Melonie Diaz – 2013 Cannes Preview

by James Patrick Herman   Photography by Jeff Vespa

This isn’t Melonie Diaz’s first time at the Next Big Thing rodeo. She was the Sundance It-Girl of 2008 with four films screening simultaneously at the film festival. Now the veteran of indie gems such as Be Kind Rewind and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is set to make her first trip to Cannes—and take the French Riviera by storm—with her critically acclaimed new movie, Fruitvale Station. The award show season buzz begins in three…two….

          

  

You grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and attended NYU. What’s the most New York thing about you?

I don’t take shit from anybody.

 You can always count on Cannes for some controversial films thanks to the likes of Lars von Trier. But your new movie, Fruitvale Station, is shocking because it’s based on a true story about racist police brutality in America. After debuting in Park City, it picked up both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize, not to mention distribution from The Weinstein Company.

I remember the first time I heard about the story: You could go on YouTube and watch clips of Oscar Grant getting murdered [at the age of 22 by a BART police officer at the Fruitvale station in Oakland, California, on New Year’s Day in 2009]. People on the train were able to take videos with their phones and show the world. That blew my mind. What’s more crazy is that this stuff happens all of the time in urban environments—that’s what is truly shocking to me. But I think people are ready to have a conversation about this subject. Anyone who comes to see this movie is doing their part because they are choosing to be socially aware and responsible. We wanted to show a glimpse into this guy’s life because Oscar was a person; he wasn’t just a blip on the nightly news.

This will be your first trip to Cannes, which is like the polar opposite of Sundance. What are you packing?

I have no idea. Lots of white? Boat apparel? I have to get a gown, for one thing. But I’m excited. Cannes is on my bucket list. I’ve been seen as a Sundance girl for awhile, so this is totally bonkers.

 You upcoming movie XY is set in Manhattan. Does it remotely reflect your own New York City lifestyle?

No, I play a rich girl who dates everybody. She’s a privileged, self-obsessed brat who can’t get a job—a total hot mess. I’m much more focused…but a little self-obsessed, I guess. America Ferrara is also in it and I love her—we were in Lords of Dogtown together when I was 19.

Speaking of your past films: Itty Bitty Titty Committee’s trailer turns up on the first page of a Google search for you, not surprisingly.

Oh my God, that’s so funny. We won an award at South by Southwest for that one. It’s a smart film about a young girl who stirs up society with her feminist guerrilla group. I get so much love from lesbians now. Every movie I make, we seem to make for a penny, so it’s great that they end up going as far as they do.

 Do you remember your first big break?

My first movie was Double Whammy directed by Tom DiCillo, another New York indie director. That was my first audition ever—and I got the part. I was 15 at the time. I had braces and everything.

I have to ask you about the video for Mary J. Blige’s “We Got Hood Love.” How can I forget the scenes of you and Mary sitting on the edge of the tub yelling at your men through the bathroom door?

My friend is the director and he asked me if I wanted to be in it. I was like, Mary J. Blige? That’s a pivotal moment in my life. I almost threw up when I saw it on MTV.

 Aside from Ms. Blige, what actresses inspire you?

Marion Cotillard because she’s emotionally fearless. She’s all about the work; she shows up and digs deep. And Anna Magnani, an old-school Italian actress. Also, Jessica Chastain works really hard and finally got the accolades she deserves. That’s inspiring to me.

 Before you became an indie movie queen, did you ever have a normal job?

Are you kidding me? I babysat, was a telemarketer at one point and later a waitress, which in a weird way was my favorite job of all.

Producer Bailey Reise

Stylist Brad Goreski (@mrbradgoreski)

Make-up Mai Quynh at The Wall Group (@SWArtists)

Hair John Ruggerio (@SWArtists)

Vive la vamp! Joséphine de La Baume

by James Patrick Herman   Photography by Jeff Vespa

Foreign film cred? Check. A Ron Howard-helmed Hollywood movie? Check. A cool indie-pop band side project? Check. Parisian actress Josephine de La Baume—star of the artsy new vampire flick, Kiss of the Damned—is the complete package. Just ask her husband, Mark Ronson.

        

What’s the most French thing about you?

My red lipstick. And since the French are not good at being straightforward, I have a tendency to use a million adjectives to explain something.

Is it true that French women don’t get fat?

They certainly eat a lot of pain au chocolat, croissants and baguettes. But I guess they’re not so fat, that is true.

