four years later, in the summer of 2024, Michael emailed all of us and said, ‘You know, remember that script we did; there are producers attached to it now, and it’s getting made, and we’d love for you all to audition.’
To be part of this little initial fun read and see it being made and coming to fruition years later is a dream come true for a friend. That’s such a big deal. I was really proud of my friends and wanted to be a part of it. I felt some ownership over the role of Gabby because I did that first reading, and I felt like it was kind of my opportunity, and I really wanted to do well in the audition and get the part.
What is the message of the movie?
Carly Otte: I think the message of the film has only become more relevant over time. Kind of the core message is very much about isolation and community, and why people seek community if they feel isolated and alone. So, I feel that it was born out of that pandemic place, and then I think that has only continued to grow and become more relevant.
What else do you appreciate about the movie?
Carly Otte: I just thought it was smart and funny, and I was all in. I was honored that I was able to play a role like Gabby. In my other roles, people don’t usually see me as the villain. I don’t usually get to play those kinds of characters, so I thought the way they wrote her was so smart, and you initially don’t suspect her as the villain. Then you get that surprise at the end, that there’s kind of more to her under the surface as the movie evolves.
It was a win on all fronts to support the movie and get to do a project with a longtime friend, as well as being able to play my first lead role in a feature film in a character that was really challenging for me as an actor. I also appreciated that it was a comedic movie with a heart and a message that I thought was extremely interesting and important.
What do you advise aspiring actors to know about this tough business?
Carly Otte: I would say there’s no one-size-fits-all. There’s no right path or wrong path. The best thing they can do is watch a lot of film and TV, or go see a lot of theatre, whatever it is that you’re pursuing, and get really clear about what you love and what you want to pursue. You don’t have to do everything. Just know what your strengths are and then lean into your strengths. Then just try to follow your instincts. A lot of people will give you advice – parents, teachers, acting coaches, and others – because people love to give advice. I think you take all of it and you filter out what doesn’t work for you, and just try to go with your gut. Listen to what feels good and right and always follow that. This means not being afraid to take breaks. Sometimes, circumstances in life will become challenging. Sometimes you just won’t feel creative. When I started, I was afraid to take breaks because I didn’t want to feel like I wasn’t serious. Make it your own path.
Your friends wrote the movie, but during filming, did you get to know the other actors?
Carly Otte: Oh, yes. I was actually one of three actors who did the initial reading, and then we went through the editing process and ended up playing the same roles that we did originally. So, I knew a few of them from Zoom, but I had never met any of them until we actually got to the set. It was just such an amazing and easy process from start to finish. I feel like the producers did such a great job of assembling everything.
They are such a talented, creative team that made it special for the actors and everyone on the crew. They really did such a great job of making us feel taken care of, despite the extremely tight schedule. Most feature films take a lot longer than 11 or 12 days, but it never felt rushed because everyone was so lovely. I still keep in touch with quite a few of them.
What was your first acting experience? And why this road, you must know it’s a tough one.
Carly Otte: Growing up, I was a theater kid, and my parents were really supportive. They enrolled me in after-school activities and camps so I could socialize. I did soccer camp and science camp, and as a result, at a young age, I saw that theater and dance were what lifted me up. They never balked when I told them I wanted to go to college for theater.
My parents said they didn’t know anything about this world, but they would help me figure it out. I also had a lot of teachers who warned me not to. I moved to New York after college and realized that film and television were where I wanted to focus my energy. I still do theatre sometimes, but I know what my passion is. For the last 12 years or so, I’ve been mostly focused on film. I know that it is a winding road, and I have had times in my life where I thought maybe it was more of a hobby than a career. But honestly, I love it with all my heart.
You have had some rough periods in life.
Carly Otte: Yes, I had a big shift a few years ago. I’m a two-time cancer survivor, and I was diagnosed for the second time in 2023. There’s a lot to process that comes with that. But when I was coming up the other side, I just thought, ‘I don’t ever want to quit the thing that I love.’ I know that life is short and life is hard, and even if it is the sort of up-and-down winding road, I’m going to keep doing it because it brings me that much joy. My cancer diagnosis kind of reinvigorated me.
So, I had that ‘the reason for life moment,’ where I realized my purpose is to keep doing what I love. So, this movie was also my first role back after taking a couple of years off after my diagnosis. I take time off when I need to, and I hustle when I need to, and I kind of just find the balance.
So, this movie means a lot to me because I felt firm in knowing this is what I wanted to do, and to get this opportunity at that time really meant the world to me. I’m committed to being along for the ride and appreciating the journey. I love collaborating with other actors and artists in my spaces. I have no plans to give it up. I am all in.
Why do you encourage busy movie buffs to watch this movie?
Carly Otte: It’s a fun 90-minute watch, which is the same time as one long episode of your favorite TV show. It’s also very nostalgic. If you love the mockumentary style, like in The Office and Parks and Recreation, and the Christopher Guest movies, like I did when I was growing up, you will enjoy it. This movie is very much in that style.
The time just flies by. With this movie, you get to see a lot of fun characters, you get to go on a little silly journey, and also, you might tear up a little at the end. I think it has a nice balance of funny and emotional. If someone likes the mockumentary style, they would definitely like this.
