IR Interview: Dolly De Leon For "Ghostlight" [IFC]

The Inside Reel

Actress Dolly De Leon talks to The Inside Reel about tone, instinct, theater and characterization in regards to her new film: "Ghostlight" from IFC Films.

Transcript

00:00♪♪

00:10♪♪

00:16Good luck, honey.

00:17You don't say good luck.

00:19It's break a leg.

00:22Break a leg.

00:23♪♪

00:28This kind of story, it has to be handled very specifically.

00:33Could you talk about that?

00:34Because Rita has to be both welcoming,

00:37but yet stern, empathetic,

00:39and yet world-weary in certain ways.

00:42Could you sort of talk about that balance

00:44within her, if you could?

00:47Well, it's really, I always go back to the material.

00:50It's really, all the answers are on the script

00:53and how it's written.

00:54And it's really all about finding where she's coming from.

00:58Why is she rough around the edges?

01:01Why is she abrasive sometimes?

01:03It's not because she means harm.

01:05It's because there's a deeper underlying meaning behind it.

01:08And I just go there to the basic of the human being.

01:11Whatever we see in their behavior

01:13is just a manifestation of what's really going on inside.

01:16So I just dig really deep into them

01:19and find out what makes them tick.

01:21And then whatever comes out of that

01:23is what comes out of that.

01:27I think it's really great that you found a place

01:29where you feel welcome, Daisy.

01:32I just don't want to screw that up for you.

01:34You should have told me.

01:35I know.

01:36I won't judge.

01:38The lines are the easy part.

01:39The hard part is the emotional journey.

01:41But beyond, like, obviously,

01:43I was talking to Kelly about this,

01:44you have to find those moments in between.

01:47Keith finds those moments of like, should I do this?

01:50And then Rita is sort of that anticipation.

01:52I think there's one scene

01:54when you are both acting together

01:56and you're like, it's all right.

01:58And yet there's so much said in between.

02:00Could you talk about it?

02:01Because the words say enough,

02:02but then the behavior needs to instinctively take over,

02:05I would think.

02:06Right.

02:07And if you think about it, in acting,

02:10there are words, right?

02:11There are lines.

02:13But those lines are sometimes,

02:14they're just masks that are just put on by the character.

02:18Mostly in the things that we watch

02:20or in everyday life, in real life,

02:24you know what they say?

02:25Words speak, actions speak louder than words.

02:28Sometimes we say things we don't really,

02:30we don't really mean that,

02:31but what really is truthful is the behavior.

02:34So it's, if you think about it, it's tricky,

02:37but it's really quite simple.

02:39And it's just a matter of protecting yourself.

02:42And all of us protect ourselves every day

02:44when we face people, right?

02:46I'm protecting myself when I'm talking to you now,

02:48you're protecting yourself when you're talking to me.

02:49So it's really the same principle, basically.

02:53It's just going back to what motivates them.

02:55Why are they saying this?

02:57What are they trying to hide?

02:58What are they protecting?

02:59Come on.

03:06Come on.

03:21What is, what's this?

03:24Your salvation.

03:26I'm kidding.

03:28We're rehearsing a play.

03:30Everyone, this is...

03:33Damn.

03:34Dan is the new Aaron.

03:36Everyone is replaceable.

03:38Especially in theater,

03:39whether we're talking about classical theater

03:41or something like Romeo and Juliet,

03:42it's about those inherent masks, as you were saying,

03:44that we put up to each other.

03:46But there's sort of classical sort of archetypes,

03:49the reluctance, you know, that sort of comes through.

03:52Can you talk about that?

03:52But it's specifically in this,

03:55it's also putting it in perspective of age,

03:58of race, of so many different things, you know?

04:01Could you sort of talk about that?

04:02Because, you know, you have to sort of show her perspective,

04:06but also sort of conduct everybody else

04:10that's within that theater troupe.

04:12This is actually, for Rita to stage something

04:16like Romeo and Juliet and casting herself and Dan

04:19as Romeo and herself as Juliet,

04:22it's a big middle finger to the world.

04:25To say that, F you all, I'll do what I want.

04:28I don't care what Shakespeare said.

04:29I love him, but this can happen.

04:32And no one can tell me otherwise.

04:34I've been, you know, Rita, this is Rita talking.

