Film Intuition Interview: Rachael Leigh Cook

The Film Intuition Interview

Rachael Leigh Cook Will Call You Back



By Jen Johans

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Rachael Leigh Cook about the independent film Bob Funk, which hits DVD shelves on 6/23.

Read Film Intuition's Review of Bob Funk

As a fellow native Minnesotan who’d grown up around the same time and in similar neighborhoods as Cook, it was an interview I was very much looking forward to tackling. And this was especially the case since-- aside from realizing that she is incredibly professional and truthful-- once our mutual backgrounds came into play, the conversation became much more free-flowing.

While Film Intuition is nearly three years old and more than twelve hundred reviews have been compiled into our database, it’s only over the course of the last year that I’ve been fortunate enough to take part in interviews and Cook’s in particular is one that I know I won’t soon forget.

Aside from feeling completely at ease, there was an element of great humor involved. For, after confessing to Cook that like her Bob Funk character Ms. Thorne, I’m a terrible klutz, midway through the call, somehow we got disconnected.

Terribly embarrassed and worried I must have done something wrong, I looked at my phone in panic. Yet thankfully after a few seconds, Rachael Leigh Cook called right back, confessing that most likely the mishap had occurred due to her mischievous cat who had been trying to sabotage the interview in the hopes of gaining Ms. Cook’s undivided attention as well as a trip outdoors.

Earnest, self-deprecating, far too humble, and quick to laugh or give a refreshingly honest answer—although I was voted off the island by her cat, which marked my first celebrity pet hang-up experience since the feline was just not that into me— I was honored that Cook took time out of her busy schedule to not just help promote a film but also discuss her extremely varied career.

Thus, Minnesota nice-- I’m happy to say-- still triumphs in Hollywood.




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Bob Funk:
Theatrical Trailer

Jen Johans: How’s your Monday going so far?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Monday is going good so far-- just trying to spread the Funk I guess.

Jen Johans: Great, well I wanted to say I really enjoyed your Jean Arthur-like screwball performance in the movie because I thought you added some humor and brightness to it. How did you become involved in Bob Funk?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Well, pretty standard channels. The script went to my agency-- the agency submitted a list to the producers of people they thought might be right for it and I met with the producer and director. I really loved the script when I read it. I had a feeling I would when I heard the title-- not to judge a book by its cover-- but I just had a good feeling about it. It sounded like a good indie and sure enough the writing was just all there. I really got a kick out of the producer and the director-- they're just so passionate about it and I felt the same way so I just did my tap dance, did my best… and got it… just lucked out really.

[On working in independent films like Bob Funk]

Rachael Leigh Cook: When you shoot movies this small, you gotta be ready to go. You gotta know your lines. You can’t mess around. You have to be able to anticipate variables because things are going to be crunched as they are without too many random things like “I don’t know if I can say this line.” You better air your stuff in rehearsal because nobody has time for that.

[Discussing that it was made 1.5 or 2 years ago]

Jen Johans: It’s great that it’s finally getting released now.

Rachael Leigh Cook: Yeah, definitely. We went to Cannes last year for it and did some sales there. Cannes I like the way I like Las Vegas in that it’s exactly what you think it’s going to be—when you have an image of a place and it completely delivers--that’s what I like. It’s an amazing experience; I’m lucky. I have a really cool life. I’m not bragging; I’m just grateful.

[Funk]

Rachael Leigh Cook: It’s good that it’s finally now getting out there; it had a really limited theatrical release—just enough. And everybody likes to watch things at home nowadays—well, not the blockbusters but there’s some movies like this you don’t need to see on the big screen… not really. I’m sure that that’s not like the right thing to say but--

Jen Johans: No, I mean—I think sometimes it’s like finding lost treasure when you can watch a good independent movie at home and you can’t wait to share it.

Rachael Leigh Cook: Exactly.

Jen Johans: Well you brought a lot to the movie and as a total klutz myself I loved the character of Ms. Thorne--

Rachael Leigh Cook: Oh, you are? Oh, I'm sorry.

Jen Johans: No, I thought it was great! I was wondering-- what's the strangest thing you've ever broken?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Let's see, I've bent eyeglasses out of shape constantly but that’s just more—you know-- how you fall asleep on them somehow and that’s not good. Um, nothing that serious—I break glasses—I can’t walk with a glass of water. I don’t know why but water flies everywhere; I don't know what's wrong with me-- my husband [Daniel Gillies] just says I can't be trusted with anything liquid. Gosh, I don’t know—I remember wiping out in front of boys I liked growing up in Minnesota but other than that, I can’t think of one thing in particular. What about you?

