Interview with Heather Wahlquist

Although not a newcomer to Hollywood, actress Heather Wahlquist is certainly on the right track to stardom.On the eve of her big-budget debut opposite Denzel Washington in this Friday's John Q, Heather took a moment to chat with IGNFF about starting out in Hollywood – and the blood, sweat, and tears it takes to stay in the game – as well as what it was like working opposite an Oscar-winner in a three-month ensemble lockdown.

IGN FILMFORCE: What was your introduction into the industry?HEATHER WAHLQUIST: I got here (L.A.) in the early-'90s and started class at the Los Feliz Playhouse. My first film was called Simon Says, with Carr¿ Otis – I think it was one of those straight-to-videos, but I was excited to be there.IGNFF: What was the experience like, as a first film?WAHLQUIST: It was very laid back, because the director, Jim, paid for the film – so we pretty much got to do whatever we wanted to within what he wanted, so it was pretty fun working like that. It was like we were doing a play, because we weren't stuck to one camera angle or one line or the perfect words that the writer wrote – so we could play.IGNFF: Almost improvisational?WAHLQUIST: Yes. But that's not really how it goes, I found out later.IGNFF: So it almost was a "bad" good first experience¿WAHLQUIST: Yeah. It wasn't much of a learning experience, as far as the way it really goes, but I had a the most fun. IGNFF: Do you think it was good as a softer way to ease into the industry?WAHLQUIST: Definitely.IGNFF: With something that wasn't exactly a wide release like that, how do you parlay that into more work – or does it really not have an effect one way or another on more work?WAHLQUIST: It's had no effect on more work¿IGNFF: So you've still had to stump for more work¿WAHLQUIST: Right. But if you treat it like it's a lifestyle – like "this is what I do" – then it did have an impact, because it was experience. I was a learning.IGNFF: What was the biggest difficulty when starting out and having to stump for parts? What was hardest about the audition process?WAHLQUIST: Nothing really turned me off¿ I guess the main thing was that I remember asking people, "What do you do with your hands?" That always threw me. You're just standing there with a paper and reading. Of course the first one was scary because I really didn't know what I was doing. Then you go on a lot of them, and you put it behind you, and go on. You also do all of these commercial acting classes – like "How to audition in front of a casting director," and what you're supposed to do and what you're not supposed to do. I figured out there are no rules – you just go and you be yourself and do your part. If you've done your work, you've done your job – and if you get the part, it's up to the gods.IGNFF: It just comes down to instincts and talent – and beyond that you have no real control¿WAHLQUIST: I agree. IGNFF: Was there any point, early on, when you felt disillusioned or felt like giving up?WAHLQUIST: Maybe when you get yourself caught up in a position where you've got rent and you have to take a day job or night job – and it takes away from what you really want to do. That's probably the hardest part, I think, for someone starting out. Even for someone who's not starting out – you've got to pay the bills. I think that gets in the way of the creative process, but as far as the town turning me off? Sure, it's frustrating¿ you think you're going to come here and – I had somebody tell me one time, "For every hundred auditions you go on, you get one part." So it's just chipping away at the numbers.IGNFF: So it turns into a numbers game¿WAHLQUIST: Yes.IGNFF: What was the next job you had after Simon Says?WAHLQUIST: I did a lot of print work in-between that movie and the next one – just some ads for European magazines. Basically it turned into commercial stuff. I did a Duke Nukem video character. Then I got a mockumentary film called Jesus Is Coming. It was going to be shot over the number of years that the movie actually took place – It's been going on for four years and it's finally going to be released this summer. I shot on that movie even after I finished my last film. That was a big job.IGNFF: What is the film about?WAHLQUIST: It's a documentary about a streetcorner evangelist, who comes to L.A. to save lost souls. So he goes to the s**ttiest parts of the town, and he talks to everyone from homeless people to celebrities, trying to tell them about God. He is successful, but he gets murdered in the end. I played the neurotic girlfriend of a famous rock star, played by Ron Perlman. I am trying to find the meaning of life, and I get caught getting a bible lesson in the bathtub, the only place I can do serious thinking. The movie is shot like a Woody Allen film¿ Here's these people, jump over to those people, back to those people¿ Here they are a few years later¿ The minister gets murdered and you don't know who did it. You have to