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Your new movie Dry Spell
- in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us about your
character in it?
It's about female impotency, which I don't think people talk about
enough. I play Lacey, and my best friend Sasha, (played by the lovely Suzi
Lorraine [Suzi Lorraine
interview - click here]) is the soon to be ex-wife of my brother (played by the wonderful
Kyle Hoskins [Kyle Hoskins
interview - click here]). Though they maintain that their relationship is better now that
they are separated, my character does a lot of going back and forth between them, trying
to make Sasha see sense and comfort Kyle, who is trying to appease her. After
a failed booty call, where she cannot gush to the occasion, she convinces
herself she will not be able to... perform if Kyle does not move on. As such, I
watch both of my best friends torture themselves. Which is not a stretch for
me.
What I loved about
Dry Spell, however, is that Travis Legge
[Travis Legge interview - click
here] let me run
with the script. He gave me complete freedom to ad lib, change it up, surprise
myself and my fellow cast. I ended up saying things I usually never say
without several glasses of scotch (like several fisting jokes).
My character
was also a very promiscuous person, which I am not, and I really enjoyed being
able to objectify men and shamelessly flirt to the point of offense. One thing
about my character that was very much me was the fact that she was so
unpredictable, and so honest. People never really know what to expect from me,
because I never know what to expect from me, and I'm a very honest person. But
I'm not usually thanked for my honesty, so I'm usually pretty quiet. Lacey is
not a quiet person, so it was great to explore that flippancy.
How did you get involved with the project in the first place? I
got involved with the project when my best friend in real life (Kyle
Hoskins) started writing it. Then he would update me on what he wrote, and
Travis wrote, and I just laughed. It became a new thing every night when
I'd come home-I'd have had a hard day on set and he would say: "I've
got something that will cheer you up." And he'd read a scene to me. What
can you tell us about your director Travis Legge [Travis
Legge interview - click here], and what was your collaboration
like?
Travis, who I have worked with on several occasions, is truly
wonderful to work with. He is open, honest, and goes far above and beyond
for his actors. I have never worked with a director that was so respectful
and conscious of his actors. Working with him is a gift. And it definitely
spoiled me - because I know I'm not going to get it on another set. He's a
gem, and he fights like a pitbull for what he wants. He refuses to give
in, when so many people try to bully or bribe him into submission.
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Amanda with Suzi Lorraine |
What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
shoot itself was the best two weeks of my life - I literally cannot remember
ever having so much fun. There were no divas, there were no weak links, we
all came together and stayed together, like a family. I laughed for two
weeks straight. We stayed up laughing in the same room and eventually fell
asleep in that room, next to each other like sardines. It was great. With
Dry Spell being a
romantic comedy - is that a genre you can at all otherwise relate to? I
don't know if romantic comedy was ever a genre I enjoyed - until Dry Spell.
I always thought they were too kitschy, cheesy, always-have-a-happy ending
type of genre. Dry Spell
broke the mold for me, and I think it will for
others. The story and characters are something everyone relates to.
How
could you relate to the brand of humour of Dry Spell
- and since your performance was spot-on, would you at all consider
yourself a funny person off-screen? The brand of humor in Dry Spell
- that's hilarious, because we pretty much compiled all of our
brands of humor into one movie - and I'd say everyone but bible thumpers
will love it. It's definitely raunchy, way more towards Judd Apatow type
of RomCom. As for me being a funny person off screen, people tell me I am,
but it's very much unintentional. I'm honest, and I have a more unique
perspective of the world than everyone else, so I suppose that's what made
people laugh. Let's
go back to the beginnings of your career: What got you into acting in the
first place, and did you receive any formal education on the subject? What
got me into acting: Alan Rickmans performance in Robin Hood: Prince of
Thieves. I was 13 and couldn't stop watching him. I'd fast forward to get
to his parts. And I thought: Wow. He makes money being a sick bastard.
That's amazing! Then as I got older I thought: Hell, if Keanu Reeves can
make it in this circus, what the hell am I waiting for?
I was
lucky enough to win full scholarship to NYCDA in NY. I was halfway through
a Psych degree and figured what the hell - they're handing me a life. Can't
turn that down. They made us do everything there. We were the grips, the
DPs, the stand-ins, the prop people, etc, so we knew our way around a set
when we graduated. I was also lucky enough to study under Jay Goldenberg,
who prepared me for any director I'll ever work with. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Dry
Spell? Before Dry Spell
I had done a lot of dramatic work - I played a killer, a rapist, a POW, Medea, Antigone - so I
was very grateful for Dry Spell. No screaming, crying, stabbing, etc. But
I really can't complain. I love playing the sickos.
Any future projects you'd like to talk
about? Right now I'm working on a movie called Injun
which I'm VERY excited about. I play a Comanche woman that is beaten and
left for dead by Confederate thieves that murder her husband and son and
take over her ranch. She is nursed back to health by an old trapper and
she returns and picks them off one by one. So it's all guns blazing, bow
and arrows and bull whips, jumping and running through cattle and all
sorts of phenomenal stunts. My first Western. It's a he'll of a time.
Besides movies, you have also done quite a bit of
theatre - so what can you tell us about your stagework, and how does
performing on stage compare to acting in front of a camera, and which do
you prefer, actually? Theatre and film are very different
beasts, but the premise is the same - commit, be generous to your fellow
actor. I definitely prefer film as my chosen medium, and with theatre it
has to be a hell of a piece - like Mamet or the Greeks or Shakespeeare.
Medea was my favorite play so far. It was very challenging playing the
famed sorceress that murders her children, and it was intimidating at
first, but she came naturally to me. Which probably sounds weird.
You have also done your fair share
of modeling - care to talk about Lizbeth Sawyers, the model, for a
bit? Honestly, I only started modeling for the money. It
wasn't until I met people out of the commercial circuit that really cared
about their work and what they loved to do. Modeling for MAXIM was a lot
of fun, because everyone was SO freaking cool. Especially the other girls.
Hot, fun, wild women that love themselves and love their lives. What can you tell us about your general approach to
acting, and the techniques you use to bring a character to life?
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I
don't really have a technique with my acting. I go upon instinct. David
Mamets True or False is sort of my bible. I find my mark, look the other
guy in the eye, and pursue my motivation. I heard once: You're an actor.
Take action. I do anything it takes to get what I need. As I would in
life. I'm hired because whatever is needed for a character is within me,
and they've seen it.
Actresses
(and indeed actors) who inspire you? Actresses that inspire
me: Edie Falco, Jane Lynch, Cate Blanchette. Actresses I respect: Anne
Hathaway.
Actors: Alan Rickman, Vincent Cassel, Geoffrey Rush, Gaspard Ulliel. Your favourite
movies? Scarface, The Godfather, Hard
Candy, Irreversible,
Tropic Thunder, Django. ... and of course, films you really deplore? The
Stepford Wives literally made my want to puke in my mouth. Your
website, Facebook, whatever else? Website: www.aesawyer.net
Facebook: Lizbeth Sawyers
IMDb: Lizbeth Sawyers Thanks
for the interview!
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