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| Sabrina Lloyd had first worked with Hartley in 1994 on a short commissioned video art piece called Iris, playing opposite Parker Posey. Recently, Hartley reedited the Iris footage, creating a much longer piece called The Sisters Of Mercy. He felt it was such a separate new piece that he should obtain the consent of the actresses. But he had no idea where to find Sabrina Lloyd. Then, serendipitously, Ms. Lloyd`s agent, Rachel Sheedy, contacted Hartley and suggested he consider Sabrina, who had just completed the Sundance produced Dopamine, for the role of Cecile. |
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| HARTLEY (on Lloyd): At first I had to keep reminding myself that Sabrina is not the kid I directed ten years ago. She`s a grown up person and really one of the finest actresses I`ve worked with. She reminds me a lot of working with Helen Mirren, who I also learned a lot from. Like her, Sabrina, by her example, taught me the importance of not wasting an actor`s time. They go where you ask them to go. Just be sure you know what you`re looking for and be able to see why a particular take is different from the one before it. The balance in this girl between imagination and skill is very impressive. |
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| LLOYD (on Hartley): I read the script and... I honestly did not need to read the script. As soon as they said it was Hartley`s new film I was on board. And then I read the script and found it breathtaking. It`s such a lyrical, poetic piece. When I work I read a script a lot. And each time I read this one I find more music in it. It`s very much about the world we live in and about the world we might be going towards. One of the things I find so interesting about his films is that there is so much comment about the world around us. He is very clear and direct. I found it to be effortless. I wonder too if because I`m such a fan of his films if I just trust him. With Hal it was a complete surrender for me. I love this filmmaker, I love his work, what he tells me to do, I`m going to do it. It was very freeing. He is just... there is such a sadness to humans that he captures. Even in our joy there is sometimes sadness. I think he captures that. He captures a character`s struggle, and their pain, even when they laugh - even when something is very funny. But that`s how life is. That`s one of the many things that he does so well. He breaks your heart with the characters, making you laugh the whole while. |
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| LLOYD (on the movie): There are so many things this movie is about. But from my perspective, my character`s situation, and how I interact with the Girl and Jack and William... it`s a love story. The other things... It`s not that far of a stretch, I think. The things the characters in this film go through, what they`re struggling for, the dehumanizing aspects of this aggressive consumer mentality. We`re not so far off, really. |
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| LLOYD (on her character): Cecile has a really great journey. She wants to find peace and happiness, like everybody. A lot of people lose that, they do what they know they`re supposed to do... Someone like Cecile, she thinks sex is what I`m supposed to do etc, and loses a simple appreciation of sex. Where`s the feeling? Where`s the emotion? And William brings that back to her, and Jack too. She gets to feel touch again. And once she feels that, she wants it more. It`s not about money suddenly. Cecile is going back to that innocence of touch and the Girl is finding out what humanity is - in the dark part. What humanity is capable of. Not always, of course, but... They both learn a lot. Cecile learns joy and the Girl learns sadness. |
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