Vasudha Krishnamoorthy
1.-How is your film career in the US? How are the castings there, have you tried to participate in a blockbuster?
Honestly, my film career in the US has just started with Sister. I was hesitant to apply for auditions due to my accent. I wasn’t sure If I would be accepted and was scared of making grammatical mistakes. The first submission I made was to Colin and he really liked my profile and trusted in my abilities. I am thankful to Colin for giving me this opportunity. This project helped me learn more about my capabilities and now I feel more ready to give mainstream auditions. I am currently doing a few film projects in India. Once I get back to the US. I look forward to working on more projects.
2.- You have worked in the world of banking, in the world of pharmaceuticals and in a spiritual horror movie. What similarities and differences do you find?
Haha, they are all definitely very different worlds. But I see my IT work and acting work as very similar processes. Understand the business (director) needs, find the limitations of the system (your acting skills) and apply the best possible solutions that satisfies everyone’s needs (enact the character). Darkness is everywhere, choosing to remain in the light is an effort one has to put in every single day. The dark absorbs, and the light stimulates. Standing under the dark will always keep absorbing your energy and leave you with nothing. One has to walk closer & closer to the light in order to stimulate and illuminate.
3.-What recommendations about acting would you give to young directors who are starting to direct cinema?
Honestly, I am not sure if I am in a place to recommend. But, from my small time experience I can tell one thing, please write as much information as possible about the character and the story. Give more context of where the inspiration came from and if it’s something observable from real life. As an actor, it helps me learn more about the character and the story that will help me deliver the lines, walk, smile and react the way the character would in the story. It helps both the director and the actor to shape up the role.
4.-Do you look at the career of a particular actress? Do you know independent American cinema, like John Cassavetes and Gina Rowlands?
I haven’t followed anyone too closely to know their journey. I like to be versatile, and in that vein, I quite like Sandra Bullock. She has done a range of roles from comedy to sexy to caring mom to an action queen. I didn’t know the concept of Indie movies until we did Sister. So no, I did not have any clue of independent American cinema. Now that you have mentioned, I would love to check it out.
5.-What was it like to record the shower sequence in the movie Sister?
It is interesting that you asked about this particular scene. While I was doing that scene, I was in my one piece swimsuit and it wasn’t even a planning to make it look like I was naked. I was sitting and the angle seemed perfect and we went for it. I was very much in character and it didn’t even cross my mind that it is going to seem like I am naked. After the shot, even Colin asked me if I felt uncomfortable doing the scene in front of 2 men and I was like – ” no! why would I? It’s the character and just the scene.” The only difficulty was that the water was filled with cranberry juice and coffee powder to make it look thicker and darker. That was the difficult part – to submerge myself inside that water.
6.-Did you have the creative freedom you wanted in your performance? Do you prefer to be directed by giving you many indications or do you prefer to have more freedom of action?
Absolutely, yes. That’s the beauty of independent filmmaking, I guess. We are a small team and we discuss and try to get the best output. I like the combination of both! I like to have my freedom, but at the same time any input from the maker is always a win-win situation. The writer knows the depth of the character, and the actor is giving a mere image of the writer’s imagination.
Sister has given me the confidence to try acting in English/American movies. Sister has taught me that I must trust myself more. I can’t wait to try my best to make it big in the industry through more projects. I am so thankful to Colin for making this possible! I look forward to more collaborations!
