Movies

With three films at the festival, Kate Mara is this year’s unofficial queen of SXSW

BBG News

Kate Mara is set to have a busy schedule at this year’s South by Southwest festival. Starting with the world premiere of “The Astronaut” on Friday, followed by the world premiere of “The Dutchman” on Saturday, and the U.S. premiere of “Friendship” on Monday. Afterward, she will travel to Ireland to begin filming “Bucking Fasterd,” directed by Werner Herzog, marking her first collaboration with her sister, Rooney Mara, on this project.

The Astronaut” – A gripping suspense drama penned and helmed by Jess Varley. In this tale, Mara portrays Sam Walker, an astronaut returning from her maiden space voyage and confined in a unique NASA rehabilitation center to acclimate to life on Earth. As peculiar occurrences transpire, it appears that something might have accompanied her during her return journey. Notably, Laurence Fishburne makes an appearance as a military officer who doubles as Sam’s adoptive father.

In “Friendship,” a comedy where Andrew DeYoung pens and directs the story, Mara’s character has triumphantly overcome cancer and aims to rejuvenate her life. However, her husband (Tim Robinson) becomes overly absorbed in forging a deep connection with a neighboring man (Paul Rudd), disregarding the fact that his wife is now spending considerable time with an old flame, a virile firefighter.

In the daring reinterpretation of Amiri Baraka’s groundbreaking 1964 play “The Dutchman,” directed and co-written by Andre Gaines, Mara portrays Lula – a charismatic, confrontational character who intrudes into the life of Clay (André Holland), a successful Black entrepreneur who doesn’t welcome the strife she introduces.

Mara, aged 42, recently participated in a Zoom meeting from her residence in Los Angeles to ponder over the bustling phase of her professional life that she is currently experiencing.

How do you interpret the fact that these three projects are scheduled to perform at the festival on the same day?

Kate Mara: It’s quite extraordinary. Though it does fit logically considering I filmed all these movies consecutively last year, making it an extremely eventful period. My young children and I were essentially a nomadic family act, traveling from one location to another. We shot “The Dutchman” in New York, then immediately jetted off to Ireland for “The Astronaut.” If memory serves, I barely had a day’s rest between the two. After Ireland, there was a brief pause before resuming filming for “Friendship” back in New York. Thus, a short timeframe saw all three films being produced. My husband, Jamie [Bell], and our eldest son, Jack, joined us on occasion during this whirlwind experience. Managing parenthood and acting, while constantly shifting characters, was quite the challenge. Yet, it’s thrilling that they’re all premiering simultaneously at the same festival. The sensation is incredibly surreal.

In my performances, I’ve found myself embodying contrasting characters such as a long-suffering wife in “Friendship” and an enigmatic, tempestuous woman in “The Dutchman.” Is it something I take pride in, this ability to switch between roles with such versatility?

Mara: I love exploring various characters in different roles. That’s why I was eager to work on multiple films consecutively, as I was thrilled about transitioning from playing Lola in “The Dutchman,” a role that demanded immense effort and was one of the most challenging in my career, to portraying my character in “The Astronaut.” The contrast between these two characters was striking. There are techniques, subtle strategies, that definitely assist in letting go of one character and embracing the next. For instance, as soon as I finished filming “The Dutchman,” I cut off all my hair for the following project.

Speaking of your question, I find myself drawn to situations that make me feel uneasy. In my professional life, I enjoy pushing my boundaries. For instance, “Friendship” was my first comedy project, which was quite daunting given my background in thrillers and drama-thrillers. The contrast from what I had previously worked on made it an exciting challenge that I couldn’t resist.

Do you find it necessary for you to identify with your characters? Given your personality, I don’t think you’d act like the character in “The Dutchman” in real-life social interactions. So, how do you manage to embody that role?

Mara expressed that while she doesn’t believe it’s essential to connect with a character, she is drawn to the ones that seem unfamiliar to her. These characters often dwell in obscurity, are puzzling, and hard to grasp. She finds them intriguing, and they evoke a sense of apprehension, making her think, “Oh, this is going to be an uneasy day on set.”

To gain clarity and understanding, Mara shared that she values discussing the script with people she admire and trust. These individuals don’t necessarily need to be involved in the film production; they simply need to have a deep understanding of the material or whatever else is relevant. This conversation helps her feel more at ease, as it provides insight into the character’s journey and possibly the reasons behind their actions.

