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| Sabrina Lloyd has certainly earned her “that girl” status. She`s been earning her clout for over ten years in movies and television, which is about the Hollywood minimum for promotion into household name status. 2003 may be that year. The name may not ring a bell yet, but you mention Sports Night and eyes light up. Then you hear the words, “oh, that girl!” The actress who made the name Natalie Hurley synonymous with her own to legions of that show`s supporters is opening new sets of eyes this year with a recent recurring role on another TV show and a wonderful new romance that just played at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. I was fortunate enough to meet Sabrina all the way out in Utah at both a party for her film and for this interview. It`s the kind of fortunate I wish upon everyone. |
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| The name of the film is Dopamine and my enthusiasm for it surprised even filmmakers Mark Decena and Timothy Breitbach who couldn`t believe I sat through it twice in one day. Further evidence of that appreciation can be seen by reading my review of the film (http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=6930&reviewer=198). As of this writing, Dopamine is yet to find theatrical distribution, another sad reality of the film industry`s state these days. So many have written or spoken to me their dismay at not having immediate access to this film I`ve been raving about or having to curb their anticipation until further news develops on its fate. Sabrina possesses the quiet subtlety of a star-making performance and it deserves to be seen. |
| Until then, fans may have been pleasantly surprised or privy to finally change their channel to one of the best shows on television, Ed. This beautifully quirky and sweet show was wise enough to bring Sabrina aboard for its 2003 episodes as the perfect foil and future love interest for bowling alley lawyer/eternally romantic Ed Stevens. As Frankie Thorn, Sabrina brings with her the same quick delivery, infectious smile and lovability that reached out to all the Sports Night viewers. These qualities were also present first-hand at our Sundance conversation. |
| Erik: I understand that Dopamine was finished just a few days before the festival. |
| Sabrina: We finished, yes, well we wrapped, I think, in the beginning of November. They went into post and it was delivered 3 days before the festival |
| Erik: You started production on it six months ago? |
| Sabrina: September, that`s when we started. We went for a week of rehearsal. Five weeks of shooting. I think that was late September into October. |
| Erik: How long was the principal shoot? |
| Sabrina: Five weeks. |
| Erik: Were you always trying to get it into Sundance? Was that the goal? |
| Sabrina: That was always the goal. You know it`s just really incredible because you do these independent films and they`re always such a labor of love and such a passion and its everyone`s dream to have it come to Sundance. The whole time it was “we have to get the filming done, we have to get into Sundance” and there was never any question for anybody that it might not happen. People on the outside were “well, you`re cutting it kinda close and it`s hard to get into that.” When we got the phone call, I was so happy for Mark Decena, our director and our producers because they were just the nicest people I`ve ever worked with. I wanted this for them and their optimism and excitement about getting in and having their dream come true. It`s pretty special and very unique. |
| Erik: It`s a great looking movie. It doesn`t look like it was shot on the cheap. It doesn`t look like an independent film although it has the feel of one. |
| Sabrina: It`s beautiful. |
| Erik: How long from the time you got cast did you start filming? |
| Sabrina: I got cast pretty early on. I was on board, I guess it was probably a month before I started to shoot. I had read the script a long time ago and then when they finally started the casting, Mark came to New York to sit down with me and I told him my thoughts on the script and how much I loved it. Then they offered me the role and I started shooting a month later. |
| Erik: Is this your first trip to Sundance? |
| Sabrina: IT IS! Yes, I always wanted to wait until I had a film here. And I`m so glad I did. It was worth the wait. |
| Erik: Have you had some friends who have had films here at Sundance? |
| Sabrina: I have had friends that have had films and they`ve always said the same thing, “don`t go until you`ve got a film. Go and have fun and support your film.” I haven`t slept much but it`s been really fun. (laughs) There`s so much going on it`s like if you go to sleep you feel like you`re missing something. |
| Erik: I`m averaging about 4 ½ hours sleep. |
| Sabrina: I think I`m about 4 ½ too. |
| Erik: When some tensions started developing between your character and John (Livingston), one of the things I always feel when I watch movies is frustration when everything can be solved if you just say the right thing. |
| Sabrina: YES! (laughs) |
| Erik: In some movies it`s very artificial. They purposely say the wrong things so they can add another 20 minutes. “The storm before the calm” as I like to call it. They have to break up so they can get back together in the end. When you see movies does that frustrate you to the point that you put yourself in the place of the character and say “just say this.” |
| Sabrina: Mostly in horror movies. DON`T GO IN THE HOUSE! DON`T GO IN THE HOUSE! I get so impassioned when people do that. |
| Erik: They do that in romantic comedies and dramas like that too. Like when he goes into your art room and I`m sitting there going “get out of the room.” |