Jen Johans: Oh well, the strangest thing—I’m from Minnesota too by the way--

Rachael Leigh Cook: Oh, no way!

Jen Johans: Yeah, the Minneapolis area and I think we’re shy back there so that’s part of it. But when I was new in school, I ended up knocking down part of the ceiling on my first day—we were playing silent ball…

Rachael Leigh Cook: What?! How’d you knock down part of the ceiling?

Jen Johans: Well, we were playing silent ball-- you know where you get to know your classmates and I think I let it go a little too soon and the ceiling was old and I’m tall so yeah, I knocked down part of the ceiling…

Rachael Leigh Cook: Oh, you’re awesome! Oh my God!

[We discuss Minnesota and high school]

Jen Johans: Do you go back there often?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Yeah, I hear your familiar accent. I went back a couple of times last year. I actually went to the Republican National Convention-- not because I am one but because I went with a nonpartisan group… not that it’s a bad thing but I went out to St. Paul for that. I want to go out—oh gosh, maybe I missed it—there’s this giant neighborhood garage sale called the Echo Super Sale that I love going to so I flew out for that last year.

Jen Johans: I know, I miss the garage sales-- those are the best!

Rachael Leigh Cook: Aren’t they?!

Jen Johans: Yeah! I was going to ask you—of course, aside from family and friends—what are some of the things you miss the most about the Midwest?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Well we have the best state fair on the face of the Earth—I’m certain of that; I love the state fair. About the Midwest? I miss the seasons, I miss the way people talk to each other, I miss knowing who my neighbors are… gosh, so much of it—being around people who really truly know what’s important in this life. [She mentions that of course, our adopted cities of LA and Phoenix aren’t bad and asks me the Midwest question]

Jen Johans: Probably the same things—for me it was the Fall leaves, you know because it’s pretty gray and lots of cactus—I mean there’s colors in the desert but the same things like knowing who your neighbors are. But it’s funny you mentioned the Republican National Convention because I wanted to applaud you for your efforts on the Obama campaign.

Rachael Leigh Cook: Oh, thank you. You never know where people stand. I didn’t want to--

Jen Johans: Oh no, not at all. What was it like?

Rachael Leigh Cook: It was an amazing experience.

Jen Johans: And how did you become involved in the Obama campaign?

Rachael Leigh Cook: There's this woman who is an incredible champion of Barack’s who coordinated out of Los Angeles. She’s a really big, awesome Dem and has always been a huge supporter of Barack’s. She was volunteering anybody she could find who might mean something to the campaign in terms of name value. I really wouldn’t have made it onto the list of people the campaign approved in terms of the people who are the most famous by a long stretch but I think just having a pretty clean reputation served me well because I passed their screening process.

So I was able to go out and mostly just register people to vote—we registered almost 900 people in the state of Pennsylvania but it’s not something that somebody else couldn’t have gone out and done also. It was really just pretty typical things—we had access to the platform because of being involved in the campaign but mostly we would just wander the neighborhoods and register people to vote the same way that anybody could have done. It really made me want to get involved in things just on my own—just get active and sort of do something with my life rather than just pretending to be other people occasionally.

Jen Johans: I know you’re most well known for She’s All That but after that movie I loved that you were really willing to become part of good ensembles in movies like Blow Dry. What draws you overall to the material that you end up selecting?

Rachael Leigh Cook: I don't know if there’s much rhyme or reason to it. I've just sort of done what I wanted to do and clearly a lot of things didn’t turn out the way I wanted…just to be honest. But I found material; I work when I need to make money like anybody does. I just—I love what I do. If I have any problem in my career choices, it's just that I like to work too much—I like to stay busy so that’s part of it.

But why do I choose what I do? It’s always just one element, it’s either I gotta play this character—or hopefully it's many combined-- like I've gotta work with this director or I love this cast or I just have to be part of the telling of this story. You know, anything that speaks to you loudly enough you'll sort of rise to whatever that is.

Jen Johans: Of all the different projects you've undertaken from TV to movies, do you have any particular favorites or works that you were surprised maybe didn't an audience the way you felt they deserved?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Let me think—I want to tell you about this film that my husband and I are making that he wrote and is directing. It’s not done yet but it's going really, really well—it’s pretty heavy stuff, it’s the most heavy lifting I guess I've ever done. It’s a really challenging and confronting story—oh, I’m crap at describing things-- but let me see, in the past, I liked this movie I did with Jon Favreau called The Big Empty. I really liked the writing for that as well and I liked the character I got to play and Jon’s amazing of course and that was a real thrill and I’m sure no one will probably still ever see that movie as beloved as he is…

Jen Johans: Yeah, I missed that one myself but I’ll definitely look for it.

Rachael Leigh Cook: Cool.

[On her extensive advertising and modeling work such as the famous frying pan ‘90s “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” ad]

Rachael Leigh Cook: I used to do hair commercials for different hair products for Japan. It was a lot of fun; it was really cool. We didn’t shoot them there—we shot them here in LA. I remember thinking, “I don’t think I’m gonna get rehired” after my third commercial because I couldn’t toss my hair properly. I just looked kind of like I was injured or something and I didn’t know what they were saying but I remember thinking, “Okay, I know this is funny but I also really want this to work out.” So yeah, it was kind of embarrassing that I didn’t know how to do a proper hair toss.

Jen Johans: Yeah, like the Paul Mitchell hair flip?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Exactly, no I could not do this at all!

Jen Johans: You mentioned the film you're making with your husband—is that Broken Kingdom?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Yes, that’s correct.

Jen Johans: So how was it working with your husband—had you guys collaborated before?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Well, we’re both actors so we would both run lines with each other for auditions or what have you but he started writing a couple of years ago and took that sort of turn in his career which is really exciting but no, we hadn’t actively collaborated like this before.

When it gets released, that will be good for him because I think it’s going to turn out really well. I’m biased but I think he’s a really incredible talent. Being a director’s a real personality type and I didn’t really know that as fully as I did until I saw him work because he’s a natural leader and really works incredibly well with actors. He knows filmmaking and has seen so many films—I mean thousands probably-- God, I just have real respect for his degree of knowledge.

[We discussed future possibilities like her interest in producing]

Rachael Leigh Cook: In terms of producing, yeah—I’m trying to get some stuff off the ground now. My friends and I are trying to develop a show that’s about cuisines of different cultures possibly for a Food Network or PBS kind of place. I’m looking to produce a film with a company I do some animated work with—just random things. I’m just trying to put myself on the other side a little bit because I love acting but it’s just good to diversify.

Jen Johans: I think as a woman it’s important to inspire more women to get involved in behind-the-scenes work as well.

Rachael Leigh Cook: Yeah, absolutely—no doubt. And you know it’s a really ageist industry—if I don’t want to be someone’s crazy aunt in 20 years… I don’t know what kind of parts I’ll get. It is what it is.

Jen Johans: I know you just made a movie with Mario Van Peebles. Is it Kerosene Cowboys?

Rachael Leigh Cook: That one’s done, yeah-- the one that we shot in Russia and Nevada—the fighter pilot movie. Mario’s a nice guy… um, I don’t know how that movie’s going to come out—I just don’t know. I'm very hesitant and I don't like doing press for everything and I haven’t seen that film so I’m not gonna--

Jen Johans: Oh, of course—that’s fine, definitely. After catching up with the show on DVD, I’ve become a huge fan of Psych.

Rachael Leigh Cook: Oh, cool!

Jen Johans: Were you familiar with the series before you appeared on the show?

Rachael Leigh Cook: Yeah, I’d seen the show a couple times and really loved it. I love the references and if you watch-- I don't know how old you are but I know we’re of the same generation-- I just think it's hysterical. I love working on it; I've been going back a couple of times this season-- I'm sort of the girlfriend for season four so that's been just a real treat.



Jen Johans: That’s great and yes, I am around that age so I love all the John Hughes references and the energetic feel of the show. I was wondering is that what the environment’s like or is that just the show?

Rachael Leigh Cook: No, it's just so laid back-- so much better to work on than a lot of shows I have friends that do and say it’s really run by committee and really stressful. And this doesn’t really feel like that, it’s a really creative environment-- sometimes you have to improvise a lot. They don’t have like stuffy execs over their shoulders and the people who work on the show really get it. It's a great environment. I really don’t feel like I know what I’m doing with the comedy; I'm not there to be the funny one and so I don't really try to set foot in that ring—that’s sort of their arena but I love it.

