How was it to work with director John Boorman?
John, at the beginning, I thought was a control freak. He knew exactly how he wanted it and just wanted one angle, one take. At the end of the first week I said to my assistant, “Forget about it. I don’t think I’ll be able to make this movie. I’ll be good in my next movie. This one I can’t because I have no space in order to explore.” I’ve done so much preparation I was just a little disgusted thinking, you know, “Never mind.” And my assistant said, “No way. Talk to him, he’ll understand.”
We had dinner together and I said, “John, I feel so frustrated because I feel like you’re not giving me the space I need. My work is not about control, it’s about abandoning myself. I have done the control work before, during the preparation time, but now it’s time for letting go and just please give me the space.” And he said, “I understand. It’s your movie. I want you to be happy.” And so the second week he was completely different. So each time I wanted to do a second take it was, “Okay.” And there was a kind of a giggle inside of his eyes and sort of saying, “Okay, I know we have a contract together.”
After a while it was so moving for me because John, at the beginning, he was behind the little TV thing where you control everything. And after that, he was near the camera. He was crossing his arms…and just watching and being the first spectator of the movie. And for me, suddenly he was with me. It was so enlightening for me because I felt like, “Wow, I’m making this movie with him and it’s great.”
There’s one scene I particularly remember. It’s when I go to [spoiler deleted]. He asked me to do another take when I thought, “Well, I’d been as far as I could for that scene. I don’t think I could go beyond so I’m done.” And John said, “No, let’s try another one.” And it was just wow! I was overwhelmed by it because suddenly John thought I could do better than I did. And actually, I think it’s the take in the movie and he took me there. So it was a collaboration, it was an arch. It started from thinking, “Well, I can’t do anything," to suddenly feeling wings inside of me because of him.
How was Samuel L. Jackson as a co-star? Did you click right away with him?
At the beginning, the first day of shooting, Sam was very relaxed, happy to be there and starting the movie and chilling out in his chair and all that. I couldn’t sit down. I was like on the grill. I was burning. I was like so frightened. But the involvement was different because as the Afrikaner, she was crucified. She was grilled.
At one point I sat next to him, but not chilling. I sat [up] straight and he said to me, “Relax. You’ve got the part now. Chill out and just do the movie. It’s fine.” I said, “Well, it’s because I have the part that I can’t chill out!” (Laughing) You know, before if I didn’t know if I had the part I could chill out many, many times. But now I have it and now there’s no moment of playing around. I’ve got to do it. But I mean, our characters are very different. It’s like when he comes to the TRC and says, “Okay, I know the story. It’s going to be the same old story.” It’s such a different way of being involved.