| Sabrina: Yeah I definitely do that too. But I find myself mostly screaming at the screen at horror movies. I just don`t understand why they don`t that. I don`t understand why they don`t just leave the house. I don`t understand why they have to go check every room. I just think it`s stupid. Get out of the house, right? |
| Erik: Did you see Halloween: Resurrection? |
| Sabrina: I did not. |
| Erik: That movie is set in a house and they can`t get out. |
| Sabrina: Yeah, get out of the house, right? Open the door. Walk out of the house. Erik: They`re locked in. That`s the premise. |
| Sabrina: See, at least if you`re locked in, you`ve got an excuse. I can go for that. |
| Erik: Your character (Sarah) is more a romantic and more about feelings than worrying about what`s going on inside your body. How long would you say it takes you as a person to develop those feelings? Do you buy into any of that chemical stuff or do you just know in the pit of your stomach? |
| Sabrina: I really don`t know the answer to that question. I don`t know what love is. It`s ironic that the movie is trying to say what it is. I don`t know. I think that I believe a little bit of both. I believe that there is chemistry. I believe in people`s smells definitely. I`m often attracted to somebody`s smell. So what is that? Is that chemical? It`s so funny that`s exactly what the movie talks about. But I don`t know. Yeah, I don`t know. I`m still trying to figure that out. |
| Erik: Are you? |
| Sabrina: I think so. |
| Erik: So if you`re in a relationship, you don`t really know? |
| Sabrina: Well I think love is. I`m learning the older I get…when you`re younger you have passion and everything`s passion and I think I`m learning that love is, I believe a little bit different than I always thought it was. I was more believing in undying, romantic, passion, passionate moments from the beginning. But love is more really knowing somebody and choosing to stick around and help them through it. I think that`s probably more love. I`m learning everyday so ask me again tomorrow and my answer might be different. |
| Erik: Have you had experiences with other men where they seemed to be a little more programmed like Bruno (Campo`s) character where they are more into themselves? |
| Sabrina: I`ve met many men like that. (laughs) But there are women like that too. I think we`re all, you know, it`s a very narcissistic world sometimes and we all get pretty wrapped up in ourselves and its good to take a breath and look outside. It`s much, much more interesting outside. |
| Erik: One of my favorite shows on television is Ed. And when I was watching three weeks ago and saw your name, I was like 'terrific, my girl from Sports Night is on.” |
| Sabrina: Wow, thanks. (laughing) We`re taking over Wednesday nights. Josh Malina is on The West Wing, so we`re taking over. |
| Erik: And Peter (Krause) is on Sundays with Six Feet Under. |
| Sabrina: We`ve got the whole week. |
| Erik: I understand you`ve shot eight episodes. S |
| abrina: I`ve done six. I have two more to do. (Less than two weeks later, Sabrina was signed to finish out the season for a total of 11 episodes.) |
| Erik: I understand they offered you a regular role. |
| Sabrina: They offered me to come back. I don`t know how long that would be, but its not something that I would be doing. The character is wonderful and she`s been so rich and full. I want to leave her like that. I don`t want her to overextend her stay. I appreciate how excited they are about the character. I would like to leave her going in, having a blast and get her out. |
| Erik: So nothing bad happens, she doesn`t turn or any conflict between her and Carol? |
| Sabrina: Exactly. I think its gonna be a very good point the way they`ve written it. I just feel for the character the best thing to do would be to say goodbye. |
| Erik: Do you see any similarities between your characters on Ed and Sports Night? |
| Sabrina: They both talk really fast. (laughs) That`s one of the reasons they hired me. It was actually so great to see this movie twice now cause I actually get to talk like a normal human being. When I had done Ed, Tom Cavanaugh has a really rapid-paced dialogue. He talks really fast and they wanted someone to be able to come on and banter with him and because of my work on Sports Night, they said we want you to come in. The first two scripts I had, every single line before my lines would say “talking very fast” and I finally said you can stop writing that. I`ve got it. You want me to talk fast. (laughs) It was funny cause sometimes I felt like I was talking so fast and they would come up and go “faster.” I`m like nobody`s going to understand what I`m saying. |
| Erik: I just read an article recently about TV shows like The West Wing, Ed and Gilmore Girls that they put a timer on the actors and try to get their dialogue out in a certain amount of time. Have they done that with you? |
| Sabrina: They haven`t done that. Maybe they do it on other shows. Aaron (Sorkin) writes a lot, I know that, so it`s probably like that so they can get it all in. (laughs) |
| Erik: Both Natalie and Frankie talk really fast, are very free-spirited and open. They`re equally lovable. What differentiates the two of them? |
| Sabrina: I think that Natalie on Sports Night was a young woman and Frankie is a woman. I think that`s the biggest difference between them. Frankie is very much a woman, she`s really strong and more sure of herself and hey, I`m older. And Frankie dresses a lot better. (laughs) Natalie dressed cute but I love the way they dress me on Ed, it`s really fun. |
| Erik: What were you doing in-between Sports Night and when you got offered Dopamine? |
| Sabrina: Right after Sports Night I did a very short-lived series with Gabriel Byrne called Madigan Men. Then I decided to take some time off and kind of reevaluate life. So, I spent some time travelling and then when I was ready to get back to work this script came to me, so I was really happy and very lucky. |
