latest features
No Kidding, Right?
The very entertaining Ben Foster lets loose to FilmInk about his latest thriller ‘Contraband’ and how the acting business is kind of a sham...
Extremely Close
Though sandwiched between Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, charming debutante Thomas Horn, makes the moving drama, ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’, his own.
Taking The Stand
Director Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary ‘The People Vs. George Lucas’ takes an amusing look at both the fervour and rage George Lucas and his legacy has incited.
Tough Love
Actor/producer Mark Wahlberg channels his bad boy past into his role as an international smuggler in the thriller, 'Contraband'.
search the site
newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter
In Conversation: Teresa Palmer
Shifting between big-budget Hollywood productions and buzzed about local films, young actress Teresa Palmer is building one pretty impressive resume.
Just nineteen-years-old when she was plucked from obscurity to make her feature film debut in the intense high school drama, 2:37, Adelaide's Teresa Palmer has travelled far. Singled out for stardom after the film was acclaimed at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, the actress has since entered the big league with roles in such Hollywood productions as Bedtime Stories, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, I Am Number Four and Take Me Home Tonight.
Palmer is currently shooting the horror film Warm Bodies alongside John Malkovich and Nicholas Hoult, but at the time of this interview last year, the actress told FilmInk that she would love to work on smaller indies. She returned home to do just that last year with the actress starring in Kieran Darcy-Smith's debut feature, Wish You Were Here, which has just been selected to screen in competition at Sundance. Nash Edgerton also recruited the Aussie actress to star in his short Bear, which has also been given the nod by Sundance.
How did you get into acting?
"It wasn't really an active decision. I didn't wake up one day and think, ‘I want to be an actress!' I fell into it after I randomly met a director [Murali K. Thalluri] who asked me if I wanted to be in his movie. I was like, ‘Whoa, what kind of movie are you talking about!?' He gave me a script called 2:37, and it was about youth suicide, an issue in Australia which is very much brushed under the carpet. It was such a low budget movie, but everything snowballed from there. I moved to America and began working. Prior to that, I'd planned on going to university and being a midwife, because I'm really passionate about kids."
It seems almost too good to be true...
"I know. The most magical moment in my life was at The Cannes Film Festival, where 2:37 had a fifteen-minute standing ovation. We were all crying. It was such a small movie, and we door-knocked to raise money. I did my own hair and make-up. Half of us had never acted before. We were kids in Adelaide putting this film together, and it was the most surreal moment. We were all just looking at each other, and we were so overwhelmed with emotion."
And three years ago, you moved to Hollywood. Was that easy?
"There were times when I felt very lonely. It's a very isolating place. When you first come out here, you have to learn to be incredibly independent, and you have to say yes to going out and meeting people and making friends, as intimidating as that can be. Otherwise, you just stay home and watch TV for 24-hours-a-day, which isn't healthy. You've just got to drag yourself out of the house and meet people. Because I did that, I've met a great group of friends, many of whom aren't in the industry, which is refreshing. That keeps me grounded."
What other challenges did you face?
"Living in LA is pretty tough at first, even though I know that it might sound glamorous. It's hard to keep your self esteem up, going to so many auditions and constantly being rejected."
How do you deal with rejection?
"I never go into an audition now thinking that I'll get it. Where I was going wrong was picturing myself on the set doing the film before I'd even gotten it. There are thousands of girls going for these roles, and there's a 0.1% chance that I'll get it, so I just pretend that that audition is my job for the day. I go in, do it, and move on. As soon as I walk out that door, I don't think about it again. Then it's nice when you get a call from your agent saying that they want you to come in again for a test."
Nic Cage has a reputation as being so eccentric. What was your own experience working with him on The Sorcerer's Apprentice?
"It's funny. Everyone told me how eccentric he was, but I felt like I got to know a different side of Nic. He was definitely quirky, but he's just so endearing, and such a kind person. On set, he'd shake everyone's hand and introduce himself and say, ‘Very nice to meet you. I'm Nic!' He's a professional, and also a really good person. I guess somehow over the years, people have gotten the wrong impression of him because he's not just this crazy, quirky guy. He's a wonderful man, and a family man too. That's how I found him to be anyway."
How do you see your career in five years?
"I'm hoping that it will be a good balance of mixing up studio films and independents. I'd really love to do more dramatic roles. In 2:37, I played a rape victim who's pregnant with her brother's baby, and even though it sounds horrific, it was so challenging and so interesting to discover all the layers of this character. The last few movies that I've done have been such epic movies, and I feel like I'm a small part of a massive film. With something like The Sorcerer's Apprentice, there's not a lot that I can do apart from show up and try and do my job well, whereas with smaller films, it's a real collaboration. I'd love to do a few more of those films."
Bear will screen as part of 2012's Flickerfest programme and Wish You Were Here will be released nationally next year.
This article has been proudly brought to you by the Howard Fine Acting Studio.
Photo credit: Palmer, courtesy of Getty Images/Frazer Harrison.