A "Precursor to "The Gotham Awards"

Lisa Schwarzbaum, film critic for "Entertainment Weekly" led the panel of up and coming new talent. She began by asking, "Chop Shop" star, Alejandro Polanco, "How did you adjust to making a movie, how did you balance the movie and school?"


A.P. ~ "I had to wake up in the morning very early, and we shot during a heat wave, I just did it, got through it, loved it, and now I want to be an actor."


L.S. ~ (Addressed to Rosemarie DeWItt from Jonathan Demme's film, "Rachel Getting Married" ~
R.D. ~ "This is the best job I've ever had. Jonathan gives is actors so much freedom, and has an enormous heart. I felt like we were in good hands with Jonathan. He would never allow us to go behind the monitors, as he wanted us to be and stay in the role."


L.S. ~ "How did you get into acting?"
Pedro~"I've been a pilot, a contractor, a doctor, and a couple of other things which I can't remember. Now I am an actor. My parents were migrant workers and when I was handed the script, I felt as though I could take on the role of a migrant worker. I had never been on a movie set before, and I tried to do what they asked me to do."


L.S. ~"Tell us what it was like to work with Woody Allen?" (Addressed to Rebecca Hall from "Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
R.H. ~ "Woody has an eye for who is next and fresh. He asked me if I could do an American accent. He took a lot of risks, a gamble. His casting director saw me at Brooklyn Academy of Music/BAM and he trusted his casting director. It was an insane risk. Woody casts people on instincts. I have a lot of respect for someone who can make a decision in 30 seconds. Woody gave me a lot of freedom. He trusted me to do my job. It was so much fun to do, everyday felt so exciting. I tend to think badly, as though I was terrible, awful."


L.S~(Addressed to Michael Smith from "Ballast") "How do we define a breakthrough, is it the luck of finding the right role at the right time?"
M.S.~"I have a greater respect for the movie industry now, If you fit the script and have a great director, and put yourself in someone else's shoes, you will excel."


L.S.~(Addressed to Melissa from "Frozen River's" Melissa Leo. "How did you and Frozen River come together?"
M.L.~"After 30 years of acting, it is the right role at the right moment. I love acting. I met Jim at an afterparty for "21 grams", and it led to us doing a short together. I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime." "It is unusual where you read a script where a woman is carrying the story."


L.S. (Addressed to Rosemarie from "Rachel Getting Married") Tell us something crazy that happened on a Jonathan Demme set.
R. D. "There was a scene with Debra Winger and Anne Hathaway, where they have a confrontation. We rehearsed and rehearsed the scene, and when we shot it, Debra actually punched Anne in the face, by accident, she felt bad, and didn't mean to, but she punched her."


L.S. (Addressed to Pedro), "Tell us something strange that happened on the set."
Pedro: "The film was filmed in Galveston, it was 110 degrees, we were shooting on a chicken farm, and a girl touched a fan and got an electrical shock. From then on out, we called her "Sparky"."


L.S. (Addressed to Rebecca from "Vicky Cristina Barcelona) "You got to hang out with Javier Bardem in Barcelona, tell us about it."
R.H.: "He can do the entire Shakira dance which is what he did in the makeup truck and made us all laugh."
R.H. "I got the part before I read the script. All I knew was that it was to be in "Spain". I got the role before I read the script which was huge for an actor. It was quite overwhelming.


L.S. (Addressed to Rosemarie DeWItt)
"Is there something you want to do as Rachel that she would not do?"
R.D.~ "For me it is the surprises. There was the character of me that was in knots, let people live and stop controlling every moment. It just didn't happen, that was the moment where she gives in and goes back to rehab."


L.S (Addressed to Rebecca Hall) Did you do anything to annoy Woody Allen?
R.H. "Talking about my character annoyed him. We had a lot of conversations about frivolous stuff like basketmall, but if I began to talk about my character, he would walk off in the other direction."


L.S. "How does it feel to see yourself on the screen for the first time?"
Michael/Ballast: "I had never seen myself in action. I was shameful, it was strange hearing my voice."


L.S. "How do you think the professionals feel about working with new actors?"
R.H. "It is a human interest with those who do it professionally. I don't think it makes a world of difference. It ups our game truth meter."
Sharon Abella