| Erik: Now that Sports Night has developed a cult following, do you have more people talk to you about it now than when it was on the air? |
| Sabrina: It`s amazing how many times I`m approached. Especially considering how many people don`t sleep because its on Comedy Central in the middle of the night and so many people see it and my first question is always “why aren`t you sleeping?” I`m sleeping. It`s really been incredible. That show changed my life. It`s gotten me wonderful jobs. It got me this movie which has been, so far in my career, the most amazing experience I`ve had and just the way that people loved it and the way people loved Natalie. It`s amazing to me the life that it`s had outside of it being cancelled. It`s really still going. |
| Erik: Did you get a copy of the DVD set? |
| Sabrina: I did, I did. It was given to me as a gift. It`s really quite cool. |
| Erik: Would you say there`s more of you in your Sports Night and Ed characters or Sarah, whom you play in Dopamine? |
| Sabrina: My girlfriend came to see Dopamine, one my best friends in the world, she watches everything. She`s here at Sundance. It`s interesting, she said “I see a little bits of you in everything, but I don`t see you really at all in anything.” That`s the biggest compliment you can have. I think that probably I`m most like Sarah in Dopamine of all the characters that I`ve played. Even though our lives are very different and the way we are in the world, the way we interact with the world is very different, but I think that the wounds are the same. So in that way she`s probably the most like me. I don`t really relate to Frankie very much at all. |
| Erik: Beyond the fast talking? |
| Sabrina: Sometimes I talk fast. When I get nervous I talk fast, but I actually talk much slower than she does. (laughs) I think I`ve seen a little more life than Frankie has. |
| Erik: Do you get nervous watching yourself? |
| Sabrina: I do. Yesterday I don`t think I breathed too deeply at the premiere. (laughing) I don`t think I took one breath. Today was a little bit easier but yesterday I think I was in a state of shock. |
| Erik: Was that the first time you had seen Dopamine at the premiere? |
| Sabrina: Yes it was. |
| Erik: In Dopamine, the camera in a lot of ways through a lot of your scenes just lingers on your face. |
| Sabrina: (laughing) Yeah, I know that`s pretty crazy. I`m like “wow that`s my face big.” |
| Erik: Do you get nervous when you see that on the big screen like you think you might have been able to do something more or you`re wondering what`s going on inside your head during those moments? |
| Sabrina: I was more nervous about it until I saw it. I was pretty scared. As an actor you always watch something and you see what you could have done. Always. You watch and think “gosh, I could have done that line different” or “I should have done that scene different.” But I think for the most part I wasn`t too bad about it because I have such an amazing group of friends and a lot of them came out here to support me. They said to me one of their favorite things was when the camera was just on me. That they could feel so much and so, if I can make my friends, who know me better than anybody feel something than I feel like OK, you know what, maybe its not as bad as I wanna think it is. |
| Erik: Do you have anything else lined up? |
| Sabrina: Right now I`m just finishing Ed and hoping for a vacation. Because I wrapped Dopamine on a Friday and was at work to Ed on Monday. So I`m pretty tired. But when I say vacation, a week and I`ll be bored and then I`ll be ready to work. So hopefully there`ll be a week off and then another job to go to. |
| Erik: You said you wanted to leave your character on Ed the way she is and that you didn`t want to stay on because you wanted to do more independent projects. If you were offered some new Hollywood big-budget romantic comedy, would you jump at the chance if they were trying to mold you into the next “it” girl? |
| Sabrina: You know it scares me. It would depend on the role. I believe in keeping your persona out of the spotlight as much as you can so that you can really morph into the characters that you become and I think its easier for an audience to accept you if they don`t know that much about you. So, I wanted to stay with things that could be more chameleon-like for me. If there was something that was great and I felt like, yeah, I could have a lot of fun with it, I would certainly look at it and be grateful for the opportunity. That kind of an opportunity is something that you do grab onto and say “wow, I really feel fortunate that this has come to me.” My heart and my passion is in independent films because I love working with directors who have a specific vision and I love, I love people who are new because there`s an innocence and a naivete that you do not have with the people that have been around for a long time. It`s a really hard business and there are some really wonderful people and there`s some very jaded people in it. And I love the enthusiasm of getting someone who`s just got this script and its their dream and to help make their dream come to life. If I could do that for a long time, I would be a really, really lucky girl. |
| Actually, we would be the lucky ones. In a profession self-cliched with so many phonies, Sabrina`s genuine charm on-screen and off doesn`t come about like an act. It`s not even a quality you have to look for. It just happens and you know its happening without ever having to acknowledge it. It was there on Sports Night. You can see it on Ed (which will hopefully also be immortalized on DVD someday.) And its there from the first moment you see her eyes in Dopamine. Every actor dreams of getting that big break and having their phone ring off-the-hook. During our interview when her cell phone rang twice, Sabrina quipped “Oh my goodness. I`m very popular.” We could only be so lucky. |
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