04:36I've been turned down by everyone right, left, and center,

04:40and I'm done with it.

04:42I will do things my way.

04:43And that's what she did.

04:44And that's a testament to her character.

04:46No one will stop her from doing what she wants to do.

04:49And I think it's a wonderful message to everyone,

04:51especially women of her age,

04:54dance to the beat of your own drum.

04:56Don't let anyone control you or control your choices

04:59and tell you what you can or can't do.

05:01And that's what Rita does.

05:02And that's why I love her.

05:04Here's a space to your heart.

05:05Come on.

05:07No, I don't, I'm not an actor.

05:11Can you read?

05:14Did he audition?

05:15Do you have a monologue we can see?

05:16Something classic?

05:19I should-

05:20What?

05:20Where do you have to be?

05:23Sit down and play pretend for an hour

05:25and then you can go back to your life.

05:29But you as an actress, I mean, you do the same thing.

05:31You take no prisoners.

05:32You go for it.

05:35But yet it's interesting,

05:36because there's always like,

05:37even with that hard edge of drama,

05:39there is that humor.

05:41And that comes through so wonderfully in here,

05:44because the thing is that you realize like,

05:46she knows what she's doing no matter what,

05:49but you can sort of offset it.

05:50And that's the great thing about this kind of story

05:54of a story within a story within a story.

05:56Can you talk about that

05:57and finding that balance of energy in characters?

06:01Obviously you've done it in so many different films,

06:03but specifically here.

06:05I think it's also because I've been in the theater world.

06:10That's, I mean, I'm a theater actor as well.

06:12That's really where I grew up, where I started.

06:15So it wasn't so hard to find that balance.

06:21But what's really tricky, actually,

06:23if you think about it is acting

06:25with theater acting in front of a camera,

06:28because the camera makes you so big

06:30and theater acting is already big.

06:32So that was the tricky part to not play it too big.

06:36Even if we're supposed to be performing in a theater,

06:38we still had to consider that we are being filmed.

06:41So that was the tricky part.

06:43And I learned that actually from Keith,

06:46because when he would do his scenes

06:48in the theater and Catherine,

06:49I also learned that from Catherine, she plays Daisy,

06:52their acting was very contained, but still very effective.

06:58So I said, ah, so this is how you do it, okay.

07:00So I just followed their lead.

07:02And sometimes that's also key.

07:04It's observing everyone on set,

07:05especially the very talented actors,

07:08just observing them and see how they do things

07:10and learning from that immediately and following suit.

07:13Honestly, I was just in good company.

07:16I was in very good company.

07:18What happened to them?

07:19Here's a hint.

07:20It's a tragedy.

07:22You're shaking.

07:23It seemed like you might want a chance

07:25of being somebody else.

07:28When things get hard, you either blow up or bail.

07:31It's a bad habit.

07:32Because that goes to that.

07:33You know, it's also looking what, you know,

07:35respecting, you know, what came before,

07:36but also looking at like, what came, you know,

07:39with like Catherine, it's great to see you guys

07:41in that one scene when you're in that bar

07:43and you can see the joy she has.

07:45And, you know, it's about passing that on.

07:47Kelly passing that on, you passing that on.

07:50Could you talk about the power and joy of theater

07:53and what that means to you?

07:56So to me, the joy of theater is really very important.

08:00And it's something that I would love to be shared

08:02with the whole world, not just theater practitioners.

08:05And I'm hoping that this film is going to be able to do that

08:08because it clearly shows that the relationship

08:11between the actors and the actors themselves

08:13clearly shows that the relationship

08:16between father and daughter has been strained.

08:18And they haven't been talking for quite a long time,

08:20but because they found something that they have in common.

08:23Dan was never a theater practitioner,

08:25but he found a love for it.

08:27And he found that commonality with Daisy

08:29and they were able to connect again

08:30because of that one thing.

08:32So it's really very precious

08:33and it's really very important that we find things,

08:37you know, to be able to connect with people.

08:38And this film really shows us that, that it can be done.

08:43There you go.

08:44What?

08:45You're happy.

08:46Okay, weirdo.

08:46Many of us live our lives repressing our emotions

08:50because out there, they can be a liability.

08:53But in here, we can put those into good use.

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