Director-writer, Leah McKendrick opened up about the real story that inspired the Netflix movie, 'Voicemails for Isabelle' which released on June 19, 2026.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleAfter a long wait, Netflix dropped the romantic comedy, Voicemails for Isabelle, on June 19, 2026 (ET). The film stars actors, Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson in the lead roles. The rest of the cast, who also play important roles in the movie, include Harry Shum Jr., Lukas Gage, and Nick Offerman. For those unaware, the film follows the love story of ‘Jill’ (Zoey Deutch) and ‘Wes’ (Nick Robinson). While romance fans have already begun streaming the movie, many have become curious to know the true story behind Voicemails for Isabelle.
Many might not be aware, but Leah McKendrick, the writer-director of Voicemails for Isabelle, first wrote the story almost seven years ago. The movie revolves around ‘Jill,’ an aspiring baker who is grieving the loss of her younger sister, ‘Isabelle’, in an unconditional way, by sending her voicemails about the updates from her daily life. However, what ‘Jill’ does not realise is that ‘Issabelle’s’ number had already been reassigned to a man named ‘Wes.’ Soon, he falls in love with ‘Jill’ and her bright personality over the phone and decides to find her.
Reportedly, the premise of building the movie around a theme like sisterhood came naturally to McKendrick, as she is a proud older sister herself. However, when it came to the voicemails aspect of the film, it was inspired by a comedy set that she had seen previously. During a recent interview, she revealed that her roommate was participating in the showcase and had a bit in which she would leave her dad 20-minute voicemails. These voicemails were about everyday stuff like what he had eaten and the weather that day. McKendrick shared:
"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."
Following this, McKendrick revealed that she thought that if her dad dies, she won't be waiting for him to call back because in reality, he barely ever calls her. In addition to this, he is also alive. However, if it were her sister who died, she would definitely wait for her to call back. In fact, she said that she would actually keep calling her. This is where her idea for Voicemails for Isabelle was born, especially after McKendrick's sister had moved to New York for college.
Her sister's move prompted McKendrick to leave her “long rambling voicemails” about a number of things, such as how her day went. This includes crying about a horrible date or “how hard it was to make it in Hollywood and how this town didn't want me.” McKendrick added:
"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."
Most fans might think of Voicemails for Isabelle as a romance story, although Leah McKendrick revealed that she wanted to create a “love letter” to her sister. According to her, there is no true romantic love, especially if a person has not experienced first love with family. She was quoted as saying:
"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. And I'm very deeply grateful for the fact that I knew from pretty much [when] my sister was born when I was 4. So I've known since I was 4 years old, and she came home, what true love was."
What are your thoughts on the real story behind Voicemails for Isabelle?
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