EXCLUSIVE: Recent SNL addition Veronika Slowikowska and Emmy winner Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Deuce) are set to topline Close to Nowhere, an indie comedy marking the feature directorial debut of Samantha Carroll.
Based on an original idea Carroll developed over several years, Close to Nowhere follows small-town Coco (Slowikowska), who, while struggling with unfulfilled artistic ambitions, concocts fake psychic abilities in an effort to impress a famous writer (Kirby).
The ensemble also includes Isabelle Barbier (The Other Two), Jack Bensinger (The Bear), Deborah Rush (You’ve Got Mail), Lindsay Burdge (A Teacher), Jonas Gindin (Lurker), and Natalie Paul (You).
Producers on the project are Jonathan Grace, Jessica DiMento, Peter Heres, and Javier Gonzalez, with Carroll exec producing.
A Chapman University Dodge College grad, Carroll first met key collaborators there, including producer Heres and DP Seannie Bryan. Now based in New York, she’s had shorts screen at venues across NY and LA — most recently Isaac, which was featured on NoBudge. She is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment.
One month into her first season as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, Slowikowska is a comedian and actress also known for starring as Kelly, the love interest to Shane Gillis, on Netflix’s Tires. She has nearly two million followers across Instagram and TikTok, with additional screen credits including FX’s What We Do in the Shadows and Peacock’s Poker Face. She is repped by Artists First, UTA, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
Kirby won an Emmy for his portrayal of Lenny Bruce on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and recently reunited with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino on Amazon’s ballet-themed series Étoile. Up next, he stars opposite Julia Garner in Season 2 of The Last Thing He Told Me, premiering February 20, 2026. He is repped by Gersh.