Because they all smoke?

That’s exactly why. A healthy lifestyle!

Are French women innately chic?

I guess French women are quite nonchalant, so it may seem effortless. But I am sure they spend as much time getting ready as American girls. They just don’t wear that much makeup or really do their hair. It’s a whole look to give the impression that it’s really easy, but they are just pretending.

Why live in London instead of L.A. or Paris?

Because I fell in love with an English man who actually was living in New York [the DJ, producer and musician Mark Ronson] so we kind of met in the middle. I don’t love the weather there, but I’ve been working a lot in London the past few years. We live in Ladbroke Grove, which is next to Notting Hill.

What do you consider your first big break?

One of my first movies was Bertrand Tavernier’s The Princess of Montpensier which went to Cannes in the official selection. And the reason I’m currently in L.A. is because of Kiss of the Damned, which is a vampire movie directed by Xan Cassavetes. It went to the Venice Film Festival, South by Southwest and just had its Hollywood premiere. This was a big deal for me because it’s the lead role, but I don’t know if it’s my most important film.

For readers who have never experienced a film festival on the French Riviera, tell me about your first trip to Cannes. Was it overwhelming?

Yeah, completely. People wonder why that red carpet is more impressive than any other. There is someone on a microphone saying your name very loudly as you walk into the photo call. And the whole town is there to see who you are. I didn’t know what to do with myself in front of all the photographers. I was so nervous. I must have been 24.

It’s a far cry from Austin, Texas, right?

South by Southwest is very rock and roll. I still wore a long dress there, but it was more low-key. For me, the funny thing is that depending on the location of the film festival, people react in a different way to your movie. In Venice the Italian people were seduced by the aesthetic because it’s kind of a homage to sixties and seventies horror films with some Italian references: Mario Bava, Dario Argento as well. I think they appreciated that Xan brought back the vibe of old-school vampire movies. And when we took it to Austin, people got all the jokes. In Italy people didn’t laugh, but you could tell that audiences were transported by the love story. A completely different crowd can help you appreciate the movie from a different angle.

Obviously one can’t help thinking of Twilight, but this fang flick could not be more different.

It is very different from Twilight or even True Blood, but it’s been a long time since there has been a vampire movie that has celebrated at least what I think is fascinating about them, which is the aesthetic. The costumes are incredible, the soundtrack is amazing, it’s very sensual and stylized. It’s almost like vampires have enhanced humanity, you know? Whereas most contemporary vampire movies are too close to reality and they don’t amplify the beauty of the characters.

How does one get into character to play a vampire?

It was one of my most challenging parts. My character, Djuna, has been around for like 250 years yet she’s falling in love—I mean really falling in love—for the first time. She has an innocence about her; she’s almost like a teenage girl. But she also has a lot of wisdom and needs to come across as someone with an old soul. Plus she’s an animal that turns into a monster sometimes.

Is that a metaphor?

She actually does turn into an animal. We’re not all monsters, but we are all animals and there is something that is quite primal about ourselves. So I got in touch with that and tried to find out which animal she could be. It is ultimately a relationship movie—an impossible love story—so I was able to base it on personal experiences. This is just an excuse to talk about feelings and relationships but to make it that much more dramatic because it’s, you know, a vampire movie.

You seem a bit world-weary yourself.

Because I am really tired. The premiere was last night, so I feel much older than I was yesterday.

And how was your first splashy Hollywood premiere?

A lot of my friends were there—we had a whole row of people at the theater—and they were all shouting. It was almost like being at a football match.

You’re also in the band Singtank.

There are four people in the band, but my brother and I write and compose everything. We just finished an EP with nine songs, so it’s like a mini-album that will be released around September.

Describe your sound?

I would say melodious indie pop. Hopefully it’s epic, too.

Who are your main musical influences?

I come from a generation that has had access to every kind of music, so I’ve been shaped by everything I listened to growing up. I used to be into French hip-hop and after that rock and electronica, then I really got into Brit Pop which is what I had in common with my brother. He was a melancholy teenager, so he listened to music that was on the sad side: A lot of Radiohead.

When you and your brother inevitably get into an argument in the recording studio, who wins?

Me, of course. But I can’t really hate him for very long because I love him too much.

Who are some of your favorite actresses?

Isabelle Adjani and Françoise Dorléac, who was Catherine Deneuve’s sister. She died quite young. As a child, I loved Lauren Bacall, and I used to try to have the same hair as her…but not successfully.

Are you eager to work more in Hollywood?

Well, I’m in the next Ron Howard movie, Rush, which is about [Formula One driver] Niki Lauda’s life. That’s kind of Hollywood, right? Ron said something that really resonated with me: “Every detail matters.” I guess it means that the way you move, the way you look at a person—it’s all important. Because he is also an actor he has very insightful advice.

What would be your dream role?

I’d love to do an erotic thriller. Or a musical.

What films inspired you growing up?

I was obsessed with [François] Truffaut. I wrote my thesis on him.

And your thesis was…?

How Truffaut incorporated literature into his movies. He used to be a critic before he was a director, you know. Why did I write about him? His movies are very poetic and he was revolutionary for his time. But it’s not unlike talking about a painting—it’s hard to say why you really like someone.

When you weren’t busy modeling, singing and acting, have you ever had a normal job?

I used to work for a not so normal person: Tom Sachs, the artist who makes massive installations. At the time he was building a giant spaceship. So that was like a real job where I went into the office every day.

Were you his muse?

No, I was really just his employee, doing wood burning and accidentally slicing my finger in the back room.

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Joséphine de La Baume can currently be seen in “Kiss of the Damned” directed by Xan Cassavettes in theaters, on iTunes and On Demand.  (http://www.magnetreleasing.com/kissofthedamned)

Producer Bailey Reise

Stylist Avo Yermagyan (www.avoyermagyan.com)

Make-up Kindra Mann at The Wall Group (@TheWallGroup)

Hair Anh Cot Tran (www.anhcotran.com)

Margarita Levieva

by James Patrick Herman  Photography by Jeff Vespa

The All-American sweetheart from “Adventureland” has a past as dramatic as the identity-switching, pole-dancing, murderous mom she plays on TV’s “Revenge” (homicide excluded). Trained as a rhythmic gymnast behind the Iron Curtain and later educated at NYU, Margarita Levieva is hardly just another Hollywood hottie. Pushkin, anyone?

          

You’ve come a long way, Margarita!

“Yes. I grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, and moved to America when I was 11: Brooklyn, New York. I didn’t speak a word of English. I had trained as a rhythmic gymnast in Russia since the age of three, and the training was rigorous. So when I came to the United States, the first place I went was to a gymnastic school. That was my identity for a long time.”

What was it like being raised in the former U.S.S.R.?

“Under a communist regime, there was this idea that everyone is equal—and the government subsidized everything. So as a young girl, I had to stand in line for bread. I had to get a ticket for sugar, butter, any of the necessities people in the United States took for granted back then was a luxury. We had a rickety old-school television set that had two channels because again, the government controlled everything at the time. We had a channel that was political propaganda and one sort of entertainment channel—which were movies made by the government.”

But aside from bad TV, Russia has such an enviable cultural heritage.

“I do feel very fortunate because we grew up with the arts and literature as part of our everyday lives. Kids in America entertained themselves with video games. Games for me? Memorizing poetry with my parents. And going to the The Hermitage with my grandfather on weekends to study the painters—and the stories behind each painting—from the Renaissance. At six, I could recite Pushkin. It was such a great foundation for me, and I feel grateful and lucky that I got introduced to not only such a vast history but also to Russian literature. Culturally, the country is so rich.”

What was your first exposure to acting?

“A lot of actors talk about the experience of seeing that one performance or piece when they were just like: I knew in that moment I wanted to act! For me, I was five years old and I saw “Swan Lake” at the ballet. The ballerina happened to be one of the greatest dancers in the world as well as an incredible performer. When I watched her, I didn’t see a woman dancing—I watched the Black Swan dying on the stage. And I was so mesmerized that I said: I’m going to do that! So even though ‘performing’ for me meant a physical performance for the first part of my life, there was always a passion to translate something for myself, like a story or a feeling, to share an experience.”

Clearly, acting was your first love. But was it your first career choice?

“English isn’t my first language, so acting was such a far-fetched dream—a fantasy—and I thought it would never be possible for me to pursue. I went to college but I didn’t study theater. Because we came here as illegal immigrants, I wanted to do something that was more practical with my life. An education that I could use to pay my mother back with and say, You didn’t waste your life bringing us here. So I studied economics and then double majored in psychology. I graduated early and I remember coming home to give my diploma to my mother. I said, Now I’m going to do something for me. Even if it proves to be worthless or useless, I have to give it a try. So I went to acting school.”

