Olivia Thirlby: The Hollywood Interview

Actress Olivia Thirlby.


THE WACKNESS OF OLIVIA THIRLBY
By
Alex Simon

The following article appears in the July/August issue of Venice Magazine.

Olivia Thirlby first gained notice as the tart-tongued best friend to Ellen Page’s Juno, in the eponymous sleeper hit of 2007 and this year’s Oscars. A native of New York City, Olivia made her film debut in Paul Greengrass’ acclaimed United 93 (2006), followed by David Gordon Green’s lauded, but little-seen Snow Angels (2007). Olivia can currently be seen in the Sony Pictures Classics release The Wackness, sharing the screen with Josh Peck (Mean Creek) and Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley. Set during the summer of 1994 when hip-hop music was becoming the rage among rich white kids in NYC, The Wackness follows the exploits of recent high school grad Luke Shapiro (Peck) who, unsure about his future, spends the scorching summer months selling pot to his friends and eccentric therapist (Kingsley), while pining for the shrink’s comely stepdaughter, Stephanie (Olivia). Written and directed by recent American Film Institute graduate Jonathan Levine, The Wackness hits screens July 3.

Olivia Thirlby in The Wackness.

For Olivia Thirlby, working with the legendary Ben Kingsley was akin to attending a master’s class in acting. “The thing about Sir Ben is that he knows exactly what he’s going to do each and every moment, but he makes them seem spontaneous. Whereas I’m much more a fly by the seat of your pants kind of actor, where the emotion just overtakes me. I wish I could be more like Sir Ben!” she says with a laugh. “I’m often surprised where the emotion comes out in a scene, and usually I can’t plan it. It’s funny, I know people who’ve attended drama school who try to forget what they’ve learned because it bogs them down. For me, it’s instinctual, the more I think about it the more my performance suffers. It’s amazing to see an actor who’s in such mastery of his skills, emotions, body and thoughts that he can actually cue himself to do those kinds of things. The other amazing thing about him is that he’s not intimidating. I almost have an image of him rescuing a little caterpillar off a leaf and saying ‘Don’t worry, you’re wonderful.’ He’s very generous with himself and his time and his acting. He’s very kind and encouraging. I think it says a lot about him that as someone who’s achieved the absolute pinnacle of accolades in his profession, he’s willing to stoop down to that leaf and have a tea party with all these little insects in the lawn.”

Olivia also found that working with a young director like Levine (this is the second feature for the 30 year-old helmer) was as rewarding as working with a veteran like Kingsley. “Jonathan Levine, the one and only. He’s remarkable to work with, because he’s so fun, so relaxed. In my experience the kind of person somebody is doesn’t always dictate their skills, but at least gives you an indication of what the working environment will be like, and if you’re in a positive working environment, with people who are earnestly trying to do something creative, it doesn’t matter what kind of skills and experience somebody has, because they will inevitably create something honest and fun. It was an insanely young crew. I don’t think there was a single person working on the movie that was over 40.”

Olivia and Josh Peck in The Wackness.

Olivia also adds that Levine’s laid-back approach was sometimes a bit perplexing. “My true respect for Jonathan as a filmmaker has been enriched by the final product of the film, when you see what he managed to do while being low-key, yet very energetic in his own very unique way. Sometimes we thought ‘Is Jonathan even paying attention? Does he care if we’re giving a shitty performance or a great performance?’ And it’s really because he knew exactly what he was looking for, and if he saw it, he didn’t need to say anything. He put a lot of trust in us and did something very wise, which was to cast actors to be as they are as people, as themselves. And there was something about the chemistry between Josh and I that was immediately like Luke and Stephanie. It was just so natural. We didn’t even need to be reading the lines off the script, and a huge part of their relationship is the games that they play with each other. That’s classic romance. That’s how Shakespeare writes it.”

With six more feature films being released between now and 2010, Olivia is busier than ever, but has just a single wish to impart to the viewing public: “Go see The Wackness. It’s dope.”