Your new movie The Furnace
- in a few words, what is
it about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?
It’s
about the character I play, Mary, who loses her husband and the use of one
of her lungs in a devastating car accident. She is left with no hope to
live after suffering such a heavy loss. She and her husband had planned to
run a 150 mile race in Africa together. After meeting a very special
doctor who helps her recover, she decides to run the race by herself. In
The Furnace you play a
passionate long distance runner - now is running something you enjoy in
your private life as well, and how did you pepare for the physical aspects
of the role? I
do like to run and I enjoy very long hikes as well and do both all the
time. In preparation for the role, I ran way more than I usually would, and
I also fully researched what it's like to live with only one lung, and I
learned that the healthy lung expands in the chest cavity to compensate
for the non-functioning lung. What did you draw upon to bring your
character to life on an emotional level, and how much Jamie Bernadette can
we find in Mary, actually?
I
dredged up nearly every loss that I had experienced in my life and I used
that to get to where I emotionally needed to be each day. I did relate to
this character a lot. I think we all can say that we have had some sort of
suffering in our lives, as does Mary in this film.
How did you get involved with
the project in the first place, and what drew you to it?
One
of the producers watched a film of mine and knew I was the one and found
me and contacted me. I read the script and absolutely loved it. I had
always wanted to do some sort of survival film in nature and this was
exactly that. I also love the underdog
story and was drawn to the deep melancholy that is at the root of Mary’s
soul.
Do talk about
The Furnace's
director Darrell Roodt, and what was your collaboration like? Darrell
is an incredible being. He’s kind and warm and thoughtful and brilliant.
He has very high energy and so establishes the mood on set as very
positive and fun. He is really honest, so when he says you did well, you
believe him and when he says that something isn’t working, you also
believe him. As
far as I know, The Furnace
was the first movie you shot in Africa - so what was it like filming there,
and how does filmmaking in Africa compare to a typical US movie set?
I
absolutely love filming in Africa. I love the people, the culture, and the
country. I love the food, too! I bonded with the people on a very deep
level and it was something that I really needed in my life at the time. As
far as a movie set, it’s the same as in the US.
A few words about
the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
It’s
an emotional film and often the on-set atmosphere was emotional. There
were days when some of the crew members were crying their eyes out. Other
times, Darrell Roodt had us all laughing. He has a great sense of humor
and an enthusiastic energy, which is contagious.
Any future projects you'd like to share?
I
have a horror film coming out really soon called Dead by Dawn and I
play one of three antagonists. I had a blast playing the villain in it.
Close behind the release of that one, I have Ash and Bone, another
horror, Colonials, a sci-fi, Nicole, Her Ex & the Killer,
a horror/comedy, State of Desolation,
a post-apocalyptic drama/horror, and The Bone Box, a horror. In the
meantime, I’m working on getting three feature films off the ground as a
producer and I’ll also act in them, and I’m attached to many great
upcoming films.
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Your
website, Facebook, whatever else? I’m
on Instagram as @jamiebernadette and Twitter as @jamiebernadett and you
can find me on Facebook as well. Thanks
for the interview!
Thank
you.
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