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INTERVIEW: ANGELA SARAFYAN TALKS ORGY, BREAKING DAWN
Brent Simon
Shockya.com
http://www.shockya.com/news/2011/09/02/interview-angela-sarafyan-talks-orgy-breaking-dawn/
Sept 2 2011
It's another sweltering late summer day in Los Angeles, and Angela
Sarafyan, our interview having just wrapped, has had enough. Her
professional obligations for the afternoon apparently complete, she
strolls over to the rooftop pool at the swanky hotel at which we have
gathered, and climbs in for a quick dip. In her dress.
It's a bit nervy, sure, but actually not that thematically or
behaviorally detached when one considers the occasion for our
gathering: to discuss "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy," a new ensemble
comedy about a tight-knit group of friends who, when faced with
the prospect of losing the summer getaway house that's served as
the crash-pad for years' worth of great parties, decide to go out
with a bang - literally. Shooting on location in Wilmington, North
Carolina, gave Sarafyan the opportunity to re-enact many of her
favorite "Dawson's Creek" moments of yesteryear, but, alas, there
was no Dawson or Pacey to sweep her off her feet. ShockYa had the
opportunity to recently chat one-on-one with Sarafyan, about "Orgy,"
what people might most recognize her from right now, and what people
might most recognize her from in the very near future. The conversation
is excerpted below:
ShockYa: So I'm not going to start this interview probably where you
expect. Instead, I'm going to ask you how many people approach you
and ask you about State Farm insurance?
Angela Sarafyan: Oh, a lot. (laughs)
ShockYa: A lot? Or do you just get mostly quizzical looks from people
who can't quite place you?
AS: Well, my hair used to be darker, so I would get, "Are you the
State Farm girl?" The [last time it happened] was in El Paso. I was
working on a movie there, and some of these girls walked in and asked
me. It was interesting to see how people responded to that commercial.
ShockYa: It seemed to be one of those that hung around for a while,
and really caught on. And so do you have State Farm insurance?
AS: I don't. (mock cringes) But the agent in that is really a State
Farm agent, and was a really nice man. They pulled him from Miami or
Florida or somewhere.
ShockYa: Movie titles change all the time, but frequently it's
something that's perhaps reflective of the true nature of the film
that's being changed to something tawdry or sexy in order to try
to better sell it. "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy," though, is actually
about a good, old-fashioned orgy. Was that always the title?
AS: Yeah, it was the original title when I got the script. It changed
to just "A Good Old Fashioned" when we were out on location in North
Carolina, and for a while they were debating about changing the title,
but both Pete (Huyck) and Alex (Gregory, the writer-directors) really
wanted to keep it. I think it's fantastic, and the actors all liked it.
ShockYa: You were born in Armenia and moved to the United States when
you were four or five years old. And your biography in the press kit
mentions that you were inspired by "The Terminator" to want to act -
is that really true?
AS: (laughs) Yeah, it's crazy. I was sitting with my dad one day
watching "The Terminator" and I was struck by just how wild that
world was. I thought, "That is nothing like this world. It's crazy,
the stuff that they get to do. I will die if I just get to be in a
different world like that for a day." So that's what inspired me,
the idea of being in [some other] story or place - if you were Donald
Duck's girlfriend or a Smurf or Mickey Mouse, or something in a
complete dream world. Like, Alice in Wonderland - how awesome would
it be if you ate a piece of chocolate and turned really little or
really big? That's cool. And that's what is so cool about "Twilight,"
too, that you really are on a whole other world that's so different
from reality.
ShockYa: And different from a movie like this, too, which is much
more modestly budgeted.
AS: Absolutely. That's the thing - as a four- or five-year-old, I
knew that I loved to tell stories and live in a whole dreamlike world,
but as I grew up getting to actually play different people and learn
how they go about their lives was another element that appealed to
me about acting.
ShockYa: I imagine it depends partially on the role, but are you big
into research? What are the first couple building blocks that you
attack when you're trying to build a character?
