Actress Mariel Hemingway talks about ‘‘Manhattan’’ and her work with director Woody Allen.
Los Angeles, 2010
TheNewCinema: “Manhattan”, when was the last time you saw it and what did you think?
Mariel Hemingway: I think I saw “Manhattan” maybe three years ago and to this day I think it is one of the greatest films ever made, having nothing to do with the fact that I am in it. I just think its one of the most extraordinary films ever made. The black and white… Gershwin, the view of Manhattan… that was my introduction to the city. It was incredible and maybe that is why I like the film so much… it’s what made me want to act. Also Woody Allen… to learn from somebody that is that extraordinary a director, was an incredible experience. A lot of films, and I have made some of them, are out there only to make money… they are not inspired by someone seeking to do something right… I think “Manhattan” was just that kind of film… someone trying to make something inspired. To me it really is an incredible film.
TNC: So “Manhattan” was really your introduction to cinema, your first major role?
MH: It wasn’t my first film really… I did “Lipstick” when I was thirteen… After that I made a television movie and then “Manhattan”. Woody wrote the part for me after seeing “Lipstick”, so yes I guess, in a way it was like the first real film experience for me. Working with Diane Keaton and watching them together, it was an amazing introduction to this world… (more…)
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Beautiful, capricious, fascinating… The young actress discusses her work with filmmakers Jim Jarmusch, Gaspar Noé and Martin Scorsese.
New York, 2009
TheNewCinema: What does a young actress do between jobs?
Paz de la Huerta: Me? Well you have to audition… I never waited for anything; I am not that kind of person. I am very creative so if I don’t have a film, I do something on my own. I have directed a few short films and when the depression hit there were no jobs really and the studios where scared and nobody had any money. Wanting to do something, I ended up working with a photographer that I really love and we made a book called, “The birds that didn’t die over the winter”. So… I am always doing something creative no matter what. And then of course auditioning, auditioning, auditioning. I think you should even audition for shit you don’t like because it is good practice. At times I would do four auditions a week.
TNC: Day one, you got the script, now what? How do you prepare for an audition?
PDH: I read the script once through so I know what it is about and the broader spectrum of the life of the character, that I am supposed to audition for. Then I take the “sides” which are, you know the pieces of the script that I have to go audition with and I memorize… I really memorize all of my lines, thoroughly. The third part is, I find out what the scene is about, find out if I have to use things to get me to those points emotionally. But normally I am very present and the emotions will come to me. Then at the audition I have the lines by my side, so it’s not a problem, I just do the scene. Hopefully, but that is rarely the case when you go into the audition. You are working with a good actor, so all you have to do is work off them and respond and be present. But sometimes you have to use tools that for me are… I studied the “Sensory Technique” and then just things in my life… whatever is going on… I always first connect with my center and whatever is really going on with me at that moment and then I manipulate it. What I always do though is take care of myself and get a lot of sleep the night before. But it depends on the audition what I do… yoga always helps.
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A conversation with a New York talent agent.
New York, 2010
TheNewCinema: Tell me about yourself. What do you do?
Rachel Sheedy: I am a talent agent at Buchwald & Associates.
TNC: The agent, the manager, the publicist? Who does what?
RS: An agent procures employment and negotiates employment, where a manager might act as an intermediary between the agent and the client. A manager is helpful because they are a little bit more day to day. Agents have many clients, managers usually only have something like ten clients… basically we have many more people to take care of so it is a less personalized service. The publicist is someone that gets you press, gets you into parties, etc. Publicists try to bring awareness to the things their clients are creating. More and more careers blow up and people get famous because of how exposed they are… how much you know about them. We have seen many people become famous for no apparent reason. But they go to parties, they are exposed… and from there they become actors, or talk show hosts or spokespeople for lingerie or perfume or whatever it may be. I don’t deal too much with those kinds of people… I represent actors but exposure is important and actors have publicists to guide them in which kind of press will accentuate their career.
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A master class with the influential director of photography.
New York, 2009
TheNewCinema: Let me start by asking you something about yourself. What was your path to becoming a director of photography?
Peter Deming: Well…I guess it was something I was always interested in. I have an older brother and when we were kids he used to make Super 8 movies with my dad’s movie camera and I was always the crew… I was the crew and the cast and everything else. So it sort of started there. Then later I went to the University of Wisconsin and for my graduate school I went to the American Film Institute in LA. Then onto becoming a camera assistant, loader, second assistant, first assistant, camera operator, you know the whole progression of jobs.
TNC: What do you think is the best path to becoming a DP today?
PD: To me that is still the best way because you learn the working of the whole camera crew. People starting as DP’s, often don’t understand entirely the jobs of their crew, so if you have done all the jobs it’s better. I would say either that or if you are coming up through the lighting department since that is such an intricate part of being a DP. But technically I think there is a lot more to be learned in camera than there is in lighting. My first recommendation would be to come up through camera. (more…)
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