guess.IGNFF: So it's compartmentalized, but there is a throughline¿WAHLQUIST: Yes.IGNFF: Well, you've got me intrigued¿WAHLQUIST: It's really a cool movie. I've seen bits and parts of the movie, but soon I'll get to see it all put together. To be honest with you, I really don't know what the whole thing is about since I haven't seen the whole thing. I can't wait. I don't even know who did it.IGNFF: In shooting a character of the course of four years, how does that affect you as an actress?WAHLQUIST: It was a different experience¿ It was very different. I don't even know how to answer that question¿IGNFF: Was it difficult to maintain the character for that duration or, since the character was evolving in the story as well as time went by, it allowed for some flexibility?WAHLQUIST: It allowed flexibility. The character was evolving, and she changed every year just like we do. So when I went from dark hair to blonde hair to red her – or whatever I did at the time – it was okay. You didn't have to go back to the exact same look, because people change.IGNFF: So I guess – technically – while you're playing the same person, you're not playing the same "character"¿WAHLQUIST: Exactly.IGNFF: What was the first project after Simon Says that could be considered a "real" Hollywood project in the way it was filmed?WAHLQUIST: At the end of 2000, we finished shooting John Q, which is about to be released. It's a huge film and, I have to tell you, I was quite shocked to get the part. It was a great part. I went in on the audition, and they were going with possibly a "name" – then I got a callback. I kind of just wrote it off, like I do everything else. It was exciting to have a callback, but then I got a call from the producers to say that I had gotten the part of Julie in the movie¿ I was like, "Okay¿ Thank you¿ Nice talking to you¿ Bye." And I sat there for a second, and I was like, "Oh. My. God¿ Oh. My. God." I called my mom, and I would say "happy tears" sums up that evening for me. It was shock. Because you're shocked¿ You sit here for five years going on auditions, and you get bit parts here and there – a secretary over here, a girl over here – and finally you have a part where you actually get to sit down and work on something. That was very exciting.IGNFF: How did you approach the character? What type of character is Julie?WAHLQUIST: She's an abused young girl. She's in a very abusive relationship with her fiancé who beats the shit out of her all the time. I approached it from the perspective that she worked for him – he was the owner of places that she worked in¿ Basically, she was his and she did whatever he wanted¿IGNFF: Basically a "kept woman"¿WAHLQUIST: Yeah. She was very quiet to me¿ I kept her very quiet, because I think that's what happens – you learn how to not talk. And that was it. At the end, she gets to the point where she's had enough of this guy and she basically kicks the shit out of him - and then she kicks him out the door.IGNFF: A bit of a rage release¿WAHLQUIST: Yes¿ A built-up burst.IGNFF: What was it like working with Denzel Washington in the film?WAHLQUIST: He's very, very professional. He comes to work, he's in character¿ when he comes on set, he's in character. He was great to watch because you could see him go through the process. Even through the rehearsals he was in character – there was no room for, like, "Do you want a soda?" It just wasn't happening – none of that stuff. It was a learning experience to watch him do what he does, because it's the same thing I'm doing. He was great. He gets praise where praise is due, and then he's gone and you don't see him until you're back on set the next day.IGNFF: Is it difficult to relate to a fellow actor as a person when they're in character most of the time?WAHLQUIST: No, because they're not the character outside of shooting. When you're working, you're working – and when you're not, you're not.IGNFF: Okay – so he does "turn it off" when the cameras aren't rolling¿WAHLQUIST: Yes.IGNFF: What other actors in the film did you have a lot of contact with?WAHLQUIST: I was stuck in a room – with Eddie Griffin, James Woods, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Connolly, and the guy who played my boyfriend, Shawn Hatosy – for three months¿ in the same outfit. Everyone always had the same clothes on, and for three months I was stuck with those people.IGNFF: It almost sounds like a pressure cooker¿WAHLQUIST: Yeah, but it was good – we all became very close. It was very strange, because it wasn't normal. Most movies, you do the scene with this person – and then that person leaves for three days and you do a scene with this person. On this, it was everyday the same people, the same time, the same place – five days a week, sometimes six. We all became like family – we still keep in touch. There are maybe two people in this movie that were in the room we worked in that don't go to each other's birthday parties and don't call