AS: Everything. It depends on the part and how much information the
script has and whether it takes a lot of dramaturgy, if the script
requires it. With this character (Willow, in "Orgy"), I was looking
for as many clues as I could, and then creating it with whatever
inspired me in those moments. But if it's in the Victorian era or a
whole other lifetime then I'd like to learn about that place and time,
and how people lived, spoke and behaved. You look at all of that.
ShockYa: Almost as interesting as the orgy - which sounds weird to say
- was this film's idea of these huge, themed bacchanals that Jason
Sudeikis' character throws for all his pals. In your real life, do
you have any friends or family who are like that - just the big party
people, who really get into planning these huge, costume-type events?
AS: I think Pete is. I've become friends with him, and he's the one
who does that. He throws these huge parties, these gatherings every
Thursday, and he is someone who's been everywhere, too. If you go
in his house, he has incredible paintings and art, and a million
different teas.
ShockYa: Like drinking teas?
AS: Yeah, different teas from different countries, and he knows so
much about them and is so cultured.
ShockYa: What was the casting and audition process like, because I
know the orgy stuff was shuffled to the end of the filming schedule,
in order to give you actors more of a chance to build a rapport, right?
AS: I auditioned initially and was asked to go to a table read, where
I met all of the actors at Pete's house. Then we flew out to North
Carolina two weeks before filming. And like Tyler (Labine) said,
it had the dynamic of a family. There were competitive elements,
but I think eventually you really get to know people where there is
that kind of honesty, and you grow to love each other and understand
everyone's qualities naturally. That was one of the things that was
so cool about working on this film - that Pete and Alex made sure
that we were together on our days off, which we were happy to do. I
think with our joys and even dislikes of each other, we were happy,
ultimately, and certainly supportive, and we grew from it. I certainly
learned a lot from that experience.
ShockYa: "Twilight" is enormously popular and "Breaking Dawn," which
you are in, is sure to be huge. You play Egyptian vampire Tia, which
sounds kind of sexy and dangerous.
AS: She is, both sexy and dangerous. It's not that much make-up,
actually, but it will be extraordinary. I keep using that word! I'm
sick of that word. It will be huge! The whole thing will be
mind-blowing, I think. Tia comes from Egypt, and she grew up in
poverty, so she's learned to survive as a person from the streets. Her
and Benjamin both lived, struggled, did things, and eventually
they get this opportunity with what happens with Renesmee to fight
authority. And I think that's a really exciting thing for both of
them, because if you look at it it's incredible. The book and movie
actually covers really big themes - the rich against the poor, power
against the person that is oppressed. And I think in Egypt, especially
with everything that is happening now, well, it's funny that that is
happening. ...Most women from the Middle East are told to cover their
faces, but I don't think that (choice) exists for Tia. She's a strong,
beautiful, sexy woman. So I compare it to Cleopatra and Mark Antony in
a way. She was a ruler, and so I think they're a team, working together
to maybe fight something that will save a lot of vampires ultimately.
ShockYa: I also wanted to ask you about "Lost and Found in Armenia,"
which is a bilingual dramedy you shot with Jamie Kennedy. It sounds
like an intriguing concept.
AS: Yes, I completed shooting that in Armenia. It was an interesting
experience. Going back to Armenia - because in all these years I'd
never been back - was a surprise for me, because the things that
really affected me I didn't [expect]. I didn't know that the incredible
mountains and history was going to impact me as much.
Culturally, in terms of the city and modern-day life, it's almost
as foreign as going to any other foreign country. I realize I'm very
American in a lot of ways, but there's a deep-rooted part of me that
is unexplainably touched and moved by the culture there. And the
people, too. I mean, imagine living in a village and eating tomatoes
and making your own little cucumbers and getting bread, where you are
the one supporting yourself all throughout. People there, even though
they have no money and are in poverty, are very generous. They will
offer you what they have, and that's a very attractive quality. That
and seeing the old churches that have existed for a thousand years,
there's a certain spirit there.
