Interview for Voices From Chornobyl Promo

On Saturday I was interviewed for the project Voices From Chornobyl. I was nervous. I tried to imagine in my head what the interview would be like. What I would look like on the screen once the interview was cut. I pictured my movements, when I would bring my hand up to my face or when I would flip my hair to the back.

It was nerve wrecking. Nobody gave me my lines, I had to make everything up myself. I had to sound good and smart and knowledgeable.  I had to look good.

When I got to the interview location, I checked myself in the mirror, adjusted my hair and sat down on the sofa. I brought one leg up underneath me to be comfortable. I shifted myself to the right a bit so I wouldn’t be square to the camera. I drank some water and some hot tea to clear my throat and to wet my vocal cords.

I was sick for over a week now.  My cough stopped for the moment. I was sucking on some lozenges before we started with the interview. I asked the DP to please make me look healthy. We both laughed.

The lights were adjusted. Finally the lawn mower outside stopped and the camera started rolling. The first question came from Lysandra Petersson, who is the Director of this Documentary and who conducted the interview.

She had a smile on her face. She was pretty and she had a very open comforting look about her. No judgment. I opened my mouth, said something and her face changed. She listened with her eyes, she nodded, and I could read everything I said on her face.

I relaxed. All of a sudden I didn’t think of anything else except the questions and I was looking to see if Lysandra listened, if she believed what I was saying, if she cared. And she did all of the above. And I started talking like a waterfall.

Memories came back about the project, about the process, about the actors and the rehearsals and the performances and my preparation, and everything that happened with Voices From Chornobyl in the past 3 years.

It felt good. It felt good to be connected with this project again. It’s been forever since I’ve spoken Anna’s words, since I read the script, since we shot the promo in February of ‘08.

I’m looking forward to the next phase of Voices!

January 19, 2009   Posted in: Interview, Voices From Chornobyl

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