I hope Katie Aselton, Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell decide to make another movie together. One of the best things about their Sundance film, "Black Rock," -- directed by Aselton -- is the banter in the opening scene. Banter that would lead the unaware to believe that "Black Rock" is a comedy. And it is funny! Well, at least until the guns come out. Oh, yeah, and before a spider hitches a ride in Katie Aselton's "hoo-ha."
In "Black Rock," Aselton, Bosworth and Bell play three friends who decide to rekindle their friendship on a remote Maine island. Unfortunately, the three friends are not alone on the island and things become, well, violent. We spoke to Aselton, Bosworth and Bell at the Sundance Film Festival shortly after they found out that their film had just been sold. The three actresses discuss the shift from humor to terror in the film and the, at times, shocking violence. Bell also shares her disappointment with the cancellation of "How to Make it in America," and Bosworth, who was in "Superman Returns," reveals her opinion of the new upcoming Superman movie, "Man of Steel."
Moviefone: First thing: Congratulations on the sale.
Katie Aselton: Thank you. We're super excited.
Were you expecting it sell this quickly?
Aselton: We were hoping it would, yeah. And we're closing foreign rights now, which is really exciting too.
I'm curious: the order that all of you appear in the opening credits, was that alphabetical?
Aselton: Yes.
Lake Bell: Oh, I don't normally think about stuff like that.
Kate Bosworth: You mean credit wise?
Only because, if I have the last name Bosworth, I like my odds of being first.
Bosworth: [Laughs] That's exactly what I thought.
Aselton: That's what I love so much about her, that she always thinks she's at the top of the list.
Bosworth: That's right! You know, that's how you get to top!
Bell: And I kept it real and knocked her down to third. Boom!
Bosworth: All right, all right. It's so funny, I didn't even notice.
Aselton: I know, I look like such a jerk. It's like, "Directed by," "Story by," and then I'm like the first name, and it's not by choice! It's a contractual thing.
People have been describing this movie as "Deliverance" and "Thelma & Louise'" combined. Do you like that?
Aselton: I started saying that.
Bell: She coined it!
So, yes, you do like that.
Aselton: Yes, I love that. It just was our general vibe. We got really close, really fast. We were sharing a house -- it was sort of instantaneous adoration on all parts. I had known Lake before, and Lake had known Kate before, so we had vetted each other a little bit. Lake told Kate I was OK to do it. So it was like, you pass the friend test a little bit.
Bosworth: We all had the seal of approval.
Aselton: Exactly. So we slid into this comfort zone so fast. A comfort zone that actually worked as a detriment in certain parts. Editing the film, I had to cut out parts where we clearly forgot a camera was on.
Like what?
Aselton: There's one part of the film where we're sitting on the beach, and I don't know why, but for some reason I deliver the line, "Did you bring the map to our time capsule?" like this: [Whining] "Did you bring the map to our time capsule?" And Kate replies: "YAAAAHHHHHH!" Like, absurd. It's totally absurd, and not appropriate for the character.
I wonder what the ratio is of actor-directors who end up surviving their own movies.
Aselton: It's interesting, when Marc [Duplass] handed the script over to me, I thought I was going to play Sarah. And he's like, "Katie, you have the opportunity to play any role here. Why wouldn't you go for the super-challenging role that shows you in a completely different light that you've never been seen in?" He's like, "Sarah's something people have seen you do before. This is your opportunity to show you different." And I was like, "I don't know, I just think it's weird for me to make a movie that I make it out -- "
Bosworth: Survive in?
Aselton: Yeah. And it would be nice, I could be behind the camera the entire time during the really intense parts. But I'm glad I made the decision that I did. It was beyond challenging to play that role and be behind the camera.
There's some shocking violence against women in this movie. Do you think a male director could get in trouble for that?
Aselton: I don't think so. I think there are a lot of male directed movies that are way more vicious and brutal. The scenario is tough, shit happens, and if you're going to go there, you have to go there -- and don't shy away from it. Which was my feeling in shooting this movie. I also feel like, if you're going to put a scene like that in your movie, just do it. Do it completely and fully. Give yourself up.
Last night there was a huge snowstorm and I saw Kate Bosworth arrive at the premiere dressed very elegantly. You are a braver person than I am.
Bosworth: Oh. There was a lot of secret maneuvering happening in that situation.
What does that mean?
Bosworth: Well, there's the towel in the car.
Bell: And then the change to heels.
Speaking of the snow, that was a nice turnout considering the conditions.
Aselton: I would say, there's nothing more appropriate than our movie premiering in the middle of a blizzard. Because our shoot was so challenging, and the elements did everything they could possibly do to kick the shit out of us.
What were the elements on the shoot?
Bell: We shot on the coast of Maine in June: so it was rainy, foggy, cold. Tides would swallow up entire locations or make them four times the size of what they used to be. We were shooting on the shortest nights of the year. We were shooting on the nights of the year where the horizon started to change at 3:30 in the morning, and we would not get full darkness until 9:30 at night. We had the shortest nights, it was absurd.
