From the Call It Out Campaign To One Shot Of Espresso: How Lauren Budd Is Championing Women’s Safety On and Off Screen

For Lauren Budd, One Shot Of Espresso was never just another short film.

On the surface, the psychological thriller tells a simple story: a woman working alone in a South London café, forced to navigate the increasingly muddy intentions of a stranger. Inspired by the iconic “coin toss” scene from No Country For Old Men, the film builds tension through uncertainty, forcing audiences to question intention, instinct and danger.

But beneath that tension lies something much more real.

For Budd, it’s a reality she knows all too well.

Speaking to The Fan Carpet during our recent interview, Budd described the script as something that made her feel “seen” — a reflection of the constant hypervigilance many women experience in everyday life.

It’s a powerful admission, and one that reveals why One Shot Of Espresso resonated with her so strongly.

“I think all women will watch this film and feel seen,” Budd explained. “It’s that need for constant hypervigilance that I don’t think ever gets spoken about.”

That feeling — the constant weighing up of intent, risk and escape — is at the core of the film.

But for Budd, this isn’t just performance.

It’s advocacy.

Before One Shot Of Espresso, Budd had already been involved in the Call It Out Campaign, an initiative focused on helping people recognise and respond to the kinds of subtle harassment and social violations that often go unchallenged.

It’s exactly the kind of “grey area” behaviour the film explores so effectively.

Not overt violence.

Not obvious threat.

But the uncomfortable in-between.

The lingering stare.

The question that feels wrong.

The tension that tells you something isn’t right — even if you can’t explain why.

That’s what makes both the campaign and the film so important.

They challenge the idea that harm has to be extreme to be real.

Sometimes it starts much earlier.

Much quieter.

And by the time it escalates, it’s often too late.

During our conversation, Budd spoke candidly about how exhausting that process can be.

“It can sometimes be more than once a day,” she said, reflecting on the constant need to assess strangers, environments and interactions.

It’s an invisible labour many people never think about — because they’ve never had to.

That’s where One Shot Of Espresso becomes more than just a psychological thriller.

It becomes a conversation starter.

An educational piece.

A mirror.

And that’s part of what makes Budd’s involvement feel so significant.

This isn’t simply an actress stepping into a role.

This is someone whose off-screen values align directly with the material.

Someone who understands the emotional truth of what the film is saying.

And someone willing to use her platform to keep that conversation going.

In an industry where social issues are often packaged for effect, Lauren Budd’s connection to One Shot Of Espresso feels grounded in something far more authentic.

Because for her, women’s safety isn’t a trend.

It’s a reality.

And whether through campaigns like Call It Out or films like One Shot Of Espresso, she is helping make that reality harder to ignore.

That may be one of the most important things an artist can do.

Not just entertain.

But reflect.

Challenge.

And protect.

With One Shot Of Espresso preparing for its festival journey, Budd’s work on and off screen continues to show that horror doesn’t always need monsters.

Sometimes the scariest thing is simply how familiar it all feels.

Lauren Budd Profile | One Shot Of Espresso Film Page

Stay tuned to The Fan Carpet for more coverage on One Shot Of Espresso