each other and say "Happy Christmas." It was really great. I came out of it with a lot of good friends.IGNFF: What was the biggest shock for you, compared to the independent films you had done previously, since this was your first big, mainstream Hollywood film?WAHLQUIST: Walking on set the first day¿ I didn't know what to expect. It was the unknown. It's scary, but it's not about the work – I did my work. I was like, "I'm not showing up not prepared for this one. This one is huge." So I locked myself away for two months – no going out, no thing. They had a trainer up there that I was working out with that would bring me my food every three hours, and I had to work out for those two months before the movie to get in shape. It was exhausting, but it was all about the work.IGNFF: What was the biggest thing, walking on the set, that something like Simon Says didn't prepare you for?WAHLQUIST: There's a schedule, there's a camera angle¿ if you think you're going to get creative with, like, flipping your hair or kicking your leg in the air off the camera angle – you can't do that. In a sense you're restricted to a certain area and certain lines that you have to do. There's no room for adlibbing, and there's no room for backflips – or whatever you want to do. It's like, "You stay in this little box and do your stuff, and when we say cut, it's over and then you do what we say next." It was very different – it wasn't even comparable.IGNFF: Did it feel restrictive in any way, or was it something you adapted to pretty quickly?WAHLQUIST: You adapt to it, because you're theirs. They own you. By contract, they own you for so and so amount of time that you're there, and you basically do whatever they say. So, in a sense, it takes you back to childhood because you don't really have to think about anything¿ They're like, "Go eat." "Okay." "Now go to the makeup trailer." "Okay." You know what I mean?IGNFF: In a sense, that kind of control probably helped you for the character you were playing¿WAHLQUIST: It did. It really did. "Do that¿" "Okay, yes sir." IGNFF: And the director of John Q is Nick Cassavetes, right?WAHLQUIST: Right.IGNFF: How would you describe how he runs his set?WAHLQUIST: Very, very creative. I worked with him right before this movie on a play that he had written called "Rock Star." He actually goes into character for you. When he says what he wants, it's not just, "I want you to feel sad, okay? Action!" He's like, "Okay darling¿ Your character is this, this, and this. The way I see it – and please jump in at any time – this and this¿" And he actually goes into character – he knows everyone's lines – and he does the lines the way he sees them. Then you're free to do what you want. He always will let you try it once before he comes over, though.IGNFF: So nothing is completely set in stone – there is a little play in there¿WAHLQUIST: Yeah. You've got to come prepared, there's only one take, and then it's time for discussion about how he sees that you've approached it, and then his notes on what he's trying to do compared to what he's getting. He's a very hands-on director. It was nice.IGNFF: What was the difference between working with him in the theater compared to working with him on a film? Was there any big difference in style?WAHLQUIST: No. It's pretty much the same. When he sets up a rehearsal, they're done in the same manner on stage as in film. He's very interactive. He wants to have a meeting with everyone to talk about what he's thinking and to talk about what they're thinking of. If there's any suggestions that you have, they're always considered. He's basically in it for what's best for the piece and not what's best for his ego. At the end of the day, it's about "what's going to make this film better." So if it's my idea, that's great. There's no ego involved, which is – from what I've seen so far, and I'm not that experienced – rare. "You do it this way, or there's about 20 other actresses over there that we can call up and they'll be here in 5 minutes."IGNFF: It shows a more secure person when they're not like that, but are open to input¿WAHLQUIST: I think so.IGNFF: So what was your next project after John Q wrapped? Would it be Good Advice?WAHLQUIST: Good Advice came before John Q shot. I flew up for costume fittings and rehearsals, and within 2 hours I was back on a plane to be on set the next morning. I literally flew into Toronto, got off the plane, got to the hotel, got in the bath, tried to unpack some stuff – and then I found myself repacking, putting the clothes back on, going out the door to get back on the plane to go back to L.A. – all in one day. That's kind of how that went.IGNFF: I think it comes out this year, doesn't it?WAHLQUIST: Yeah, I think I saw an ad for it.IGNFF: What was your role in that?WAHLQUIST: I played the part of Sarah. She was the secretary to Charlie Sheen's part. It was very small, so don't sneeze.IGNFF: You had three months to play Julie in John