Brent Simon
Shockya.com
http://www.shockya.com/news/2011/09/02/interview-angela-sarafyan-talks-orgy-breaking-dawn/
Sept 2 2011
It's another sweltering late summer day in Los Angeles, and Angela
Sarafyan, our interview having just wrapped, has had enough. Her
professional obligations for the afternoon apparently complete, she
strolls over to the rooftop pool at the swanky hotel at which we have
gathered, and climbs in for a quick dip. In her dress.
It's a bit nervy, sure, but actually not that thematically or
behaviorally detached when one considers the occasion for our
gathering: to discuss "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy," a new ensemble
comedy about a tight-knit group of friends who, when faced with
the prospect of losing the summer getaway house that's served as
the crash-pad for years' worth of great parties, decide to go out
with a bang - literally. Shooting on location in Wilmington, North
Carolina, gave Sarafyan the opportunity to re-enact many of her
favorite "Dawson's Creek" moments of yesteryear, but, alas, there
was no Dawson or Pacey to sweep her off her feet. ShockYa had the
opportunity to recently chat one-on-one with Sarafyan, about "Orgy,"
what people might most recognize her from right now, and what people
might most recognize her from in the very near future. The conversation
is excerpted below:
ShockYa: So I'm not going to start this interview probably where you
expect. Instead, I'm going to ask you how many people approach you
and ask you about State Farm insurance?
Angela Sarafyan: Oh, a lot. (laughs)
ShockYa: A lot? Or do you just get mostly quizzical looks from people
who can't quite place you?
AS: Well, my hair used to be darker, so I would get, "Are you the
State Farm girl?" The [last time it happened] was in El Paso. I was
working on a movie there, and some of these girls walked in and asked
me. It was interesting to see how people responded to that commercial.
ShockYa: It seemed to be one of those that hung around for a while,
and really caught on. And so do you have State Farm insurance?
AS: I don't. (mock cringes) But the agent in that is really a State
Farm agent, and was a really nice man. They pulled him from Miami or
Florida or somewhere.
ShockYa: Movie titles change all the time, but frequently it's
something that's perhaps reflective of the true nature of the film
that's being changed to something tawdry or sexy in order to try
to better sell it. "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy," though, is actually
about a good, old-fashioned orgy. Was that always the title?
AS: Yeah, it was the original title when I got the script. It changed
to just "A Good Old Fashioned" when we were out on location in North
Carolina, and for a while they were debating about changing the title,
but both Pete (Huyck) and Alex (Gregory, the writer-directors) really
wanted to keep it. I think it's fantastic, and the actors all liked it.
ShockYa: You were born in Armenia and moved to the United States when
you were four or five years old. And your biography in the press kit
mentions that you were inspired by "The Terminator" to want to act -
is that really true?
AS: (laughs) Yeah, it's crazy. I was sitting with my dad one day
watching "The Terminator" and I was struck by just how wild that
world was. I thought, "That is nothing like this world. It's crazy,
the stuff that they get to do. I will die if I just get to be in a
different world like that for a day." So that's what inspired me,
the idea of being in [some other] story or place - if you were Donald
Duck's girlfriend or a Smurf or Mickey Mouse, or something in a
complete dream world. Like, Alice in Wonderland - how awesome would
it be if you ate a piece of chocolate and turned really little or
really big? That's cool. And that's what is so cool about "Twilight,"
too, that you really are on a whole other world that's so different
from reality.
ShockYa: And different from a movie like this, too, which is much
more modestly budgeted.
AS: Absolutely. That's the thing - as a four- or five-year-old, I
knew that I loved to tell stories and live in a whole dreamlike world,
but as I grew up getting to actually play different people and learn
how they go about their lives was another element that appealed to
me about acting.
ShockYa: I imagine it depends partially on the role, but are you big
into research? What are the first couple building blocks that you
attack when you're trying to build a character?