Bosworth: Yeah, I forgot the short nights of the year, and with the tides, having to schedule shooting around the goddamn tides.
Bell: And even the water temperature when we were in the water was 45 degrees and the air temperature was 43 degrees.
Bosworth: And the physicality of it -- just think about when you're watching the film, you think it's a movie, but when we're crawling on the forest floor, that's unchartered forest floor.
Aselton: There's no pads down to protect us, on a stage where it's fake stuff.
Bosworth: I mean, I remember this clearly, I was the one leading the way and I remember being like, I'm going to put my hand in a spider's nest, or a snake, you know, all that kind of stuff.
Aselton: I had a spider crawl out of my hoo-ha when I got home after the naked scene.
That sounds like the most terrifying thing ever.
Katie Aselton: No kidding. More terrifying for me.
OK, fair point.
Aselton: I got home after the end of a nine-hour shoot and went to the bathroom. And I looked in the toilet afterwards and there was a massive spider that wasn't there when I sat down. Meaning, it had to have come from my nethers.
Bell: It was hanging out in your butt.
Aselton: It was so warm and cozy!
Bell: Look, these are the kinds of things that we would come home and we would talk about. This kind of stuff.
Aselton: I would come screaming out the bathroom like, "There's a spider in my hoo-ha!"
I have to wrap up, but I have two kind of off topic questions.
Aselton: You don't want to wrap up on that note.
Lake, "How to Make It In America," was just canceled. Did you see that coming?
Bell: I'm sad for the group of people that we're involved with it, but you never know. It's so unpredictable, to be honest, that you're never really surprised. It was a great show, we had some great two years, and I'm happy that we had that. I love HBO, and it was really fun working there.
And for Kate, with "Man of Steel" coming out, did you feel, "We did a really good job with 'Superman Returns" and we should've had a chance to make another?"
Bosworth: I didn't really think about it too much, you know? Because I think about each film experience as an individual one and then kind of move on, you know what I mean? I'm actually excited to see it. I really think Amy Adams is a great actress and I like comic book films.
Aselton: I want to see "Bos" in every movie.
You three should do a Superman movie.
Aselton: Just the three of us. Listen, let's get it into development, immediately.
Bell: A feminist Superman. Superlady.
Aselton: Super Bitches!
Bosworth: Exactly!
Mike Ryan is the senior writer for Moviefone. He has written for Wired Magazine, VanityFair.com, GQ.com, New York Magazine and Movieline. He likes Star Wars a lot. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter
I hope Katie Aselton, Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell decide to make another movie together. One of the best things about their Sundance film, "Black Rock," -- directed by Aselton -- is the banter in the opening scene. Banter that would lead the unaware to believe that "Black Rock" is a comedy. And it is funny! Well, at least until the guns come out. Oh, yeah, and before a spider hitches a ride in Katie Aselton's "hoo-ha."
In "Black Rock," Aselton, Bosworth and Bell play three friends who decide to rekindle their friendship on a remote Maine island. Unfortunately, the three friends are not alone on the island and things become, well, violent. We spoke to Aselton, Bosworth and Bell at the Sundance Film Festival shortly after they found out that their film had just been sold. The three actresses discuss the shift from humor to terror in the film and the, at times, shocking violence. Bell also shares her disappointment with the cancellation of "How to Make it in America," and Bosworth, who was in "Superman Returns," reveals her opinion of the new upcoming Superman movie, "Man of Steel."
Moviefone: First thing: Congratulations on the sale.
Katie Aselton: Thank you. We're super excited.
Were you expecting it sell this quickly?
Aselton: We were hoping it would, yeah. And we're closing foreign rights now, which is really exciting too.
I'm curious: the order that all of you appear in the opening credits, was that alphabetical?
Aselton: Yes.
Lake Bell: Oh, I don't normally think about stuff like that.
Kate Bosworth: You mean credit wise?
Only because, if I have the last name Bosworth, I like my odds of being first.
Bosworth: [Laughs] That's exactly what I thought.
Aselton: That's what I love so much about her, that she always thinks she's at the top of the list.
Bosworth: That's right! You know, that's how you get to top!
Bell: And I kept it real and knocked her down to third. Boom!
Bosworth: All right, all right. It's so funny, I didn't even notice.
Aselton: I know, I look like such a jerk. It's like, "Directed by," "Story by," and then I'm like the first name, and it's not by choice! It's a contractual thing.
People have been describing this movie as "Deliverance" and "Thelma & Louise'" combined. Do you like that?
Aselton: I started saying that.
Bell: She coined it!
So, yes, you do like that.
Aselton: Yes, I love that. It just was our general vibe. We got really close, really fast. We were sharing a house -- it was sort of instantaneous adoration on all parts. I had known Lake before, and Lake had known Kate before, so we had vetted each other a little bit. Lake told Kate I was OK to do it. So it was like, you pass the friend test a little bit.
Bosworth: We all had the seal of approval.