Q, but only 1day to play Sarah in Good Advice during a maelstrom kind of schedule – what is like to do that kind of quickie role? How much do you actually invest, as an actress, in that?WAHLQUIST: On that kind of situation, when you've got to be there the next day and you've got a script in front of you – you rely on your audition and what you worked out in your audition for it. That's pretty much all you can do. If you make a strong enough choice, it will carry you through. You either have time to prepare or you don't have time to prepare – so you've got to make a strong choice and believe in what you're doing. You've just got to commit, and go from there.IGNFF: I'm sure having no prep time is not your preference¿WAHLQUIST: No¿ I'm very neurotic and anal-retentive, so if I have to pick apart every little aspect.IGNFF: When investing yourself in a character, does it ever become schizophrenic, or is there always a very clear delineation between the character and yourself?WAHLQUIST: Part of you is always in your characters – you can't help it, because they're built upon your experiences. You only know what you've experienced, so you can't help but have your character have parts of you. But as far as keeping it separate¿ whew¿ in the midst of it – in the middle of it – it's kind of hard to keep it separate, because you so commit to what you're doing that¿ It's kind of like when you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, and you develop characters that you play around each other¿IGNFF: Separate from how you talk at, say, work¿WAHLQUIST: Right¿ Things may trickle in, but it pretty much stays different.IGNFF: And is it easy, after say three months, to divest yourself of a character?WAHLQUIST: It's hard for me to let go sometimes. I still have Julie's perfume and shoes.IGNFF: What can you tell me about The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie?WAHLQUIST: I'm excited about that one – that one's going to be great. It will be shot up in Vancouver, and a first-time director, Paul Johansson, wrote it. I'll be working with Gena Rowlands and Trevor Morgan – one of the kids from The Sixth Sense. It's a coming-of-age movie. Gena Rowlands plays a woman kind of lives in a delusional world – her husband died in the war, and she's left in the house with two mentally challenged children. That's her existence. It takes place during a wedding, and her daughter, played by Deborah Unger, comes home. I'm her best friend, and I come home with her to plan the wedding. Her fiancé is played by Robert Downey Jr. It's a very simple, very character-driven piece. It's just real life family¿ I would compare it to Steel Magnolias, one of my favorite chick flicks.IGNFF: When does that begin shooting?WAHLQUIST: The end of February.IGNFF: Would you say that you're at a point in your career where you hoped you'd be by this young age?WAHLQUIST: You know, I'm very happy. It's funny, because I want to be older – so that question throws me. I want to be 30, because that's when I see the good things coming. It's exciting to me to be older, because you're more experienced. But as far as where I'm at right now – I'm very happy with where I'm at. I'm where I'm supposed to be – and I know that that can change at the drop of a hat, so I'm not real comfortable here, either.IGNFF: So there's a sense of uneasiness?WAHLQUIST: Anxious would be a better word. I'm anxious for the next one, the next one, the next one¿ And I cross my fingers and hope the stars line up that there will be a next one. IGNFF: You can't discount persistence and hard work, because a lot of people give up and move back to Iowa¿WAHLQUIST: I've got a lot of friends who did. It's funny, because the more that move away, the better – that's just getting rid of the weakest link. You make a commitment to stay and live your life like this – your whole life, no matter what it throws you – in the beginning, you think, "Oh no? What am I going to do? What happens next?" You can't enjoy what's going on right then. So I'm just going to try and enjoy what's going on right now, stamp my passport every day – "What did I accomplish? This, this, and this." – and that's how I'm going to live every day. If you don't, I really think you'll go crazy in this town.IGNFF: And the town tries so desperately to make people go crazy¿WAHLQUIST: It does. "You're ugly. You're terrible. You're too hairy. You're too fat. Your hand's not right." It's like, "Oh god – are you kidding?" Shut up.IGNFF: It's like one of those automatic pitching machines that keeps firing the balls whether you're ready or not¿WAHLQUIST: Exactly – and at a different spot each time. But just like anybody else, they pick the best one for their project. I can respect that.IGNFF: You just have to keep batting and see which ones you hit¿WAHLQUIST: I know! True.

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Interview with Heather Wahlquist

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