GATHER AT THE MOVIES: Actor Elizabeth Reaser Answers Gather Member Questions In This Exclusive Interview With The Star Of "Sweet Land"

Gather Editorial had the pleasure of talking with actor Elizabeth Reaser, star of the critically acclaimed film Sweet Land by writer and director Ali Selim. In this exclusive interview, we asked her questions sent in by Gather members. 

Based on Will Weaver’s short story A Gravestone Made of Wheat and shot on location in Southern Minnesota, Sweet Land is a rich cinematographic gem about the American immigrant experience in the 1920s.  Elizabeth's character Inge is a Norwegian immigrant of German descent who travels to Minnesota to marry Olaf, a Norwegian farmer whom she has never met.  Inge arrives with no immigration papers and no command of the English language.  She and Olaf are forbidden to marry after the community discovers her German heritage. I highly recommend that you get your hands on this independent feature film to not only find out what happens to these characters, but also to experience the rich cinematography and parallel storylines.   

SweetLand, released on DVD this week, also stars Tim Guinee, John Heard, Alan Cumming, Alex Kingston and Ned Beatty.   

 

 

 

I was extremely moved by Sweet Land’s rich simplicity and impressed by your performance.  I read that this was Ali Selim’s first foray into writing and directing a film. And that the film had a low budget. What compelled you to sign on to this project?  Casey Dennis 

I fell in love with the character and the love story. I loved that it was so silent and I thought it was incredibly confident writing.  Visually I thought it was stunning even on the page.  For me, it was a no brainer.  I feel so lucky that they would have me.   

 

 

I heard a rumor that Dan Futterman originally had the part of Olaf and then backed out, only to be replaced by Tim Guinee.  Did you already have your role at that point? Bob N. 

When I auditioned, I knew nothing about it and then when I got the part, I found out all these amazing actors were involved like Alan Cumming, Ned Beatty, Alex Kingston, and John Heard.  I'm so glad I didn't know that when I was auditioning because I would have been even more nervous.   

I hadn't heard about Dan Futterman.  I think Tim Guinee and I were cast around the same time and I had heard nothing but amazing stuff about him.  He really made my whole performance possible.  I think he is one of the nicest….well, it might be a tie between him and Ali [director] as who is the nicest person I've ever worked with.  

 

 

 

I think that the whole cast did a phenomenal job with the various accents.  I'm tone-deaf myself when it comes to languages. As an actor, how did you master the dialects and languages? Was this a new experience for you?  Josh Weinberger 

It was a new experience in speaking a foreign language. I've worked with different accents in the past and we did have someone help us with the dialects.  We ended up transcribing everything phonetically.  We learned it like that and it was incredibly hard.  I was shocked because I usually have an easy time memorizing but acting and speaking in a foreign language is very difficult.  

 

 

You were incredibly authentic and convincing. 

Thanks.  At the end of the day, that's the nicest thing anyone can say, because I was just terrified.  

 

 

 

 

Because of the bias based on her ethnic background, how challenging was it to play the part of a misunderstood woman?  Did you find the character's lack of English as frustrating as she did?  Liz B. 

I think that we can all relate to that because she looks like everyone else in that town but she is ostracized because they see her as being so different from them.  It's very prejudiced.  I think we can all relate to the feeling of being an outsider, insecure and afraid. And I think with her, not having any friends or family, made her situation more isolated. 

I loved the fact that she didn't speak English in the beginning because there were so many moments between Inge and Olaf that didn't need words.  That stuff I loved. I loved the silences because that is where a lot of the communication is happening.  That to me is some of the best stuff to do as an actor and for a director to trust you is just incredible and that he has confidence in the audience. I think a lot of filmmakers just don't allow that.  They want to spell everything out. Ali was incredible in the fact that he was willing to trust the story and trust us.  I loved that and because the other actors were so amazing, that made it easy for me to just react to everyone else.  

 

 

 

What was it like filming on location in Minnesota? Kiley B. 

It was beautiful. I've never seen skies like that before.  I grew up in Michigan and I've spent a lot of time in the country and traveled, but I've never seen anything like these skies. We were really in the middle of nowhere and so I felt that the location informed our characters. Tim and I were outside all day, every day, hanging out.  It was a pretty magical place. There was a farmer who taught us a lot of stuff about farming and about animals.   