Friendship isn’t a light-hearted comedy; it’s intricate and multifaceted. As this is your debut in comedy, what was your experience like exploring such a complex theme?

This rephrases the original sentence to maintain its meaning while making it more conversational and easier to read.

Mara: Andrew, our director, aimed for a dramatic filming style, taking everything quite seriously. However, this setup makes the final product even funnier since we’re not delivering jokes constantly. Instead, it’s about genuine situations with real characters that ultimately become hilarious. I was anxious going into it because I wasn’t sure about the production environment and because I’m not typically cast in roles like this. To ease my nerves, I wanted to clearly understand my role. Fortunately, Andy always had a clear vision for the movie, and the script made it evident that we were aiming for a specific tone.

Our rapport was either spot-on or off the mark, which I found effortless given Tim’s intelligence. We clicked instantly and I hold him in high regard as an actor and writer. Once we were on set, it became second nature. The environment felt liberating, and I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy for those who experience such happiness daily in comedies. When things go well, it’s evidently successful. Collaborating on something that brings about such laughter is exhilarating, as the cameraman’s shoulders would often shake from trying to suppress his chuckles. It’s a contagious kind of joy.

Do you find it significant to differentiate between supporting roles and leading roles, or does this distinction not particularly register with you?

Mara: I’m seriously thinking about taking on the role because it requires less dialogue. As a parent, I find that being in almost every scene of “The Astronaut” means it’s quite demanding, as I spend most of my time alone and have fewer interactions with my co-stars. This results in longer working days and more time away from family. However, the advantage is that there’s less dialogue to memorize. On the other hand, for “The Dutchman,” I had to spend a significant amount of time preparing due to the extensive dialogue, most of which was taken directly from the play, making it very specific and challenging to learn before filming began. But in “The Astronaut,” the character speaks less and instead, it’s more about conveying emotions.

In other words, while the initial preparation was minimal, once filming began, there was an urgent need to find my cues on-the-spot. Often, I ponder that if I’m to appear in every scene of this movie, any new role should be smaller since you have less energy to invest almost immediately. It’s truly enjoyable to step back and observe a talented actor like Tim Robinson seize control.

It seems like you’re really flourishing. How do you feel about where you are right now?

Mara: I haven’t yet considered the matter from that perspective. I took a year off work mainly due to the birth of my child, and I cherished that time. However, there are some years where numerous opportunities present themselves, while in others, opportunities may not seem appealing enough or life events prevent me from working. Throughout my entire life, I’ve been an actor, and it’s my profession. So, it’s not like I’m striving to reach a specific destination – acting is simply what I do.

I am incredibly thrilled and appreciative to be able to pursue this as my career, and it continues to bring me immense joy. During the filming of “The Astronaut,” Laurence Fishburne played my father, and we formed a strong bond during our downtime, sharing stories about being child actors. He’s been working since he was 9, while I started at 14, but truly acting since I was 9. As such, we could empathize with each other and the ongoing nature of being on set. It’s a remarkable thing to still feel so passionate about our work, and not everyone shares that sentiment. I am deeply grateful for retaining my enthusiasm and excitement for it. Meeting others who have more experience than me, yet share this same passion, is incredibly inspiring and gives me hope. I aspire to feel the same way in 10 years, and I can’t imagine myself not feeling this way then. I am simply grateful for the opportunities that continue to come my way, as they are interesting enough for me to commit to the work.

In a unique turn of events, both you and your sister Rooney will share the screen together for the first time in a movie, not just portraying sisters, but identical twins. Given the numerous opportunities that have likely come your way throughout the years, I’m curious to know what drew you both to this specific project, ultimately leading to your decision to accept it?

A more simplified version might be: Mara expresses her excitement about working with Werner Herzog, whom they both admired as a filmmaker even before receiving the opportunity to collaborate with him. They found his script one of the most unique they had ever read, and being able to work together in a movie has long been a dream for them. Previous offers were sometimes considered but never felt like an obvious choice, but this one did.

It’s one of the most impressive film titles ever. It goes by ‘Bucking Fasterd’. Can you imagine being part of a movie with such a catchy name as ‘Bucking Fasterd’?

Read More

2025-03-07 14:31

Previous post TUMI Celebrates 50th Anniversary with “Made for You Since 1975” Campaign
Next post Linda Lusardi warns OnlyFans stars: X-rated content will haunt you forever