Details
Director: Rose McGowan
Writer: M.A. Fortin & Joshua John Miller
Cast: Tara Lynne Barr, Hannah Marks, Reiley McClendon, John Grady
Genre: Short, Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 17 mintues
On Monday, June 22, 2015, Rose McGowan released her much-anticipated short film as it was one of many short films which was picked by the Sundance Film Festival in 2014 and gained a warm feedbacks from the critics. Dawn tells the story of a young teenager named Dawn (played by Tara Lynne Barr) who longs for something or someone to free her from her sheltered life. The film was set in the 1960s. As her fan, I was so happy to know that Rose has done a breakthrough for herself in directing besides acting. And it's true, I was keen to watch the short film which was nominated for Short Film Grand Jury Prize award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was also getting a buzz for an Oscar nomination (though she didn't get it). Here goes my review.
Dawn is to be true an intense yet stylish film about the life of a girl during her rebellious phase who basically had a very fanatically protective parents. The 17-minutes-long film is wrapped up in a quite disturbing ending. As it is set in the 1960s, the short film seemingly have a bit of modern touch but is presented in precise storytelling. It is also quite a moving story with the warning to both parents and teenagers on their society.
Dawn played by Tara Lynne Barr.
“Dawn is a cautionary tale. We hurt girls with casual negligence. We change the course of lives with a stereotypical view shared thoughtlessly. We shape the minds of the innocent. Let's think different and be better.” said Rose McGowan as her message to the audience who watches. Somehow, the short film also tells about misogyny and feminism. It's clear with the depiction of Dawn in a vulnerable figure and a bitter ending, marking Dawn as a typically strong thriller. Though it could be a good example of short film done correctly, Dawn somehow looks predictable through its "dark" style. Also with the depiction of Dawn's life which could be considered "not so representing."
As a conclusion, Dawn is both riveting and thought provoking. It's the type of film which can make you feel sorry and say “Oh my god” or “Jeez” or whatever comes to your mind. The cast worked nicely. The story was acted in a proper way thanks to Rose McGowan's excellent directing. The style productions, which was also handled by Rose, proved to be a great depiction of 1960s. The whole short film is typically accompanied with incredible sound mixing and music. Dawn is utterly amazing, straightforward, disturbing, worth to watch twice as suggested by Rose McGowan and showed what Miss McGowan had always dreamed about.
Rating: A
Watch Dawn now if you don't believe me:
“My inspirations were varied - I wanted the color palette of The Parent Trap (1961) the loneliness of an Edward Hopper painting, the driving tension of Night of the Hunter mixed with Hemingway's unsparing style of editing. These greats are my teachers.” Rose McGowan admitted.
“I have, obviously, shit to say,” said Rose McGowan earlier this week at a suite in New York’s Edition Hotel, where she was promoting her directorial debut, the short film, Dawn. “I’m not saying it’s good stuff, but I’m saying I’ve got stuff to say.” For almost 30 minutes, McGowan and I talked about Hollywood (McGowan is best known for her roles in things like Scream, Charmed, and The Doom Generation), fame at a young age (“It fucked me up”), and the controversial statements she made last year on Bret Easton Ellis’s podcast regarding misogyny amongst gay men and the state of the struggle (“I see now people who have basically fought for the right to stand on top of a float wearing an orange Speedo and take molly”).
Having written about those statements, I couldn’t wait to talk to McGowan about that last point specifically, and she did not disappoint. She was quick, fiery, and poised to argue but seemingly happy to explain. We hurtled through a series of topics and I’m preserving much of our conversation in the transcript below (which has been lightly condensed and edited for clarification).
But, first, here's Dawn in its entirety:
And here's Rose and me:
Gawker: Making this movie was sort of a political act for you, right?
Rose McGowan: That’s a really interesting way to couch it. You’re the first person who said so. I would agree with you. It is. I tried to make it a very layered piece. I wanted to say something about class disparity without saying it, and you can do that by just having perfect furniture and somebody who’s got dingy jeans sitting on it. And then the two men that she references in the movie are Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson, both gay. All that stuff is not on accident.
Why make a short instead of a feature? Are you dipping your toe in?
No, I was really inspired by the exercise Hemingway gave his writer friends, which was to see if they could write a full story in six words. His was “Baby shoes for sale, never worn.” That always resonated with me. I saw a lot of movies that couldn’t seem to tell a full story in two and a half hours. I wanted to see if I could do a full story in 18 minutes. It was actually just a personal challenge. I think a lot of shorts are made trying to get them made into features and I actually don’t want to make Dawn into a feature. It is what it is. It stands on its own.
In terms of content, it seems like there’s a pro-woman, if not feminist, guiding hand at work.
It’s just shining a light on something. I don’t know if that means feminist. I would hope that a man could have easily done this, too.
He wouldn’t have, though.
He wouldn’t have, that’s the thing. I mean, the sad part is that there are a lot of male writers and they’re told to write what they know and they write men. That’s how we come up with some not very complex characters.
But then the alternative is something like Top Five. Have you seen that?
Not yet.
In it is a gay character who’s ridiculed for being gay.