Aselton: Exactly. So we slid into this comfort zone so fast. A comfort zone that actually worked as a detriment in certain parts. Editing the film, I had to cut out parts where we clearly forgot a camera was on.
Like what?
Aselton: There's one part of the film where we're sitting on the beach, and I don't know why, but for some reason I deliver the line, "Did you bring the map to our time capsule?" like this: [Whining] "Did you bring the map to our time capsule?" And Kate replies: "YAAAAHHHHHH!" Like, absurd. It's totally absurd, and not appropriate for the character.
I wonder what the ratio is of actor-directors who end up surviving their own movies.
Aselton: It's interesting, when Marc [Duplass] handed the script over to me, I thought I was going to play Sarah. And he's like, "Katie, you have the opportunity to play any role here. Why wouldn't you go for the super-challenging role that shows you in a completely different light that you've never been seen in?" He's like, "Sarah's something people have seen you do before. This is your opportunity to show you different." And I was like, "I don't know, I just think it's weird for me to make a movie that I make it out -- "
Bosworth: Survive in?
Aselton: Yeah. And it would be nice, I could be behind the camera the entire time during the really intense parts. But I'm glad I made the decision that I did. It was beyond challenging to play that role and be behind the camera.
There's some shocking violence against women in this movie. Do you think a male director could get in trouble for that?
Aselton: I don't think so. I think there are a lot of male directed movies that are way more vicious and brutal. The scenario is tough, shit happens, and if you're going to go there, you have to go there -- and don't shy away from it. Which was my feeling in shooting this movie. I also feel like, if you're going to put a scene like that in your movie, just do it. Do it completely and fully. Give yourself up.
Last night there was a huge snowstorm and I saw Kate Bosworth arrive at the premiere dressed very elegantly. You are a braver person than I am.
Bosworth: Oh. There was a lot of secret maneuvering happening in that situation.
What does that mean?
Bosworth: Well, there's the towel in the car.
Bell: And then the change to heels.
Speaking of the snow, that was a nice turnout considering the conditions.
Aselton: I would say, there's nothing more appropriate than our movie premiering in the middle of a blizzard. Because our shoot was so challenging, and the elements did everything they could possibly do to kick the shit out of us.
What were the elements on the shoot?
Bell: We shot on the coast of Maine in June: so it was rainy, foggy, cold. Tides would swallow up entire locations or make them four times the size of what they used to be. We were shooting on the shortest nights of the year. We were shooting on the nights of the year where the horizon started to change at 3:30 in the morning, and we would not get full darkness until 9:30 at night. We had the shortest nights, it was absurd.
Bosworth: Yeah, I forgot the short nights of the year, and with the tides, having to schedule shooting around the goddamn tides.
Bell: And even the water temperature when we were in the water was 45 degrees and the air temperature was 43 degrees.
Bosworth: And the physicality of it -- just think about when you're watching the film, you think it's a movie, but when we're crawling on the forest floor, that's unchartered forest floor.
Aselton: There's no pads down to protect us, on a stage where it's fake stuff.
Bosworth: I mean, I remember this clearly, I was the one leading the way and I remember being like, I'm going to put my hand in a spider's nest, or a snake, you know, all that kind of stuff.
Aselton: I had a spider crawl out of my hoo-ha when I got home after the naked scene.
That sounds like the most terrifying thing ever.
Katie Aselton: No kidding. More terrifying for me.
OK, fair point.
Aselton: I got home after the end of a nine-hour shoot and went to the bathroom. And I looked in the toilet afterwards and there was a massive spider that wasn't there when I sat down. Meaning, it had to have come from my nethers.
Bell: It was hanging out in your butt.
Aselton: It was so warm and cozy!
Bell: Look, these are the kinds of things that we would come home and we would talk about. This kind of stuff.
Aselton: I would come screaming out the bathroom like, "There's a spider in my hoo-ha!"
I have to wrap up, but I have two kind of off topic questions.
Aselton: You don't want to wrap up on that note.
Lake, "How to Make It In America," was just canceled. Did you see that coming?
Bell: I'm sad for the group of people that we're involved with it, but you never know. It's so unpredictable, to be honest, that you're never really surprised. It was a great show, we had some great two years, and I'm happy that we had that. I love HBO, and it was really fun working there.
And for Kate, with "Man of Steel" coming out, did you feel, "We did a really good job with 'Superman Returns" and we should've had a chance to make another?"
Bosworth: I didn't really think about it too much, you know? Because I think about each film experience as an individual one and then kind of move on, you know what I mean? I'm actually excited to see it. I really think Amy Adams is a great actress and I like comic book films.
Aselton: I want to see "Bos" in every movie.
You three should do a Superman movie.
Aselton: Just the three of us. Listen, let's get it into development, immediately.
Bell: A feminist Superman. Superlady.
Aselton: Super Bitches!
Bosworth: Exactly!
Mike Ryan is the senior writer for Moviefone. He has written for Wired Magazine, VanityFair.com, GQ.com, New York Magazine and Movieline. He likes Star Wars a lot. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter