Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Summer Bishil is a new name on the scene, but with only two feature film roles to her credit, she has emerged as an impressive force in dramatic acting. Last year, she beautifully personified both sexual curiosity and naive innocence as Jasira in writer-director Alan Ball's disturbing TOWELHEAD. Now, she plays Taslima in CROSSING OVER, which opened in limited release last week and opens wider this weekend. Taslima is a Middle Eastern girl who is given a school assignment that gets her in a lot of trouble not just with her teacher and fellow students but also with Homeland Security and immigration officials. Bishil is once again called upon to really let the emotions flow, while playing a very different girl than she did in TOWELHEAD, one who is much more confidant and certain than Jasira.
I always enjoy talking to newer actors, finding out what aspirations they have for their careers and what kind of person they'd like to be when they get older is often very enjoyable. Plus with a lot of young actors, you can tease them about their many one-off guest shots on bad sitcoms, kids TV shows, and other mildly embarrassing outings. Bishil seems like a genuinely intelligent young woman with hopes for bigger and better things, and she's a real charmer on top of everything. Enjoy up-and-comer Summer Bishil…
Capone: How are you, Summer?
Summer Bishil: I'm good. How are you?
Capone: Very well, thanks. Last year, we did a big event with Alan Ball after a screening of TOWELHEAD, and he did the Q&A after the film. And not surprisingly, many of the questions centered on you, and what making that film was like for you. And I remember thinking about you, as a new actress, would probably never have to go through anything that emotionally traumatic in another film ever again. And then you make CROSSING OVER, and it seems like you're seeking out these devastating roles, or are they just landing in your lap?
SB: [laughs] Not at all. I don't want to say I take what I can get, because that's not the case. If something wasn't up to what I felt was right for me, I wouldn't do it. I was lucky to get TOWELHEAD, and when I got it, I was like, "Yeah, let's do this!" And a year later, I hadn't worked and I really wanted to, and CROSSING OVER came around, and I really liked it and wanted to do it. I don't work a lot, and those are just the two movies that I've done. I'm not in a position yet to seek anything out, because I don't have offers coming at me, you know?
Capone: Did you have a concern that these two roles would wipe you out emotionally or perhaps prematurely age you?
SB: [laughs] I was really tired when I filmed TOWELHEAD a lot of the time. There were some days when I wondered if I was going to make it. And then when it was done, I realized that I didn't know I could physically go through that, but I did. It surprised me what my body could take, because I was so exhausted. And in CROSSING OVER too, there's a scene that was cut out, I believe, that was extremely physical and required a tremendous amount of physical assertion, where I break down on the floor after I say goodbye to my family.
Capone: Actually, that scene is still in the film.
SB: I think a portion of it is, but the portion of it that I'm talking about is me on the floor and the siblings are gone and I was completely alone breaking down and wailing.
Capone: Ah, no. That isn't there. I remember Alan Ball telling me how amazed he was at your ability to bounce back from even the most traumatic moments in his film. Is it easy for you to separate movie emotions from real life?
SB: It is. When I first started acting, I would really try and feel the feelings and make it real and a part of me, but I could never do that. I felt like a fraud. But once I gave up on that idea that it was the only way to be an actor, I started to feel better about my work. I could actually finish a scene and be happy and walk away from it after having to go through those emotions. I never really attach it to myself. It's a movie, and for me it never crosses into my psyche.
Capone: You mentioned that scene where you are saying goodbye to members of your family in CROSSING OVER. What do you remember specifically about that day?
SB: It was memorable. I remember we had a lot of time, more time than I was used to on TOWELHEAD, which was like boom boom boom boom. There was a little more time for this scene. I didn't learn every single line; I wasn't completely off book until right before we shot it, because I didn't want it to be this stale thing. I remember Ashley Judd coming up to me and saying, "Sometimes you want something to happen, and I get it. But sometimes, if you just let go, it'll be really great." I don't remember her exact words, but her advice really helped me, and I remember going back to the scene and feeling really free with it and liking the takes that I did after that.
Capone: I believe that's the only scene you have with Ashley Judd. Was she someone that you admired over the years?
SB: I'm a huge fan of hers, and when I met her, I was sort of intimidated. She was super nice and graceful and intelligent, and that made her even more intimidating [laughs]. I was just happy to be in a movie with her; I never thought I'd make a movie with Ashley Judd. And I remember wanted to be really good and I was trying really hard. I didn't want her to think I was a bad actor. [laughs]
Capone: Speaking of female role models, you got to work with Toni Collette in TOWELHEAD. That had to be pretty special.
SB: That was special, because she was someone I absolutely looked up to. Oh God, meeting her was like Wow. I never thought that would happen. I remember when Alan told me who the other characters were going to be in the film when I was meeting with him, and he told me Toni Collette, I couldn't believe it.
Capone: Are you watching her TV show, "The United States of Tara"?
SB: Yeah, I am. I love it, it's funny and really great.
Capone: Tell me about developing the character in CROSSING OVER. Is there some small piece of her that feels powerful having her classmates be a little scared of her. Is that accurate?
SB: She does. I played it like she does, definitely. It makes her feel like she has an effect on these people. There is a power assertion coming from her, but I think it started to hurt her feelings too, because they are yelling some pretty mean things that started to get to her. The way I played her--and this is a true story--I didn't want to think too much what the real woman was thinking, because I would never have been able to talk to her. I felt like it wouldn't be right, so I just created another character and use what I feel. I feel like she was not even fully committed to it either. She was Muslim, but she didn't know much about it. Part of her liked the affect it had on people. I think she liked to shock. It was a way for her to be different. She's just a kid trying to rebel, and this is her way.
Capone: That speech she gives at the beginning of the film in front of her class is powerful stuff. Did you think much about the life she's led that led to her being there giving that talk?
SB: I didn't too much because I feel like Taslima hadn't really been through all that much. She had a family that loved her as much as any healthy 15 year old. Life is painful, but I don't think it has been particularly painful for Taslima. I felt that she needed an identity, and she developed it around Islam. And that by the time she turned 17, she wouldn't even be Muslim any more. That's how cavalier and casual I made it for her. But in that, her 15-year-old mind, it was important and it was everything at that time. I don't know exactly how to explain it; I'm not doing a very good job [laughs].
Capone: It's frustrating beyond words what Taslima goes though--a lot of the film is frustrating in a similar way--but her dilemma is hard to watch. Were you able to identify with her on any level?
SB: No, God. I could never identify with her. It was a struggle every second, because I could not have been more different. I was grateful that I was an American and could never be deported. I felt for the real girl, but I was in no way similar to his character. That was the challenge, just getting over the sheer differences.
Capone: It's interesting that you're playing these two characters in these two films who are, in their own way, dealing with the repercussions of America's involvement overseas. How much have these moments in history impacted your life, if at all?
SB: Not really. In my real life, nobody's ever asked me, "What's your ethnicity" in a demeaning way. Most people think I'm Mexican, and they get mad that I don't speak Spanish [laughs]. I've never encountered this level of injustice or racism. I live in California, and there are just so many different people here. Maybe if I lived in Arkansas
Capone: The other common factor between these too films is that they both had their release dates pushed back considerably. That must have been frustrating for you personally and professionally because you want people to see what you can do, right?
SB: Oh yeah, because you want the next job and that's the way to do it, and I hadn't worked in a long time. It's frustrating. I haven't worked since CROSSING OVER, which I made almost two years ago. I didn't work for a year between TOWELHEAD and CROSSING OVER, so it's been frustrating. So I'm just now getting into school, and get a considerable amount of joy there. I'm learning the piano; I'm writing, and I'm enjoying that more and taking that more seriously. So I'm not focused on the fact that I'm not working a lot, but it's still there in the back of my head.
Capone: Did you get any kind of negative blowback from people who saw TOWELHEAD and were disturbed by the film?
SB: Not personally, but I read a lot of stuff. During the press push, my mom would show me some articles and say, "Did you read this?" I don't get personally offended by bad reviews, which is good and I hope doesn't change because that would suck. You're always going to hear things you don't want to hear about yourself. But it seemed like the bad was so personal. It was so emotional, the response. It wasn't simply "It was a good movie" or "It was a bad movie." It was this emotional response.
Capone: TOWELHEAD is a tough movie not to react too with all emotional guns blazing. When I interviewed Alan, I told him that I suspected that he was the type of person who liked to push buttons and make them deal with things they're really uncomfortable dealing with. He didn't deny it, but I think he is.
SB: I think he's just honest, and honesty for some people is a tough sell. Even in his demeanor, he's relaxed, cool customer. I don't know him that well personally. We worked together professionally, but he's not this shocking person. I remember when I was auditioning for him, I remember thinking, "Oh my God, Alan Ball, AMERICAN BEAUTY," which I loved and is so shocking. But he's not shocking; it's weird.
Capone: I made the point when I spoke to him that your character is not ultimately a victim. I saw her as someone who's very lonely, but a survivor and someone who is committed to figuring out who she is because she clearly isn't getting any guidance from her parents. She has to do all of this on her own.
SB: Some people get so uncomfortable watching that film.
Capone: Does that secretly make you laugh to see people squirm like that?
SB: It makes me mad. I just sucks for me, because I was a young girl once, and you don't want adults screaming at that stuff. You want them sitting and trying to understand it and give you insight. And not shrieking at the thought of it.
Capone: Do you envision a day when you act in a movie where you aren't crying hysterically?
SB: [laughs] I'm actually doing a short film with my friend, she's directing it. It's a comedy, and there's a lot of funny scenes. There's one where my character gets really, really hammered and runs down the street in neon tights and an orange boa, screaming and laughing at the top of her lungs, while trying to eat a camera and pretend she's a dog. That was fun. It's called PUBLIC RELATIONS.
I haven't gotten anything beyond that, but I'm auditioning and looking and trying. Hopefully I'll get something, but I'm having fun doing this with my friend. It's work. It keeps you limber.
Capone: I read somewhere that you're a big movie lover. Is that true?
SB: Huge. I watch every movie that comes out. I saw CORALINE 3-D recently because NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is one of my favorites of all time. It was awesome. Why can't every movie be in 3-D. HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU should have been in 3-D.
Capone: Do you go back and watch older stuff too?
SB: I watch a lot of older stuff. I remember my mother saying, "Here, watch SOPHIE'S CHOICE a few years ago" and I was blown away. Kevin Kline is one of my favorite actors. That's not that old, I guess. But I love Audrey Hepburn too and watching BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S and SABRINA.
Capone: Summer, thank you for talking to us. And good luck.
SB: Cool. Thank you so much. Take care.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
