IR Interview: The Kupferer Mallen Family For "Ghostlight" [IFC]

The Inside Reel

Father/Daughter/Mother Actors Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer & Tara Mallen talk to The Inside Reel about tone, instinct, anticipation and history in regards to their new film: "Ghostlight" from IFC Films.

Transcript

00:00Good luck, honey.

00:17You don't say good luck.

00:19It's break a leg.

00:23Break a leg.

00:28It's interesting to see the levels and the sort of modulations every single one of your

00:33characters does.

00:37Actually Keith, we could start with you because looking at the sort of progression of Dan,

00:42who Dan wants to be, who he wants to be for his family, what his family wants to be for

00:48him.

00:49Could you talk about that?

00:50Because it's a amalgamation.

00:52We're simple creatures, but we have a very complex nature.

00:56Could you talk about that from both the psychological point of view and an acting point of view?

01:01Yeah.

01:02I think that Dan is kind of stuck in his own grief right now, unable to do his job, unable

01:13to be a proper husband and father to his surviving child.

01:20And that's adding to the problem, obviously.

01:27It's making it worse.

01:28It's making him angry, and he is really kind of in a stasis.

01:35The thing that pulls him out of it is, of course, the theater that he ends up joining.

01:43I think as an actor, it was fairly easy for me to tap into somebody like that.

01:49I've worked with a lot of guys like that over my lifetime at odd jobs and whatnot.

02:01My dad was a little bit like that.

02:04His generation of men were closed off to their emotions because it was, quote unquote, unmanly.

02:15It's also fun to play someone that repressed and have the moments where the emotion explodes

02:23out of him, or he's overtaken by his sadness, his sorrow.

02:36Those are fun to play as an actor, immediate, you know?

02:41Yeah.

02:42Daisy has had plenty of chances already.

02:45Get out of the street!

02:47Are you kidding?

02:48This is her last one.

02:52Did you reach out to the therapist I recommended?

02:55Am I supposed to go in there or something?

02:59Some parents choose to.

03:01It's really up to you.

03:02I'll be back in an hour.

03:05Oh, my love.

03:09How long have you been doing skits?

03:1110 years.

03:12See you later.

03:13Where are you going?

03:14I'm meeting Mikey for a beer.

03:17Again?

03:18Is it Cat or Kathy?

03:21Where do you go by?

03:22Katharine.

03:23Katharine.

03:24Could you talk about, you know, that's the interesting thing, that's the irony, because,

03:28you know, obviously that was your grandfather he was talking about, but it was, but your

03:32dad, your dad has this interesting, he's an actor, and you're an actor.

03:37So are you able to communicate in that shorthand?

03:40And how did that translate into the screen?

03:43Because it sounds like you could anticipate, at least that's what Kelly was telling me,

03:47that you guys can anticipate each other, and add these little moments to something

03:51that was inherently very scripted.

03:54So my dad and I, well, we've been making movies since we were little, since we were both little.

04:02Together.

04:03Yeah.

04:04They've been making movies at home together.

04:06You know, on iMovie, we do that.

04:11And so we, my dad and I really like get along very well.

04:17We're pretty close.

04:18So when we were doing certain, certain scenes, I feel like there was definitely this kind

04:25of shorthand, and we were able to kind of know what the other person was going to do

04:33and really how to, and how we could, I don't know, bounce off of it or whatever.

04:42Katharine would do something in between takes.

04:45I like to make him laugh.

04:47For one example, in the truck, I, in the scene, I put on his hat and his glasses, his construction

04:54outfit, and I had actually done that when the cameras were cut, just, you know, looking

04:59at things.

05:00And my dad was like, no, you should do that when they start filming.

05:04So I did.

05:05And Alex really, really liked it.

05:07And so.

05:08It was just to follow the instincts and not think about things or, or prescribe things

05:14to yourself.

05:15And I saw that and I'm aware of it because if you watch, when you watch children, they're

05:23just themselves and we'll do something that's so easy.

05:26And then as we get some adults and certainly as actors, we try to go back to that.

05:32And it's very difficult because you're trying to be spontaneous, but you're aware of yourself

05:36trying to be spontaneous and it's best to just follow your instincts if they like them,

05:42if they like them, if they don't, they don't.

05:44You know, my friend, her whole family goes to family therapy and they all talk about

05:49their feelings together because she's not the only problem.

05:57Hey, asshole!

05:58Daisy!

05:59Say hi to mom, cheater!

06:01Excuse me.

06:02Oh God.

06:03Is this a threesome?

06:05It's for a play.

06:06What play?

06:08But the thing about going over to you, Tara, is the, the aspect of the pendulum, because

06:12you're sort of the equalizer within the whole thing, which is why those scenes like, like

06:16with Keith and you in the bed and him just saying those lines say so much because sometimes

06:22the sound silences can say as much as just the brute energy.

06:26Like sometimes the Catherine was doing where, you know, it's, it's about the spectrum of

06:33a family.

06:34Can you talk about that?

06:35And then obviously I'll ask Catherine about that again.

06:38Well, you know, I will tell you that the script fits on us in a lot of ways, like a glove.

06:49When I read it, I thought, oh, we really slid in there in a lot of ways, in a very naturalistic

06:56way.

06:57It isn't a huge departure from how we interact in a lot of ways.

07:02I mean, of course, these are characters and we're inhabiting them and I am different from

07:08Sharon in a lot of ways, but there are aspects to the character and to her function within

07:17the family that are very similar to how I function within my family.

07:22I always say I'm the CEO of my family and Sharon is definitely the CEO of her family.

07:30These guys have a way that they function together that is very playful and I'm definitely the

07:40one who's trying to always bring us back down and get us ready to go to school and do this

07:48and do that.

07:49I'm the one who ruins all the fun and make sure that we have what we need to get us through

07:56the day and that kind of stuff.

07:59At least you're telling me.

08:01Yeah, well, it's something, but it's also, this is very heavy material.

08:04It's obviously, you have to heighten it, I mean, so, but you also have to find the humor

08:09and that modulation, it can be tricky.

08:16So Mrs. Coffield says that-

08:19Alleges.

08:20Daisy.

08:21What?

08:22It's her word against mine.

08:23Give it a rest.

08:24Honestly, I don't think we should be trusting a woman who uses the word irregardless in

08:28a school setting.

08:29A professional educator.

08:31Okay.

08:32She alleges that Daisy pushed her.

08:34Ow.

08:35That didn't hurt.

08:36You can't tell me what hurts.

08:37Pushed.

08:38As in?

08:39Physically.

08:40Two hands.

08:41In front of the class.

08:42Is that true?

08:43No.

08:44I tried to go to the bathroom, which is my human right, and she used her disgusting body

08:49to block my way.

08:50It can be tricky on stage versus screen because you're playing to certain aspects of camera,

08:57but you don't want the camera to know that, if that makes sense.

08:59Could you guys talk about that?

09:01It's almost like technique versus instinct, which you were talking about, Keith.

09:05Yeah.

09:06Can you talk about finding that, finding the right energy to bring to a scene, whether

09:10it be like in the pub, the pub per se, versus that ending scene?

09:16Or when you, Tara, when you're outside and you're accusing him of something, you know,

09:23it has to sort of, you know, move back and forth.

09:27I think Kelly and Alex deserve a lot of that credit.

09:32The script is beautifully written.

09:35It's beautifully written, and she is incredibly skillful at interjecting the humor in some

09:43very serious moments.

09:47Is it because she's an actor?

09:49Yes.

09:50Okay.

09:51It's an incredible gift for understanding rhythm and nuance.

09:58A lot of what we did, you know, I am really struck every time we watch the film by these,

10:08you know, when you're a theater actor, you're always like, oh, I didn't get my laugh here.

10:11I did, I got the good laugh.

10:13And you're always like, I'm going to get the laugh here.

10:16When you read a script, particularly a script that can be heavy, and you know you need to

10:23get those certain laughs so that the play doesn't become leaden and is palatable, right?

10:30Ask anyone in that class, ask Bailey.

10:33They'll all tell you that I asked nicely three times.

10:37She actually said I couldn't go.

10:39I mean, like, what?

10:41You just want me to pee right here in this seat?

10:43Are you going to clean it up?

10:45And I didn't shove.

10:47Shoving is this.

10:49Bitch, move!

10:50Hey!

10:51I did this.

10:53Will you move your gross body?

10:56Please?

11:02Fuck this.

11:04I think in this film, they do an exquisite job of finding that levity that makes it very human

11:16because we all are able to laugh through our tears as humans.

11:21And they do such an exquisite job of finding that.

11:25And some of that really is squarely on Kelly's shoulders in the script where she really wrote

11:31in those moments of humor, right, Keith?

11:35And then I keep saying to Keith every time I watch it, there's a couple moments that I give

11:42credit to Alex and Mike, our editor, where they edited it so beautifully.

11:48And I get these laughs in very serious moments consistently.

11:54It's a consistent laugh.

11:56Every audience, I've seen it.

11:58And I'm like, I don't know that I could have landed it that beautifully and perfectly every night.

12:04But they get it every performance.

12:06And that's the editor, right, that really found that rhythm and nuance and got the exact right

12:12take and put it in the exact right moment.

12:15You know, and it's really beautiful, that kind of rhythm.

12:19Did you want to add anything to that, Keith or Catherine?

12:23No, I think that's the same.

12:25There you go.

12:27There you go. I love it.

12:28There you go.

12:29What?

12:30You're happy.

12:31Okay, weirdo.

12:32Many of us live our lives repressing our emotions because out there they can be a liability.

12:38But in here, we can put those into good use.

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