And anywhere you went in the town, everyone was incredibly welcoming. They were very interesting people who were very generous with us.  Anything our movie needed, somehow they came up with and so much of it was a result of the spirit of community in Montevideo where we shot the film.  This movie accomplishes the impossible. Ali had no money and he made such a beautiful movie.  It's not easy to do.  If you had a ton money, it would be hard to do. I think the success of the movie has a lot to do with those people and just getting things done and their generosity. 

 

 

 

It seems like most actors, at one point or another, try their hand at a period piece - with mixed success. Some actors just seem out of place in these roles, although I think both Ms. Reaser and Mr. Guinee did an admirable job in Sweet Land. Do you prefer period pieces to more contemporary settings in the films you do?  Baldy McBrennan 

I loved doing a period piece and I would love to do more.  But I love doing anything. It really depends upon the material, so I don't really have a preference.  This was a fantasy role for me because it was a love story, it was a period piece, it was incredibly well shot and well acted.  It was a fantasy of mine to do a movie like this and I was picturing for years doing a movie like this.  I guess visualization helps. I just want to take on challenging roles.   

 

 

 

You have done a healthy mix of film and television.  Which do you prefer or does it depend upon the project?  And have you done any theater? Maryann C. 

I have done theater. That's what I started out doing.  I love being on camera because you can be so small and be so real.  You can give everything you have for one moment in time and it is going to be there forever.  I don't really have a preference.  I like film because it is a little slower.  This is a generality but there's a little more time to tell the story.  And with television, just getting to do Grey's Anatomy was an incredible experience because they have such amazing writers. It's one of the favorite things I've done.  But overall, I think it really depends on the project.   

 

 

What is the most unusual job you have worked to support your acting career?  Bill M. 

There's nothing I've done that's been that cool.  When I was a kid, I was a caddy. I was twelve and I had no idea how I was able to carry those bags.  I have, of course, waited tables.  I did some commercial work, but nothing all that interesting. 

 

 

Inquiring Gather minds want to know what is on your summer reading list. Gather Editorial 

I just read Fear of Flying.  It's just incredible.  I am actually looking for another book to read right now. I'd like to read something Russian. And I still haven't read Kite Runner.   

 

 

 

If you hadn’t chosen acting as a profession, what do you think you would be doing now? Linda H. 

I don't know. I'd probably be drinking.  Something destructive.  Laughs.  I'd probably be a psychologist or therapist.  Maybe a teacher.  I would like to think that I'd do something positive, something of use. Though I can't imagine having to go to school and write papers.  I kind of bypassed that a little bit.  I went to college for a year and then I was so thrilled when I got out that I didn’t have to do any of that stuff. Who really likes to do that stuff?   Some of the happiest and most alive moments in my life have been acting.  I can't imagine what I'd be doing without it.  

 

 

 

Hi Elizabeth, I wasn't familiar with you until "Saved." I think the cast is great, but to be honest, I find the scripts are somewhat lacking.  What do you do when you get lousy scripts and you are signed on to a project? Mark Robinson 

You try and make it better. I try be as alive as possible in the moment and hopefully there would be some sort of narrative that would come out of it. What I do is just go home and cry. Laughs. I've been very lucky to have worked with some incredible writers. 

 

 

 

Are you tough on yourself in terms of your performances?  Do you watch yourself onscreen? Gather Editorial 

I am hard on myself.  I tend to think that I look like a drag queen most of the time.  Sometimes I'm surprised with my performances, because they're not as bad as I thought they would be.  If you care about your art, whatever it may be, you're going to struggle. 

 

 

 

What would people be surprised to know about you?  We asked author Dean Koontz the same question and found out that he is a competent home contractor and collects radios from the Art Deco period. And Tim Guinee revealed that he is a beekeeper and a volunteer fireman.  Gather Editorial 

Yeah, Tim has a lot of interesting hobbies.  Hmmmm…..I did become a vegan when I did this movie.  I had so many scenes with animals and it really had a big affect on me.  I can't really think of anything else.  I'm actually a homebody who does really normal things like read and go to the movies. 

 

 

Elizabeth, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our Gather member's questions.  We certainly appreciate it. 

Thanks very much.  Now I'm off to check out your site.     

 

 

Please check out the Live Chat Transcript with Author Will Weaver, Director Ali Selim, and Actor Ned Beatty. 

 

Here is the exclusive interview with Ms. Reaser's Sweet Land costar Tim Guinee: GATHER AT THE MOVIES: Actor Tim Guinee Answers Gather Member Questions In This Exclusive Interview With The Star Of "Sweet Land"