| JULIETTE
LEWIS INTERVIEW Q: First of all, tell us what Aurora Borealis is about. A: Gosh, Josh is going to do so much better explaining because it's from his character's point of view. It's about kind of a guy's journey. He's in a small town and that whole small town world. He takes care of his grandfather, played by Donald Sutherland. I'm a girl who's traveled a lot, and I come through town and we meet and I try to inspire him to reach for greater things. It's really a character-driven piece. It's about his discovering change in his life, I guess. Q: You talk about him going through a journey, but your character, Kate, also goes through her own journey in the film. Maybe you can talk a bit about that. A: Yeah. My character's thing is she's used to being very independent. She's kind of fearless in a way. It's a character that's fun for me because it's kind of close to myself. I usually play very colorful or extreme characters, which is what I like, and yes, I think she's colorful but she's just a really cool girl, and she's confident and loves meeting new people, seeing new things, tasting new foods. She's traveled a lot and she's not scared of that. She meets him, and what changes for her is she falls in love and wants to inspire him to maybe come with her. Because there's nothing for her, or him, in staying there where he grew up his whole life. Q: She's kind of an inspiring character. I think I look at her as someone who I wish I had the courage she had and the spirit she had. A: Yeah. Because part of me is like that, but I don't—she just can pick up and live anywhere and make a start. She is a healthcare worker, so she can find work anywhere taking care of sick people, or people who need a home nurse. So how she meets Duncan is by taking care of Donald Sutherland's character, who is suffering from Alzheimer's and his body's kind of deteriorating. So she helps him. And then Ruthie, his wife, is played by Louise Fletcher, who—both of them are amazing actors, which is really cool to be working with them. Q: Like you said, looking at your body of work, when you look at something like that, what appeals to you about this as opposed to other things, or what attracted you to the role of Kate? A: Honestly, what's appealing about this movie is how well written it is. I mean, you can see the same story told in different ways, but the nuances and how beautifully written this is, it's very magical. It makes a slice of life very esthetic, and it's not sentimental. You know what I mean? Because you've seen attempts at this kind of movie, and usually it pulls at your heartstrings in an unnatural way, or in a manipulative way. The journey and the growth that takes place with Duncan is really believable, and all the characters are so special. Even the little side characters, they're all very present and they're all people we've seen before, like all Duncan's friends are so funny and strong. It was the writing. Q: I like the way your character sort of—stereotypically, you would think she would sort of not try and fit in, but she really goes with the flow and becomes part of this life. A: Yeah. I think I relate to her in that way because, actually, when I meet new people I'm really intrigued. I kind of want to drink them in, and I ask lots of questions, because I just love getting into people's lives and their own idiosyncrasies. I guess being an actress, that stuff is very appealing and interesting. And she's like that a lot, too. She could probably sit and forever not talk about herself. They touch on that a little bit in the movie, that she has her own troubles she had at home, or whatever. But it's not done in a way that we do the big reveal and she's all heartbroken. It really stays true to what the story is about, which is Duncan's journey and stuff. Q: I agree with you, because I think the way we find out about her, like you said, it's not a reveal, it's like that whole—there's a good arc, I guess is what I'm trying to say, of the character. When I read the script, I thought it really has a beginning and a middle and an end. A: Yeah. All the stuff that Duncan, Josh's character, goes through with Donald Sutherland amazing, because it's all issues with his dad, who died when he was younger, and the grandfather and his relationship is so special. I think a lot of people are going to relate to different things about it. But this is neat for me, too, because I am playing the love interest, but it's done—because, for me, I try not to do things that are dishonest or too obvious, and being a love interest, for a girl, is usually about being very, very pretty at all times and being coy, and whatever. Those things happen sometimes when you're in love, but that's not what this relationship is about. Q: I think too, like you're saying, how we learn about Duncan through the grandparents. I think we learn about Duncan through Kate as well. A: Yeah. Q: But you bring out something that we learn about his character as well. A: Yeah. Actually, his strength—I think Kate brings out his strength that slowly starts to develop and come through. Q: The significance of Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, is kind of important. When you hear the title, you go, it's about this romantic—but can you explain to us the significance of that? A: Well, literally, in the literal form, the significance is from Ronald, who thinks he sees these lights, even though it's not technically possible because it's only in the north that you see the lights. But symbolically, I think it's just about seeing the magic of things, of beauty, in the mundane. Even in the monotony, you still can see something vibrant. I think that's kind of the parallel. I believe in that. Q: Well, absolutely. You said the character's a lot like you. Is that almost more challenging in the sense that you're playing someone that you can relate to so much that you have to put—you know, the separation. I'm not an actor, but do you know what I mean? The separation between you and Kate. How does that work? A: Yeah. It's really strange feeling-wise inside because when you're playing a character, it's a really real person and—I can't describe it, but actually it's the same with every part I ever play. It's always finding this balance of how much do you push it? And for me, it drives me nuts because I could do something fifty different ways, and I get just crazy with variety. So for me, it's helpful to do several takes so that in the editing room they have choices. Because I can't see doing something just one way. There's a moment, you could laugh in that moment, you could be bored in that moment, you could play it with so many different colors. So like for Kate, the struggle is not being too animated. Because me, in real life, sometimes I get way too animated, and I think if the camera's here, it's too big. So I have to like shape, tone down that. I don't know. Q: I'm like you, I'm animated. But I think that's real, like Kate is real. Maybe that's what I think I've been trying to say. You said it. These characters are all real, and you can touch them. You could meet Kate in a bar somewhere and talk to her and you'd know her. A: Yeah. That's what I try to bring—it's that fine line, that battle between bringing something to the table and not pushing it and trying to do nothing, make it feel like nothing, and that's the struggle of presenting this little existence. It's a fun challenge and it's infuriating and all those fun things, but that's my little arc. Q: I want to talk to you about working with Josh. Tell me what it's been like working with him. A: Working with Josh has been so great. I couldn't have worked with a better person, because we—if I can describe it, it just feels like—I was going to say it feels like nothing, meaning when you're around each other, the chemistry's so strong that you just feel so comfortable, which is really special. I don't know how that happens, but it just does. Also, as an actor, I just think this is such a fun role for him, because this is such a strong, real character and it's so full, and he gets to do a lot with it. He's very natural. He's really, really natural, and he doesn't try too hard. He just has all these elements that I love in an actor. Q: Does the script help the chemistry? Like you can feel comfortable, but does the script make it— A: Well, let me tell you, if you don't feel something next to a person, the script will do nothing. So literally—I can't describe it to you, but if we were just to sit next to each other, it just feels so easy. You can drift away with your own thoughts. And it's just remarkable, because there's an affinity there between us, so that's really lovely. And a respect. Then, of course, the script, the dialog, and the scenes and what they are, it just flows really naturally in the progression of their relationship. Q: And I want to talk to you about Donald and Louise. Tell me about working with them. A: Now, I didn't get to work with them, of course, as much as Josh. Donald is just a pro through and through, funny, really doing something really interesting, perfect playing Ronald. Just the physicality that he has to play of his physical condition, and then also the orneriness of his character and the stubbornness. But you still have an affection for him because you don't want to be—so there's all these things that Donald's doing that's just amazing and perfect. Then Louis Fletcher, I like so much. She's just so strong, and she's really real and perfect to play his wife. They're just these two pros that have been doing this forever that fit this relationship really beautiful. Q: And I want to talk to you about the director. A: Oh, and then one last thing is, my little relationship as Kate to them is kind of the family she never had, without it being that obvious. Because she just feels comfortable, and they're like friends. I think she treats people—even though they're older than her and she's kind of a healthcare worker—she treats everybody with respect and like they have something to offer, and not condescending or patronizing, which is a really wonderful trait of hers. So that's a neat rapport that they have, and it makes her have something parallel to Duncan. Q: I think as much as they do for Duncan and what he has to learn in life, they do that for Kate as well. A: Yeah. It's a little side story, but that's exactly—she'll probably write Ruth letter later and keep in touch. Q: The ending's kind of beautiful without being corny. You hope that what's going to happen happens, which I think is kind of nice. A: Oh, for Duncan and Kate. Yeah, for sure. We can't give away the ending. There's so many things that happen. This script was the type of script—and you read a billion of them, right?—I could not predict the turns that ended up happening in this, and it's really special when that can happen. And that's Brent's writing. But yeah, and then there's a happy ending. It's bittersweet in one area of Duncan's life, but then there's a happy ending. Thank God. Q: Like you said, you don't know what's going to happen and you want it to happen, but till the end you don't— A: You really don't. That's what's so brilliant about it, because so often with some of these movies they feel they have to hit the audience on the head and set them up for what's going to happen next. And this, with Brent Boyd's writing, it shows you don't have to do that. You can take an audience on an emotional journey and let them find out what's going to be around the corner organically, let it just occur. You don't have to set it up and spell it out. Just when you read that, you don't know where it's going. If it does half as good as what it was like reading it, then we'll be fine. Q: Absolutely. James is a first-time feature film director, so I wonder, you've got so much experience and you're so young, when you come to this, do you bring that? Like how much do you bring and how much is it with someone that's a first-time director, how does that work? A: Well, I came in kind of halfway, and when I work on any movie, I let the director be the director. I would never try to come in and be the boss. I always look at it, he's my boss, and any mistakes he's going to make, he's going to make, whatever. But I can offer just I guess my professionalism, and we discuss the scenes. And if I do my job right at all, it's to let him, in one area he doesn't have to think about it, which would be the acting, just know that that will be taken care of. Although we talk and collaborate about scenes and what choices to be made. He's good because he has theater background, so he's really into the realness of the scenes and having them be just kind of pure and discovered. He's just right on. He's the right guy for the job. They all knew each other, the producers and the writer, and they all got together. I just had faith in him. Q: Did you two see Kate the same way? How did that collaboration work? A: Pretty much we see Kate the same way if you're going to hire me. That's means you see what you're going to get. In the audition, in the meeting, I was like, "Listen, guys. Basically, I'm just built to play this part. She's just me. She just rolls out of me." So yeah, he knew what he was going to get, because I didn't do some wild characterization or anything like that. Q: Thank you very much, Juliette. END OF INTERVIEW |