The new Netflix romantic comedy Voicemails for Isabelle arrived on the streaming platform on June 19, 2026. The film stars Zoey Deutch as Jill, an aspiring baker grieving the loss of her younger sister Isabelle. The movie follows Jill as she leaves voicemails on her sister’s old phone number, unaware that the number has been reassigned to Wes, played by Nick Robinson, a real estate agent who gradually falls in love with her through her messages.
Director Leah McKendrick has now shared the surprising true story behind the film’s unusual premise. The idea came from a comedy show she attended more than seven years ago.
How a Comedy Set Sparked the Idea
McKendrick revealed that she got the inspiration for Voicemails for Isabelle while watching a comedy showcase. Her roommate was performing and had a bit about leaving her father long, 20-minute voicemails about mundane things like what he ate that day and the weather. After her roommate’s set, the next comedian came on stage and said something that changed everything.
“Then the next comedian gets on stage and she goes, ‘It’s so nice that your dad calls you. My dad hasn’t called me in three years.’ And everyone’s kind of like, ‘Ooh.’ And then she’s like, ‘He’s dead.’ I was the only one that laughed. And then it really got the wheels turning, and I thought to myself, it’s so funny, this idea of a girl who keeps waiting for her dad to call her back.”
McKendrick then had a personal realization. She thought about her own father and how she would not wait for him to call her back because he barely calls her even though he is alive. Then she thought about her sister.
“And then I thought if my sister died, I’d be waiting for her to call me back. And then I thought, no, if my sister died, I would just keep calling her.”
The Personal Story Behind the Voicemails
The inspiration became even more personal when McKendrick’s sister moved to New York for college. During that time, McKendrick started leaving her sister long, rambling voicemails about everything happening in her life. She would cry about difficult dates or complain about how hard it was trying to succeed in Hollywood.
McKendrick realized those messages revealed a version of herself that very few people ever got to see.
“I would just let it all hang out. And what a horror story it could be if somebody were to ever hear my most unfiltered self. But you would know that if somebody fell in love with that unfiltered self, it would be real.”
For McKendrick, the movie was always more than just a romance. She wanted to create a love letter to her sister and to sisterhood in general. She believes that experiencing true love through family helps people recognize it when they search for it in romantic relationships.
“I think if you’ve experienced true love through family, you don’t settle when you’re searching for it in romantic love because you know what it feels like. And some people don’t know what that feels like to really have true love.”
The Film’s Long Road to Release
Voicemails for Isabelle was first announced back in 2019. The project was originally set to be directed by Sharon Maguire, known for the original Bridget Jones’s Diary. Hailee Steinfeld was originally attached to play the lead role of Jill.
The film was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hollywood writers’ strikes. Steinfeld eventually departed the project, and Maguire also stepped away from directing duties. McKendrick, who wrote the screenplay, took over as director. The film was originally produced by Sony Pictures and intended for a theatrical release before Netflix acquired the distribution rights.
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Zoey Deutch Brings the Character to Life
Despite the long journey to the screen, the film found its perfect lead in Zoey Deutch. Deutch and Robinson have known each other since they were teenagers, which helped build their on-screen chemistry.
Deutch praised McKendrick’s screenplay, noting that it handles the theme of grief in a honest way.
“[It was] a really beautiful portrayal of what it feels like to love someone so much and lose them,” Deutch said about the film’s script.
For McKendrick, the film represents more than just entertainment. It captures a very real human experience. She noted that voicemails cannot be edited or rewritten. They are messy, awkward and sometimes confessional. They always go a little off the rails.
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