Text ©2009, Film Intuition; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

Rachael Leigh Cook

Film Intuition Interview: Tanna Frederick

The Film Intuition Interview

Tanna Frederick:

The Actress Who Loves "Putting Things Together"
Is a Woman Who Definitely Has It All Together

By Jen Johans

Recently, Henry Jaglom’s The Rainbow Film Company and actress Tanna Frederick were kind enough to share with me their newest work-- opening in L.A. theatres this weekend—Irene in Time.

While you can read my review of the film here and browse our Trailer & Photo Gallery page for the work here, I was especially grateful to chat with the incredibly down-to-Earth and refreshingly sweet, Ms. Tanna Frederick.



A brainy and polite conversationalist who thinks and speaks in well-thought out paragraphs—as a fellow native Midwesterner, Tanna Frederick’s genuine friendliness and interest in not only the questions asked but in delving further in the exchange as we shared mutual experiences made the interview a rare treat.

Moreover, she’s the type of actress you instantly realize has it much more together than the particular brand of neurotic heroines she seems to master for director Henry Jaglom as witnessed with her award-winning and acclaimed debut turn in Hollywood Dreams. And I think it’s safe to say you’ll agree that ultimately Tanna Frederick is a truly inspiring human being whose passion for her craft is equally matched by her passion to put "things together” as she humbly describes it.

For whether she does this by creating a film festival in her hometown or working with Oceana to help protect her beloved surf, overall I kept wishing that more Hollywood Dreams could be like Tanna Frederick’s and less like the ones we see on the covers of gossip magazines in supermarket checkout lines. Thus, this makes her more than simply an actress but a human being who is definitely ready for her close-up.




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Jen Johans: I really liked Irene in Time; I was wondering since I know you’ve worked with Henry on a couple of projects now—what do you think it is about your personalities that clicks so well?

Tanna Frederick: I think an aversion to authority [laughs]… probably a sense of needing to be different and stick out from the crowd—a need to go against the grain. You know Henry and I just both march to the beat of a different drummer than the rest of the film world and I think that we march to each other's beat which is, you know-- if you happen to find that-- that makes for an excellent collaboration and you’re just blessed and lucky.



We both have this similar sense of rebelliousness and-- for some reason-- have the exact same taste when it comes to everything as far as our artistic aesthetic is concerned. We both just love the same performances and hate the same films and so on and so forth. And when we start working together on a film, you know he's like everything I could ask for in a director and I hopefully provide the same for him as an actress. We just have fun; we have a blast -- it's like two little kids playing and it's lovely.

Jen Johans: You can definitely tell that whatever is going on, you’re on the same wavelength…

Tanna Frederick: Oh great!

Jen Johans: And that’s one of the things I wanted to know is about the creative process because the environments in his movies always feel like they're emotionally heightened but at the same time they’re also loose and natural. Do you do a lot of preparation and rehearsal or improvise or do you kind of have to stay with what's on the page? How does that work?

Tanna Frederick: I think it's different for every actor’s experience on a Jaglom film but as far as my work has been concerned, it's a little bit of everything. There's always preparation that goes into it. For a film that I did-- Hollywood Dreams-- I just spent a long time watching ‘40s films and reading biographies of ‘40s film stars.

And then for Irene in Time, I read a lot of those women’s self-help books and dating self-help books which were just god-awful and so dumb-- you know He's Just Not That Into You, and The Rules-- and then also just really talked to a lot of women about their relationships with their fathers. So there is an element of preparation.

But for me, developing the story-- and having done three films with Henry now being there from the start of the idea of the film to the end with it being released-- I like to listen to Henry and his ideas and his concepts and be able to field all that as different actors are put into the film.

I’m there for the casting and I have a large hand in what goes on. I know what he’s looking for--I know what he wants from start to finish with the film and I know what the script is even if the script doesn't end up playing out or being used verbatim in the final film. I know the essential material and what to draw out of other actors in the film so usually Henry does one or two takes-- rarely three. But having that curve or the arc of the story--the information being told in the very first take-- and then just kind of letting the actors just kind of go off in their own place [enables] the improvisation [to happen] in that sense.



That’s really what's fun about Henry's films is he’s such a jack of all trades and he's not pretentious when it comes to filmmaking. I mean he knows his films are not for everybody, he knows that he loves making films; he knows what he wants from a film for himself to be happy. I know that can be taken as somebody who is pretentious but it's not; you know it's just him wanting to make art for himself which is really lovely.