Literally he was a scapegoat? A punching bag?
Yeah. And it struck me: This is what happens when straight men write gay characters.
But what if I had made it? Would I have gotten reamed? Yes.
You think so?
Yes. I would never do that because my friends are men and women that happen to be gay. They’re not gay first. It’s just [about] people understanding that it’s humans first. To say Dawn is feminist, yes, but it’s because I’m a woman so it has to be, but I’m a humanist. But how you felt about seeing that gay character, imagine how I feel about seeing women in movies all the time. Or playing them.
Do you regret anything you’ve played?
Yes. (Laughs) I had a very big agent who basically did the mind-meld on me: “Do this movie about wrestling.” I threw the script in the garbage three times because that’s where it deserved to be. It was Ready to Rumble. It was a lot of money. She just didn’t care, and I mistook her for someone who was a strong woman. What she really was was a mercenary woman. And there’s a difference—and one who didn’t like me, either. A lot of agents aren’t supportive of their talent in any way. Nobody’s understood how to represent me, which is why, other than film publicists, I currently have no representation other than my lawyer. I don’t need it. She said, “If you do this movie for Warner Bros, they’ll stick you in the next Clint Eastwood movie.” OK, I do the stupid movie, I’m trying to have an out-of-body experience the whole time, like, “How is this happening to me? I can’t believe I agreed to do this.” And I did it, I brought it, ‘cause that’s what I do. And it was silly and, whatever, harmless. But not really—it was really harmful to me.
Psychically?
In my psyche, it was very harmful for me. And I was so deeply uncomfortable. And of course, I come to find out that the Clint Eastwood people didn’t know me from Adam. She just straight-up lied. And that was very common in my history.
I assume there’s no coincidence that you’re making your foray into filmmaking in your 40’s...
Not at all.
Really? Because 40 is when they say...
You don’t understand my life, first of all. I spent the last seven years dismantling...I have a very big life beyond what people see on the outside, including you. And that’s understandable because I never told anybody anything. I’m not one of those people that goes on TV and gives everybody updates on my current movements. I’m a businesswoman, I own a lot of businesses, a lot of real estate, I’m kind of a baller in many other worlds. This one I came back to a year and a half ago, like, “Oh wait, I’m an artist. Hey, OK, I got this.” Has nothing to do with my age, nothing to do with disappearing roles. I disappeared from the roles long before they disappeared from me ‘cause I didn’t care. There was no reason to care. I was bringing it and nobody else around me was. I worked with a lot of great directors, possibly on their lazier projects. Acting has nothing to do with what I’m directing. But does your time in Hollywood have anything to do with it?
No.
There’s a dearth of female directors...
No. It’s completely coincidental.
Really?
It just happened to be that I was like, “Oh.” The problem for me was that I would get on set and I would be shocked at the house my character was in or shocked that these are the actors that are across from me, shocked that these are the clothes I’m wearing. “What is happening?” It was because I directed the whole thing in my head. I was just in the wrong job. It’s not really that dramatic. I was just in the wrong job.
A large part of it was I was discovered and within a year and a half, I was famous. And when you spend your life playing and being other people, it’s fucked up. You’re only you in your off time. And when I got stuck on a TV show, that was about 15 hours a day for five years straight, other than like a month and a half in the summer. I was so exhausted, there’s not a lot of time for personal development.
I don’t feel like sticking myself in a movie. If I had the motivation I believe you possibly felt I had, would I not be sticking myself in the movie? Creating a part for myself? I have not. The stereotype is that there are no good roles...
But that doesn’t even matter to me. I don’t want to act, so it doesn’t matter.
You accepted the New York Film Critics Circle award for Jennifer Kent and talked about the lack of female directors, so I figured you were seeing a space and stepping up.
I’m stepping up because no one else is. There are some, they’re starting to get louder, but I realized as an artist you’re in an un-fireable position. And actually we all are. All of us humans cannot be fired from being ourselves. We can be fired from our jobs, we can not be hired for a job, but we can’t be fired. We’re us. And we’re legion. And it’s an amazing feeling and an amazing, empowered feeling.
Is it an amazing feeling being Rose McGowan?
Right now it is. I earned it. I fucking earned it. I had a very colorful life way before Hollywood. I spent my life surviving. And I’m not in survival mode right now and that’s an amazing thing.
You said if you’d done the gay character in Top Five, you would have been reamed for it. Do you think you were reamed last year [for your comments about gay male apathy]?
That was bullshit. Why?
Why was that bullshit? Because I was actually speaking very specifically about a group of guys in West Hollywood that were mad at me. I was not speaking about all gays. That’s dumb. They can’t all fit on a float, I know this. That was hatcheted up, and I think it’s ‘cause I went after, honestly, some leaders in the gay community and so as payback they kind of hatcheted up what I said, and I was like, “Really? What’s what you’re going to do?” And the problem is now, there are so many people that are keyboard activists. “I feel pious because I don’t go to the Beverly Hills Hotel.” You know what, why don’t you feel pious by not going to a movie and not getting gas? Why don’t you feel pious about [Richard] Branson who’s like, “I’ll never let any of my Virgin employees stay there,” and then he just did a huge deal with Brunei? So, shut up. The reality is the Beverly Hills Hotel is a living history museum. We don’t have many of those in Los Angeles. My thing was about saving it, and also, duh: don’t protest it, take it over. It was pretty ballsy to have a party with 100 gay guys and women there and have them make out in the hallway. Those pictures I sent to the sultan.
