00:25Michael was talking about memory, you know, and it's interesting when
00:29you look at something like Macbeth, especially Lady Macbeth, you know, there's an idea of,
00:34you know, perspective and perception, how we looked at what we have done to where we
00:39are now, and could if we have made different choices, the road not taken.
00:43Could you talk about the aspect of memory in channeling performance?
00:48Yeah, I actually love that question, because one of my biggest reminders while filming
00:53Hekla was that she was so scared to live her life incorrectly, in case when she looked
00:59back, she felt like she made mistakes.
01:01Like, what's the Kierkegaard quote?
01:03It was like, you can't look back on life.
01:07Life can only be understood backwards, but we have to live it going.
01:11Yeah, and I think she takes that to heart and is confidently making moves, but with like
01:17a hint of fear behind her, and so just, wait, the question was, I went on off tangent, what
01:26was the question?
01:26But the aspect of perspective and perception in terms of memory, looking back of being
01:32an actor, playing an actor, and understanding how that can imbue you and just push you forward
01:39as an actor.
01:40Definitely.
01:40Okay, that's a great question, because I feel like, Liz, I have a terrible memory, and
01:46I really have to work hard.
01:48I think that is kind of one of the main reasons I am such a take-home, work-home actor.
01:54I am so scared of forgetting things, because I just have such a bad memory, and it's where
02:00I have to put in so much of my time when prepping for a script, and I want to make
02:06sure I,
02:07it takes me a while to memorize lines.
02:09So you can imagine when I got the script, I was like, oh, crap.
02:14But then I had it for like two years, and being able to kind of rewrite it during that
02:19time also was incredibly helpful, and also just a beautiful challenge for myself for helping
02:26with my day-to-day memory.
02:28I think it really improved my everyday memory, which was another little perk of the whole thing.
02:35But I think it's so important to remember, especially an actor playing an actor, that
02:42you are not playing this as Liz.
02:45I had someone ask me if I was playing Macbeth, if that is how Liz would play Macbeth.
02:51And I thought that was such a good question, because I was trying so hard in that moment
02:55to remember that, or Lady Macbeth, I was trying so hard in that moment to remember that this
03:00is Hekla playing Macbeth, because I'm in these big old boots up to my thigh, and these belts,
03:07like this corset.
03:08And I was like, oh my gosh, I would never.
03:10But it's Hekla.
03:11And just having that in the back of your mind also, I think, can be hard.
03:16But I also think it's really, really helpful in the moment to remember that you're putting
03:20on this character, who was putting on this character.
03:24And it just makes it, it made me more comfortable in my skin, I think.
03:35Hey, can I use your bathroom?
03:38I promise I will buy something.
03:39Back into the right.
03:40Okay, thank you.
04:17And that leads to my last question for both of you.
04:20It's sort of two-pronged, because we're talking about memory and everything, but it's also
04:25about perspective and perception, how people, how you see the world, how they see you, how
04:31you want to be seen, and how they might think that you might be, that whole idea.
04:38Could you talk about perspective and perception?
04:40Because, I mean, that goes, we were talking about the color and all that, and that's one
04:44part of it.
04:44But, you know, even your body language in the scenes, where it's not colored, that goes
04:50into a whole other thing, where you see her, you know, curl up, or you see her move forward.
04:55Could you talk about perspective and perception as a thematic, but also as an environmental,
05:02you know, construct?
05:03And that's a really excellent question.
05:06And this is also something that Liz and I spent a lot of time talking about, is during
05:11the experimental play, the director says that he says, think of me as a chemist.
05:18Think of yourself as a chemical.
05:20Think of this theater as a laboratory.
05:22I'm trying to put different chemicals together and see what kind of reaction occurs.
05:27And in a way, that's a metaphor for the entire movie, because it's about an actress who is
05:33going from one location to another.
05:36And aside from the scenes with Tyler, which are flashbacks, she's interacting with a different
05:41person in every scene.
05:44So every scene is an experiment, you know?
05:49And it's about how Hekla is going to make an impression on these people who are there to
05:57look at her, to judge her, and hopefully cast her.
06:02And she has to recalibrate every time.
06:06I think my favorite scene in the movie, and I've seen it a lot, but the one scene I always
06:11really look forward to is where she goes into the bathroom to change.
06:15And you hear a remix of the song, Frequency, which is also what plays over the opening credits.
06:22And I just love the way she, you know, changes her clothes, reties the tie while watching the
06:27YouTube video, you know, puts on lipstick, puts pins on her coat, does her nails.
06:32And she's doing all of that in order to make a good impression on the next casting director,
06:39because she feels like that particular audition needs, needs a different look.
06:47What?
06:49What?
06:55Your frequency is not my frequency.
06:59Show me how you do it.
07:02Moving at a different speed.
07:06Time and place to succeed.
07:11All the things I did do.
07:14And came about behind my eyes
07:17Happen quicker in your life
07:21Take a different path than mine
07:26Time is something that you do
07:29Something that you do
07:31Because it's interesting
07:32Because it's not really exposition
07:35It's character work
07:36Masked within sort of an existential crisis
07:40Because it pushes forward the plot
07:42And yet it says so much
07:44Without really having to say anything
07:47Does that make sense?
07:48Yeah, totally
07:49I mean, it's a completely silent sequence
07:51But whenever I see it
07:53I want to pump my fist
07:55Because I'm rooting for her
07:57In that moment
07:59It's like, yeah, get into the zone
08:01Go nail that audition
08:04And we have a good friend
08:06Who lives in Brooklyn
08:07Named Paola Gonzalez-Nassar
08:09Who made a phenomenal movie
08:11Called The Scout
08:13Which, I don't know if you've seen it
08:14It premiered at Tribeca last year
08:17No, I didn't see it last year
08:18I don't know
08:18It was there last year
08:19It's being distributed by Greenwich Entertainment
08:21But that movie is kind of like
08:23The inverse of Hecla in a way
08:25It's about a day in the life
08:27Of a location scout
08:28And she goes to all of these
08:30Different locations
08:31To take photographs
08:33So that they might possibly
08:35Be included in some television show
08:37And it's the opposite of Hecla
08:40Because her character is very passive
08:43She's just there to do a job
08:44And it's about how all the people
08:46She comes into contact with
08:47Want to talk to her
08:49And want to kind of unload on her
08:51About their personal lives
08:53And with Hecla, it's the opposite
08:55Hecla is the one who is
08:57Trying to make the impression
08:58So Hecla is projecting
09:00On to everybody else
09:01But because it's a different audition
09:03She has to constantly change
09:05How she does that
09:07So that was a lot of fun
09:09To, you know, to figure out
09:10Even at the end
09:11It's like, you know
09:12She's doing Macbeth in a dive bar
09:14And even that is a different vibe
09:16Than how she might play it
09:18If she were to do it on a stage
09:21You know, they're doing it in a bar
09:23And, you know, they're wearing
09:24Burger King crowns
09:27I love it when it just falls off
09:29Just very unexpectedly
09:30That was great
09:31Yes, and by the way
09:33We had another take
09:34Where the crown did not fall off
09:36And, of course, we kept the one
09:39Where it did
09:39Because that's
09:40Of course
09:41That's reality
09:44The quicker that you speak
09:48The faster you will reach
09:52Why
09:53That is why
09:57Some connections run dry
10:01That's why
10:05Some connections run dry
10:09That's why
10:12Some connections run dry
10:15Okay, right back
10:16That's why
10:20Yeah
10:22Because Chicago as an environment
10:25Is one thing
10:25But within
10:26Like, again
10:27All these spaces are so different
10:29But your perspective
10:30And your perception
10:31Is so different
10:32Beyond the layering
10:33We were talking about
10:34The different layers of this
10:36But can you talk about
10:38Perspective and perception
10:39Because you have to expose yourself
10:40As an actor
10:42Yeah, definitely
10:43I think that is where
10:45I relate to Heckler the most
10:48Especially as an actor
10:51Her
10:53I mean, we're all actors
10:54She is always putting on a performance
10:56And I think that's funny
10:57That the nail polish scene
10:58Is the one you mentioned, Mike
10:59Because I love
11:00When she enters the bathroom
11:01And she takes a big breath
11:03Because she's like
11:04Checking in with herself
11:05She's been, you know
11:07Out of body
11:07The whole time
11:08And making sure
11:10That everyone else around her
11:11Is okay and comfortable
11:12And then that moment
11:14Where she takes the breath
11:14She's like
11:15Am I okay and comfortable
11:16And even if the answer's no
11:18She's going
11:19And she keeps moving
11:20And I think
11:20That's one of my favorite scenes
11:22Also because it's so stressful
11:24When she pulls out the nail polish
11:26I've had multiple people
11:27Say this to me
11:28Like, what are you doing?
11:29You gotta go
11:29And it's just
11:31She is trying to give herself
11:33More time
11:33Because maybe she
11:35In that breath
11:36Realized that she needs
11:37Kind of a second to herself
11:39Before the commercial
11:41Which is probably the one
11:42She's least excited for
11:43Throughout the day
11:45And just giving herself
11:47As much time as possible
11:49Because her
11:50Like
11:52After that run
11:53From that moment
11:54Till she gets into the Uber
11:55She is for everyone else
11:58She is not
11:59There for herself
12:00Right
12:00And she has no money
12:01She's paying with quarters
12:02Like for the tiniest little pin
12:05And I
12:05Yeah
12:06I love that you said that
12:07Because I
12:07I love that part
12:08Making sure that the
12:10Cashier knows
12:11That she is a loyal
12:12Businesswoman
12:13And will come back
12:14And pay her due
12:16But yeah
12:17I definitely think
12:19Also just her running
12:20To each location
12:21I think says so much
12:22About her also
12:23Just
12:23I definitely think
12:24She's probably a woman
12:25Who struggles with being late
12:26A lot
12:26And just
12:27Seeing her trying to fix that
12:29And make sure that she is there
12:30For people on time
12:31Is another big
12:33Big admiration
12:34I have for HECA
12:58To be continued
13:01To be continued
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