But underneath all of that he never sticks to one way of how he’s going to get there so he is willing to try some many different avenues to getting the performances out of the actors that he wants to carve the story out of so it's really fun to be an actor in one of his films to try all of those methods to reach a final destination point.

Jen Johans: It sounds like it’s very freeing. You mentioned of course, having to read those horrible books [Tanna laughs] and I have no idea how you did that so you're my hero of the day-- they're kind of the books you see at the bookstore and you just walk in the other direction.

Tanna Frederick: I know, I know and I was just trying to pick out the worst titles I could find.

Jen Johans: Oh, that’s great!



Tanna Frederick: I just went on Amazon and found all these books for like ninety-eight cents--

Jen Johans: The reject pile!

Tanna Frederick: Yeah, and just got the worst titles, the worst and I don't personally-- I’ve just never had a hang up getting along with guys, you know? For me it’s like I’m kind of a guy in the sense of dating ‘cause it's like either it works out or it doesn't and let's just not play games and let's just decide to not go further or whatever.

But once you read these books, all of the sudden it's like you develop every single neurosis in the books and you no longer can function. I couldn’t--I couldn't function after I read those; I started second-guessing everything that I did and became this insecure puddle of mess! They’re so bad and I never realized-- it’s like who writes these books? Who gives these books to women? And it must be some hostile, evil person… it’s not good.

Jen Johans: Yeah [laughs]! And I was wondering in addition to the books of course, you mentioned watching a lot of old movies for Hollywood Dreams. Were there any movies you watched for this film to prepare?

Tanna Frederick: Yeah, there were. Mostly they were kind of mysterious love stories. Portrait of Jennie, A Guy Named Joe—those are two films from the ‘40s—Stairway to Heaven, Somewhere in Time…

Jen Johans: Oh, Somewhere in Time-- I wondered about that one because some of the film—I mean I can’t give away any spoilers—but in some parts of it you’re kind of thinking is this like magic realism or…?

Tanna Frederick: Yeah, yeah and that was sort of the tutelage of Henry because he wanted to incorporate that feel into the film and you know, make it not just about fathers and daughters but interweave a sort of timeless love story throughout the movie.

Jen Johans: I know that you guys worked on a sequel to Hollywood Dreams. What are some other movies you have in the works?

Tanna Frederick: Well, the sequel to Hollywood Dreams was really, really fun. I got to act with one of my favorite actors in the world—Noah Wylie-- and he was just incredible; I mean it was like this great Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tracy dynamic between the two of us like a new, fun 1940’s Thin Man dynamic.

Then this summer I shot a film with director Ron Vignone. He’s an up and coming director I met at the Ashland Film Festival and had a film—Say I Do—which garnered a lot of awards and support from the festival circuit and we filmed this great dark family comedy called Katie Q which is a wonderful little twisted indie flick. I’m really looking forward to that coming out and then I also have a play—I’m going to be doing John Ford Noonan’s A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking. It’s a great play and I’m going to be doing a five month run out here.

[On Multitasking]

Tanna Frederick: I work really well when I have like five things going at once. Henry and I are also working on the idea for the final film of the “Margie” [Hollywood Dreams] trilogy… so I’m going to try to map that out. I find working on many projects and going crazy therapeutic.

[On Discussing Her Academic Career & Background in Theatre]

Tanna Frederick: I really got an amazing experience at the University of Iowa. I think being at the University of Iowa really informed where I am today. It gave me the wherewithal to write, produce, direct and get stuff done. It's a really competitive program but there's so many amazing teachers available at your disposal so my honors thesis project was doing my one woman show.

I didn't direct it. I don't like directing; I'm great at being directed and I've tried to direct but it's an unholy terror. But writing I love and I love putting things together.



So I think I was able to reference Hollywood and think of it in terms of it being like a big college campus and try to have a great attitude about it and say—you know—this is a great place, it’s going to require some multitasking on my part and me being a hyphenate and producing, and writing and wearing all the hats but that’s okay because I just came from an environment like that and this is a competitive place just like my college was.

There’s some immensely talented people here that will hopefully give me the opportunity to learn from them but I'm just going to have to be very self-motivated and build my own projects to get noticed out here and to work in this environment so I think that [The University of Iowa] gave me the confidence and the experience.

It’s that kind of “go out and get it” thing of doing what you have to do and I think we’re like that anyway being from the Midwest, right?

