Interview with Star of Upcoming Indie Short Film “White Awake”
In an era of films that are littered with comic books, book adaptations, remakes, reboots, rehashes and re-imaginings its increasingly difficult to find something new or original as studios clamber for familiarity to draw audiences in. So when I stumbled on the Kickstarter for indie drama White Awake it wasn’t just a breath of fresh air but a perpetual gust of wind slapping me in the face and demanding my attention. What immediately struck me about the project was the tone, subtle understated but with a real undercurrent of passion and emotion by a filmmaker who knew the film he wanted to make. Add to that fully realized characters, nuanced acting and a simple story with subtle tweaks to shine new light on an old story. The foster child. A young black man who is successful and raised by a middle class white family exploring his childhood issues through therapy. That small detail makes the story dynamic and fresh and undoubtedly leaves the audiences without any
cliches or tropes to forecast or rely on. I had to catch up with the
films lead actor (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) to find out more about the project, himself and what I might be able to expect when the film is finally released.
BREAKAWAY DAILY: What is the story behind White Awake?
HAINSLEY:
Alex had an idea for a film that he
told me he wanted me to be the lead in. He came to me in the stories
infancy when it was just about a guy and his relationship with his
parents. From there we fleshed out the story arc and elements, nuances
and character background to be able to write the narrative.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
Alex Kyrou,
the films writer and director, specifically wrote your lead part of Joshua
especially for you, after you worked on a music video together. Does it
make acting any easier knowing that a part has been tailored to you and
your specific skills?
HAINSLEY:
It definitely helps no doubt. When a character has
elements of your energy, your being, it makes the transition from page to
performance a lot easier. From there you have to figure out ways to make
the character different enough from you to make it interesting as an
actor.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
What is your relationship like with your director Alex?
HAINSLEY:
Alex is
pretty much my creative civil partner when it comes to films and making
them. We share the same sensibility for movies and the elements and
strands that attract us to them. We’re drawn to drama, conflict and
honesty and like creative and concise stories well told. Beyond that due
to that we have become good friends and we trust each other creatively
which in our industry can be a tough thing to find.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
You mention that one
of your earliest memories of a powerful film was This Boy’s Life starring Leonardo Dicaprio. It was also one of the films that made you
want to become an actor. What was it about White Awake that attracted
you to the project?
HAINSLEY:
Alex and I are both aware that the type of films that
we love aren’t generally populated by actors of colour. Films like Blue
Valentine, Little Miss Sunshine, and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. They are Indie dramas and character pieces that aren’t biopics or set in urban
dramas or financial struggle. With that in mind its actually easier to
grab peoples attention and make something fresh just by having me in a
movie which may have been generic if you inserted a white actor as the
lead. The idea, the tone, the themes and the execution were all things
that drew me in. He mentioned film references that had echoes of the one
he was planning to make and I was sold immediately.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
What kind of
preparation did you do for this role?
HAINSLEY:
The film deals heavily in past and
present day and Joshua recalls these memories so vividly. I had to do a
lot of character and relationship creation, Intricately detail his date
of birth to the town he lived in and his relationship with the locals.
From there his school years and how he coped and reacted with living
with people in a small town who were white and great parents for the
most part but were clearly different to him visually. Of course from
there his relationship with his parents in pin point detail.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
Can you
tell me a little bit about its campaign on KickStarter?
HAINSLEY:
The difficult
pitch. I never miss a trick to be creative and from the start we knew
that we wanted the Kickstarter campaign to be a mini production in
itself. This way we could communicate to the audience and ultimately
anybody and everybody who may donate that we care deeply about visuals
and narrative and wouldn’t let them down. We discussed formats and the
tone we wanted to relay when we discussed the project. We wanted them to
almost feel like they were watching the movie even though it was just a
presentation and more importantly see how much bringing this narrative
to life meant to us. I think we did that.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
Does White Awake have any
themes or elements that are personal to you?
HAINSLEY:
Everybody has a certain
type of relationship with their parents that stays with them into their
adulthood. They shape who you are whether they mean to or not. I think
that’s the beauty of White Awake. The themes are universal and the tone
isn’t heavy handed so its easy to invest your own perceptions and
experiences in to whats happening. Did I have parental issues? Oh yes!!
if you don’t or never have you’re luckier than most.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
How much input did
you have in White Awake other than acting?
HAINSLEY:
I was lucky enough to be part
of every step of White Awake. From its writing, the Kickstarter,
casting, editing, the poster and soundtrack. Its been an amazing experience
for me not just as an actor but as a creative. The downside; I’m probably
gonna become more of a control freak. Or at least more invested in knowing as much as I can about most aspects of a project I’m part of.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
The film talks about emotional honesty. Did you and your costar do any
preparation together to achieve this?
HAINSLEY:
Meryl who plays Natasha my
therapist is an amazing actress. Finding somebody like that who is just
in tune with you as an actor is like finding a dance partner who
instinctively moves with you regardless of the dance you’re doing. We
were also lucky in that she had experience in therapy and could inform
the tone of the scene and how they would guide the questions. We had
both done lots of prep individually about our characters and then about
our relationship with each other. How many sessions we’d had and the
progress we’d made, and from there improvised a lot to flesh things out.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
Was there anything unusual or experimental about the films
casting/writing/rehearsal process?
HAINSLEY:
Its weird. I think about casting in
such a different way now. How anyone could cast anybody without doing
screen tests or reading with the leads seems alien to me. We auditioned
all the actors through improvisation as we were interested in people who
could be malleable, natural and fluid as well as people who could
naturally inform the story in their own voice. We could also see through
improvisation who had true chemistry. There is no dialogue to hold you
back or hide behind, everybody truly has to listen and respond truthfully
and you can’t miss it when people do that successfully.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
What would you
like people to feel about the final product once its out?
HAINSLEY:
I want them to
see themselves in some capacity. To relate and to empathize, and more
importantly, to feel deeply for the trials Joshua has and is going
through. We set out to make something that moves you. If you care about
this family and this character we’ve all done our job. I hope everybody
enjoys and embraces it.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
Are you an emotionally honest person in day to
day life?
HAINSLEY:
Mmm…that’s a tough one. I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve if
that’s what you mean. I don’t like people who I don’t know or owe
anything to be able to affect my state of being and so I have a pretty
thick skin. On the flip side of that I am a very empathetic person
and I feel deeply for people I care about and am a lot happier to be
emotionally honest with them.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
Finally, sum
up the film in three words?
HAINSLEY:
Wistful, visceral and emotional.
Read my in-depth interview with Hainsley Lloyd Bennett here.
Visit White Awake’s official website for more info. View the film’s Kickstarter Campaign.