AS: Everything. It depends on the part and how much information the
script has and whether it takes a lot of dramaturgy, if the script
requires it. With this character (Willow, in "Orgy"), I was looking
for as many clues as I could, and then creating it with whatever
inspired me in those moments. But if it's in the Victorian era or a
whole other lifetime then I'd like to learn about that place and time,
and how people lived, spoke and behaved. You look at all of that.
ShockYa: Almost as interesting as the orgy - which sounds weird to say
- was this film's idea of these huge, themed bacchanals that Jason
Sudeikis' character throws for all his pals. In your real life, do
you have any friends or family who are like that - just the big party
people, who really get into planning these huge, costume-type events?
AS: I think Pete is. I've become friends with him, and he's the one
who does that. He throws these huge parties, these gatherings every
Thursday, and he is someone who's been everywhere, too. If you go
in his house, he has incredible paintings and art, and a million
different teas.
ShockYa: Like drinking teas?
AS: Yeah, different teas from different countries, and he knows so
much about them and is so cultured.
ShockYa: What was the casting and audition process like, because I
know the orgy stuff was shuffled to the end of the filming schedule,
in order to give you actors more of a chance to build a rapport, right?
AS: I auditioned initially and was asked to go to a table read, where
I met all of the actors at Pete's house. Then we flew out to North
Carolina two weeks before filming. And like Tyler (Labine) said,
it had the dynamic of a family. There were competitive elements,
but I think eventually you really get to know people where there is
that kind of honesty, and you grow to love each other and understand
everyone's qualities naturally. That was one of the things that was
so cool about working on this film - that Pete and Alex made sure
that we were together on our days off, which we were happy to do. I
think with our joys and even dislikes of each other, we were happy,
ultimately, and certainly supportive, and we grew from it. I certainly
learned a lot from that experience.
ShockYa: "Twilight" is enormously popular and "Breaking Dawn," which
you are in, is sure to be huge. You play Egyptian vampire Tia, which
sounds kind of sexy and dangerous.
AS: She is, both sexy and dangerous. It's not that much make-up,
actually, but it will be extraordinary. I keep using that word! I'm
sick of that word. It will be huge! The whole thing will be
mind-blowing, I think. Tia comes from Egypt, and she grew up in
poverty, so she's learned to survive as a person from the streets. Her
and Benjamin both lived, struggled, did things, and eventually
they get this opportunity with what happens with Renesmee to fight
authority. And I think that's a really exciting thing for both of
them, because if you look at it it's incredible. The book and movie
actually covers really big themes - the rich against the poor, power
against the person that is oppressed. And I think in Egypt, especially
with everything that is happening now, well, it's funny that that is
happening. ...Most women from the Middle East are told to cover their
faces, but I don't think that (choice) exists for Tia. She's a strong,
beautiful, sexy woman. So I compare it to Cleopatra and Mark Antony in
a way. She was a ruler, and so I think they're a team, working together
to maybe fight something that will save a lot of vampires ultimately.
ShockYa: I also wanted to ask you about "Lost and Found in Armenia,"
which is a bilingual dramedy you shot with Jamie Kennedy. It sounds
like an intriguing concept.
AS: Yes, I completed shooting that in Armenia. It was an interesting
experience. Going back to Armenia - because in all these years I'd
never been back - was a surprise for me, because the things that
really affected me I didn't [expect]. I didn't know that the incredible
mountains and history was going to impact me as much.
Culturally, in terms of the city and modern-day life, it's almost
as foreign as going to any other foreign country. I realize I'm very
American in a lot of ways, but there's a deep-rooted part of me that
is unexplainably touched and moved by the culture there. And the
people, too. I mean, imagine living in a village and eating tomatoes
and making your own little cucumbers and getting bread, where you are
the one supporting yourself all throughout. People there, even though
they have no money and are in poverty, are very generous. They will
offer you what they have, and that's a very attractive quality. That
and seeing the old churches that have existed for a thousand years,
there's a certain spirit there.