Q’Orianka Kilcher Admits She Knew Just the Fundamentals of the Story Before Getting Cast as Pocahontas: “Like everyone, I just knew the cartoon. But when I went to Virginia for pre-production things right before filming, they had a very great research team. They had been doing research for like a year prior to that and looking through every book possible. They gave me a whole bunch of books to do research in. I was reading all those books, reading Terry’s script so I was making sure I was still thinking of the way that Terrence Malick wanted to tell the story of John Smith and Pocahontas. I’m still doing research on Pocahontas today.”
Q’Orianka Kilcher on the Toughest Aspect of Preparing to Play Pocahontas: “I would say learning a perfect British accent. And then I learned the entire script in a perfect British accent. Then, strip that away for the first 60 pages and learn Algonquin, and I actually made myself learn Algonquin because that’s her native language so I really would know what I was saying. And then strip half of the Algonquin away and then do different stages of Algonquin mixed with English. So that was definitely very challenging. Then in some of Pocahontas’ lowest points in her life where she goes a little crazy…Unfortunately you’re not allowed to see too much of those times because, the length of the film that’s 2 hours and 15 minutes, I think. But that was very emotionally challenging. I thank my mom for being there afterwards, because when I would go home sometimes, I was just so wound up.”
Q’Orianka Kilcher Reveals Her Preparation Process: Her father is Peruvian but she didn’t speak to him or her family in Peru before starting work on “The New World” simply because they don’t have phones. “You know, I would just go camping, sleep under the stars...listen to powwow music, if I listened to music. Then going on the sets that… I applaud Jack Fisk that designed the sets because he really made it so realistic and very authentic. And just being on the sets really threw you back into the 1600s as well as wearing the clothes, the wonderful clothes that Jackie West designed, because she handmade all the clothes the traditional way right down to the copper beads. Being on set with everybody that was so passionate about the work and really putting their whole heart and soul into it, it really, really helped you to just be lost.”
Q’Orianka Kilcher on Her Onscreen Lover – Colin Farrell: “You know, I didn’t know who he was before. When I got on set of course everybody was like, ‘Oh my god, you’re working with Colin Farrell and Christian Bale!’ He was really wonderful, a very giving actor and he was like my older brother in a way. He took me under his wing and he taught me so much in acting and very supportive. And Christian Bale and Wes Studi and Augi Schellenberg, they were all so good at what they did and it was such an honor for me. I felt so lucky just to be on set being able to watch all these actors work.”
Asked about Farrell’s recent decision to check himself into rehab instead of doing the promotional tour for “The New World,” Kilcher said, “You know, I was kind of sad to find out about that, but I was very happy for him because that’s the first step in the right direction. The fact that he’s taking it is very good. And my entire family’s hearts are with him and we just wish him the best of luck. And he’ll make it through it though—he’s very strong.” Kilcher said Farrell was very professional on the set and she had no idea he had any problems. “No, no, he was very dedicated. Very serious about his work so we had no idea.”
Kilcher enjoyed working opposite Colin Farrell because he surprised her by going with his instincts. “He follows his impulses. He’s such a free spirit. He finds beauty in the simplest, cutest things, like the trees and the river and stuff, and it’s so gorgeous to see. And, I don’t know, just his free spirit and the way he was willing to take risks in his acting and just everything.”
Kilcher may not have been overly aware of who Colin Farrell and Christian Bale were prior to filming “The New World” but her friends were. Kilcher recalls they said to her, “You lucky little chicken. You get to kiss Colin Farrell and Christian Bale!’” Laughing, Kilcher added, “I don’t think I did too bad with having them as my first two kisses.”
