Canadian talent rarely get asked about Canadian film projects in interviews, especially with someone who is a significant force in the Canadian film scene. Women Who Act combines prominent Canadian director Patricia Rozema with 4 talented Canadian women.
Women Who Act is a series of conversations with Rozema and Andrea Martin, Ellen Page, Tatiana Maslany, and Sandra Oh. The conversations sans men produce an intriguing dynamic missing from late-night talk shows.
The audience gets to find out more about the Canadian projects that these actresses have done. Sandra Oh talks about Window Horses and working with Don McKellar on projects such as Last Night. Tatiana Maslany gets to speak about Picture Day and working with Jason Priestley on Cas & Dylan. Ellen Page speaks about working with Bruce McDonald on The Tracey Fragments.
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Rozema isn't trying to fill time; she really wants to understand the actor portion of the director-actor dynamic. Rozema also plays a word association with each of the actors. She has a quirk of following up with "what do you mean by that" instead of moving on directly to a different question.
Rozema directed Oh in a episode of Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays and worked with Page on Into the Forest. She also tells Maslany that she wants to work with her. Full disclosure is noted. The dynamic feels more intimate than a regular interview.
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Martin mentions that she was semi-nude in her debut Foxy Lady for Ivan Reitman. Cannibal Girls is also mentioned. They talk about Godspell with a cast of now well-known actors such as Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Victor Garber, and musical director Paul Shaffer. Martin admits that she wasn't originally cast in the play but got the part later.
Rozema asked Martin who was funnier: Americans, Canadians, or Armenians. Martin's ancestry is from Armenia. She was born and grew up in the United States and later became a Canadian citizen.
Page pointed out that she was a particular actor looking for ideal parts, especially since 17% of films have a female protagonist. Rozema was surprised the number was that high. Page, a Nova Scotia native, admitted to following CBC Nova Scotia on Twitter and e-mailing news links to friends.
Page said working on The Tracey Fragments with Bruce McDonald was "one of the best filmmaking acting experiences I've had."
Rozema and Maslany talk about the rich tradition of Canadians being funny. She found John Candy to be "very open, very Canadian." Maslany says she struggles more with comedy than drama.
Maslany worked with John Fawcett in Orphan Black. But you might not know that they worked together in Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed. Maslany, who was a blonde in the role, won a Chainsaw award for best supporting actress.
She spoke of the extensive rehearsal improv that lead up to Picture Day.
Maslany told Rozema of the challenge to speak all but 2 lines in German in Woman in Gold. Turns out that Maslany grew up with German spoken in her home in Regina.
Rozema noted how surprised she was that Oh takes comedy seriously after directing her on Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays. She brought up Adrienne Clarkson and Don McKellar in the name reaction. Clarkson may not be a recognisable name to Americans. Oh's reaction to McKellar was a noise, a positive noise.
Rozema brought up nudity on screen. Oh talked about women and women's bodies and how we feel about ourselves. She said actors should feel good with their choices: when you are young, make sure someone helps you keep the high road.
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Oh and Page talk extensively about being in love with potential projects.
Nudity gets mentioned a few times. Martin brings it up with Rozema. Rozema brings it up with Oh. Page was partially nude under Rozema's direction with Into the Forest. Oh was topless in Dancing at the Blue Iguana. Maslany was briefly nude in Two Lovers and a Bear. As we saw in Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz, there is a refreshing dynamic with nudity being contemplated in an all-female environment.
The timing of the interviews in the 2015 film is intriguing for Maslany since she wasn't sure what would happen past Orphan Black and for Oh since she was trying to figure out her post Grey's Anatomy career well before Killing Eve.
Each interview is about 15 minutes. Barry Avrich wrote and directed the film.
You can access Women Who Act with Amazon Prime with an additional rental fee.
photo credit: Women Who Act film
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