Jen Johans: Yeah, I think so.

Tanna Frederick: You have to wake up every morning and go to work—there’s just no questions asked.

Jen Johans: No and I think that’s a really healthy way to look at Hollywood that is proof that hard work pays off and I also liked learning about the projects you’re involved in like creating the film festival there in Iowa. How did that come about?

Tanna Frederick: I just went up to Ashland, Oregon and it was my first film festival and I thought the community and the energy and the support their reminded me so much of Mason City where I'm from and I just kind of thought, “okay, I’ve got to start a film festival in my hometown.”

This is our third year but last year was so inspiring. I think that so often you feel when you’re from the Midwest that you’re between both coasts and you don't count or your artistic vote or provisions don't count and you feel helpless like there is no way they can be seen or recognized and you have to be in the big city for those things to happen but that’s not true anymore.

The digital age has made I think brilliant filmmaking accessible to everybody and I really felt that last year we saw some wonderful emerging Midwest voices—doctors and lawyers and people making their own films who wouldn't consider themselves filmmakers but now do and are even going onto submitting their work to other festivals so it's a really great, wonderful festival and I'm really happy about it.

[We continue sharing our passion for the Midwest and work our on respective film festivals]

Tanna Frederick: And it’s really amazing too you know being from the Midwest—people are so hungry and appreciative of good art and to be able to share that with my community in Los Angeles-- to bring out my friends and see their work appreciated and people really participating in what they’ve given their blood, sweat and tears to is just so lovely. My friends who struggle, struggle, struggle out here—their film gets accepted in Mason City, Iowa and they go there and they come back here feeling like a million dollars because they’re not appreciated out here and it’s so beneficial on so many levels.

[On this Year’s Festival]

Tanna Frederick: It’s July 17, 18, and 19—three days. We have a great lineup this year—we have Randal Kleiser who directed Grease, The Flight of the Navigator, and White Fang getting the Orson Welles Award. We’re the only festival to exclusively have rights to the Orson Welles Award because of Henry’s relationship with Orson and then we have Eric Roberts coming out to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jen Johans: I was also really interested in the other projects you’re involved in with the ocean and Project Save Our Surf. I was wondering how you became involved in that and how you became interested in surfing?

Tanna Frederick: Well we don’t have any ocean in Iowa and it was so magical; I mean, you probably had an amazing experience the first time you saw an ocean too.

Jen Johans: Oh yeah.

Tanna Frederick: It’s like, whoa—this isn’t the Great Lakes, honey! I just felt so privileged to be out here and then I started surfing. I’m a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and I wanted to find something that was an equivalent that I was as passionate about as Tae Kwan Do so I took a surf lesson just randomly and just loved it from the get-go. It was just my thing so I became an obsessive surfer, surfing any day that I could.

It’s just the water quality here in Santa Monica is pretty terrible and I saw a lot of my friends, a lot of the surfers down here get sick. You can’t surf when there’s been rain because there’s sewage in the water, there’s trash floating everywhere so I wanted to figure out a way to bring awareness locally in my neighborhood which is Santa Monica but I also wanted it to get some national press and make a difference on a global level.

[They joined up with Oceana, a wonderful Board of Directors and it’s ongoing… she’s co-hosting the event again next year—for more information visit http://www.projectsaveoursurf.com]

[We discuss the art scene in my native Minnesota—especially the renowned Guthrie Theater]

Tanna Frederick: Yeah, that was really the hub of my childhood. I spent so much time taking the two and a half hour drive up to The Guthrie Theater—my uncle’s boyfriend was on the Board of Directors so I would go up there in middle school and high school and watch the shows. It was so inspiring. I mean The Guthrie Theatre was so edgy and feisty and so like indie and just naughty and it was so, so great.

Jen Johans: I know, I miss it. I’d love to go back and see what they’re playing now but it was so cool to see people like Don Cheadle and Gary Sinise and Patrick Stewart that would come to the Guthrie. And I remember as a child thinking, “They’re coming to Minneapolis?!” Just like with your film festival—we’re hungry for art.

Tanna Frederick: That’s like my all-time dream is to go back and do a show at the Guthrie, you know?

Jen Johans: Oh, I think that’d be great.

Tanna Frederick: Then that would be like, “Oh, I’ve made it!” [Laughs]

Jen Johans: I think you’re already there.

Text ©2009, Film Intuition; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.