Mary Holland and Betsy Sodaro on arm-wrestling tips, Dot Marie-Jones, and missing SXSW

By Cameron Scheetz | April 9, 2020 | 4:30pm

Film Features Golden Arm

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This year’s bummer of a SXSW cancellation was a canary in the coal mine for Hollywood, as feature films both big and small have had to recalibrate their release strategies. One such movie is the fist-pumping buddy comedy Golden Arm from director Maureen Bharoocha—known for her work on Jimmy Kimmel Live!—which was set to have its world premiere at the Austin fest last month. Starring the reliably hilarious Mary Holland and Betsy Sodaro as two friends caught up in the wild (and real!) world of “Ladies Arm Wrestling,” it’s the kind of crowd-pleaser that was sure to be buzzed about after playing to a packed festival theater.

In lieu of South By Southwest, we set up a video call with Bharoocha, Holland, and Sodaro to talk about the making of Golden Arm and what’s next for the movie. While they were sad to miss out on the barbecue and street tacos Austin is known for, the trio was in high spirits as they shared stories from set and told us about the inspiring women who regularly compete in arm-wrestling competitions. And, when asked about their training regimen for the movie, Holland and Sodaro explained how co-star Dot Marie Jones taught them everything they’d need to know. In short, the conversation is a blast, and should be enough to tide audiences over until they can see Golden Arm for themselves, coronavirus be damned!