No regrets, right?

“I thought I’d try it for three months to see if I liked it—and that turned into six months and then a year. I ended up graduating from the school, but even after that I thought to myself: The real actors will go out and get jobs. I only know how to do the school part; I don’t know how to be in the working world of professional actors. And within a month, I got my first job.”

It’s ironic that a Russian rhythmic gymnast who speaks English as a second language landed the part of Lisa P., the all-American bombshell-next-door in “Adventureland.” How did that happen?

“I loved “Superbad.” I was like, Man, I would love to do that kind of movie, but I would never get hired for something like that. For one thing, I had never done comedy before. And I just don’t see myself as very funny. What’s special about [director] Greg Mottola’s filmmaking is that he really seeks the truth in his characters. Even amid the hilarity and the ridiculousness of the scenes, his characters are so realistic. I liked that the character of Lisa P., the hot girl at the high school, was not some supermodel but just a hot girl by high school standards, you know? Literally like a few months after seeing “Superbad,” I got a call that they wanted me to come in for the part of Lisa P. I got the script and was like, I am so not that girl! A girl who walks into a park and every man stares, you know? Maybe one man. But Greg and I had a meeting and he thought I could be right.”

Your education is impressive, but what are some life lessons you’ve learned outside of school?

“Sometimes in life, things come at us that might seem negative—or possibly even scary—but can prove to be the most magical events. I know that if ever I am scared of something, it’s probably because it will be good for me in the end.”

Producer Bailey Reise

Stylist JAK (@we_are_jak)

Make-up Georgie Eisdell (@GeorgieEisdell) using La Mer at The Wall Group (@TheWallGroup)

Hair Bridget Brager (@BridgetBrager) at The Wall Group

Fashion Credits:

 

 

Amy Seimetz

Sundance Films: Upstream Color, Pit Stop

Age? “31”

Where are you from? “I’m from Florida so nothing really shocks me. You can’t be judgmental coming from Florida.”

Big Break? “I’m currently working on a TV show with Christopher Guest for HBO.”

    

This isn’t your first time at the festival.What’s your take on it? “Look, the goal of films is that you want a large audience to watch them. Otherwise, we would have drawn pictures in the sand and let the tides take them away. So the best part about Sundance is that everyone there pays attention. Plus all the free stuff, which is surreal coming from poor people—my family can barely qualify for Medicaid, but publicists are pushing ten free pairs of designer jeans on me!”

Describe the characters you play in your two films. “In Upstream Color, I’ve gone through something traumatic. That’s where the movie starts—and all I’m allowed to say. My other film is Pit Stop; I’m a small-town girl trying to accept my husband’s sexual preference after he comes out of the closet.”

What’s the buzz? “The former is Shane Carruth, who directed Primer, a time travel movie that won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize in 2004—then he disappeared. He’s this elusive filmmaker who has created a new language of cinema. The latter is Yen Tan, a graphic designer who’s done posters for tons of movies. Pit Stop isn’t just about being gay; it’s about what ‘till death do us part’ really means today. You’re in a short as well!

What about before you became a Sundance sensation? “When I was living in San Francisco, I sewed costumes for people who went to Burning Man. I made so much money off faux-fur outfits.”

What do you think of Robert Redford? “You mean aside from being the sexiest man alive?”

AMBYR CHILDERS

Sundance Film: We Are What We Are

Age? “24.”

Where are you from? “I’m from Arizona. And yes, I still listen to country music—just like my parents.”

Big Break? “Doing Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie, The Master. And I have a small part in Gangster Squad.”

    

What’s special about this trip? “I’ve been to Sundance four or five times but this is the first year I’ve had a film there.”

What’s not to love, right? “It’s breathtakingly beautiful. And you get to play while you’re working, so I will find time to ski with my husband. I’m not nearly as skilled, so he’ll be waiting for me at the bottom!”

Describe your character in one sentence. “Iris is withdrawn and introverted yet she has an incredible amount of strength that she discovers throughout the movie.”

What’s the buzz? “I think it’s about Jim Mickle, my phenomenal director. William Morris are huge fans of his, and we’re not talking about some small agency here.”

Are you a fan of Robert Redford? “Love him! Oh, my gosh. Not only is he handsome but he started this festival—in Utah of all places. I’ve been to Cannes and Toronto but Sundance is a special place: It’s full of down-to-earth artists who just care about making films.”