Orphan-Vera Farmiga, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder Interview
Vera Farmiga joined her onscreen daughter, Isabelle Fuhrman (the 'Esther' featured on the film's creepy poster), and CCH Pounder on the red carpet at the premiere of Warner Bros Pictures' 'Orphan.'
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Transcript: Orphan-Vera Farmiga, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder Interview
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the premiere of Orphan.
Vera Farmiga - 'Kate' in Orphan
You see the posters, the trailers, and it all looks like an evil kid movie. But it's really not an evil kid movie, right? There's a lot more to it than that.
Vera Farmiga: "Yeah. Evil is such a big term. It's a dysfunctional person movie, it's not just the child. This child is invited into a very dysfunctional family. But dysfunction is common. I'm dysfunctional, you're dysfunctional."
You did a lot of research for this.
Vera Farmiga: "I had to. My character starts off as such a high emotional state of being. She's gone through a stillbirth which is one of the most complex griefs that a woman can experience, that bereavement. I think for the whole thing to work you have to invest emotionally in my character, so that portrayal had better be accurate."
What did you learn in particular that actually did help inform the character?
Vera Farmiga: "You know, you read all the testimonies online, there's such a diary available of women who've gone through it and are trying to encourage other women. You can't help but feel pain and shame and guilt. I mean the body heals before the soul does. And the enormous stress that it puts on a couple - it's just pretty hard to recover from, if you ever do. You never do."
And how was it working with Peter Sarsgaard, because you two are friends?
Vera Farmiga: "Wonderful. And I'll do it again and again and again. I have tremendous respect for Peter. He's one of the best male actors ever."
So it was easy to get that chemistry on set then?
Vera Farmiga: "Yeah, yeah. We have it. We pretty much nodded heads and said that we'd see each other on set."
Isabelle Fuhrman - 'Esther'
I hear that you actually studied Russian and stuff for this.
Isabelle Fuhrman: "The accent. I actually learned the accent. Yep."
And sign language?
Isabelle Fuhrman: "And sign language, yes."
And you had to play somebody who is maybe evil, maybe not?
Isabelle Fuhrman: "Yes, on top of all that."
How did you do all that?
Isabelle Fuhrman: "A lot of preparation, a lot of becoming Esther and really thinking about who she is and what she might be feeling in different situations. And lots of preparation for the accent. Three weeks for the sign language and the accent - three weeks before the shooting of the film. And then during the shoot, throughout the entire filming of it, going over it every single day to really get it in my head."
CCH Pounder - 'Sister Abigail'
[CCH Pounder had just gotten in 'trouble' for giving an answer that was a little too spoiler-ish right before our interview]
You're not allowed to discuss the film at all?
CCH Pounder: "I'm in trouble."
Are you allowed to discuss the fact that the part was written for you?
CCH Pounder: "I don't believe them. I think they just send that out in the news. I did it because it was a nun and I grew up in a convent, and I just wanted to emulate one of my many sisters that tortured me while I was a child. No, they didn't. I had a good time."
Was there one in particular that you did say, "You know what? This is her."?
CCH Pounder: "You know what? She's not around to defend herself so I won't discuss her, but, yeah."
When you see the posters, you think this is an evil kid movie, but there's more to it than that?
CCH Pounder: "It's not an evil kid movie, no."
Without giving away any twists, how do you view it? Is it a psychological thriller or horror? What is it?
CCH Pounder: "It is a thriller. It is a psychological thriller in one sense, but I think it's just a plain old thriller. In the end, it's just a plain old simple thriller."
What do you think audiences are going to be walking away thinking about this one?
CCH Pounder: "I think they're going to become really curious as to how Esther got to be Esther, and will probably start researching stuff."