[The Beverly Hills Hotel stuff] you’re referencing is part of the podcast that didn’t get passed around—the pull quotes [about gay misogyny, floats, and molly] were what caused the stir.
Of course. And the pull quotes were cut up, as they do. It was shocking at first. It’s very weird to have a phone where you can touch an app and all this hate or whatever comes through. And it’s like, “You’re not even understanding—I’m speaking about a very specific group of people who are very 1 percent.” How many people are really protesting the Beverly Hills Hotel? What percentage of the 99 versus the 1 percent is feeling pious because they’re not going and getting a $35 cheeseburger? I don’t care about the cheeseburger. I care about the employees and I care about the place itself. It’s living and breathing. There’s so much history there and I’m basically an amateur Hollywood historian. I’m on the board of the Film Noir Society. I also did a show on TCM. I’ve studied film since I was 4 with my father. The classic film stuff is in my blood. So for me, it was really just about that. And it was also about the gay community...maybe needs to be shook up a little. Why are there sacred cows? These are men first. So why would they be different? And in fact, they can put a lot of their lives together completely excluding women. I know they relate on the underdog part, but what happens when you’re no longer the underdog?
I think that gay people are still underdogs largely per the legislation of our country.
Largely. Of course.
But it’s like you were saying, your movie’s feminist because you’re a humanist...
Right, so there’s a gay struggle because it exists because you are. It will cease. It will come. It’s the fastest growing civil rights movement in United States history, and I’m fucking proud of how far you guys and women have come. I’m fucking proud of it, but you forget the women. Believe me, I hear the gays, and I’ll use the word slander... [from] my friends, my gay friends...I was a runaway taken in by three trans women and a stripper named Tina, and I grew up protecting the kids on the playground. I was an outsider. I was a weirdo. I was Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family, basically—the Addams Family of intellectuals and activists. We were the weirdos on every block everywhere, and that was fucking great because I didn’t bother fitting in. My mother asked me if I wanted to assimilate more and I said, “Look at their shoes. No.”
To have people that are not fully developed in their brains torture other people just because they challenge something, just by existing. That’s not fair and that’s not OK in my book, so I’ll fight for them. I was out there, believe me, the night of Prop 8, marching. And I thought that was mishandled. There’s so many things, but there is a pay-it-forward part of this that needs to be happening.
Did you like what Patricia Arquette said after the Oscars?
Of course I did. Because she’s right.
I thought she was right, too. A lot of people felt like she wasn’t being intersectional enough...
Why should she be? Are you guys?
No, I’m not saying, “I’M interviewing YOU.” I’m saying I’m interested in what women (and people of color) do. My job is not activist but it is to be aware, and I care...
And I appreciate that. I do my small part.
Right. It’s a small part and it can be bigger.
I think that’s the bigger point, there’s this utter selfishness in contemporary American culture...
That’s the thing! That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what I want: people to be 10 percent better. Ten percent better versions of themselves. That’s it. If people were just 10 percent better, including myself, in all areas, in heart, in soul, in design, in thought...like, go one step beyond the obvious. And then, you’ll have a lot more understanding of other people and I think the world will actually change. And it’s not that hard. And the paying it forward to me—I hate that term, but I don’t know what else to call it—is, for me when it hit a moment, was the vote. I was waiting for the NAACP, I was waiting for the gay rights leaders, I was waiting for them to denounce that vote on the senate floor voting down equal pay for women. I’m like, “Do you not represent women ostensibly? Do they not pay your dues as well?” Where are you? That’s not OK. So I was angry that day [of the podcast], but I was also angry about being misinterpreted by a group of people from West Hollywood primarily, so that’s who I was talking to. I’ve had some time to think about it and maybe I’m right. Not for everybody. Not with a huge, sweeping generalization. I have gay friends who donated to NARAL and Planned Parenthood on my behalf. Like I said, everyone can’t fit on a float. I wanna be a on a float, I’ve been on a float, I know how many people can fit on a float. I haven’t been on a float in 10 years.
I’ve been on a float, and I’ll rock that shit. I haven’t done molly in a year, either.
It doesn’t work on me. I’ve tried. It sucks. It’s so unfair. I think I was the only sober person at Coachella. I wanted to kill myself.
The older I get the more wary I am of doing a drug that’s going to fuck up my next day, my next two days, my next three days.
That’s the thing, in like 10 years or whatever, you have no idea. But my father...one of the things I champion is I’m on the board of the Daughters of Pulmonary Fibrosis. It’s a horrible disease that killed my dad. He was a vegan for 25 years, hiked two hours a day way before it was popular. He would put our cereal in brown paper bags. Never owned a microwave. And he got a horrible lung disease that is idiopathic, so it’s not caused by anything in specific, and it killed him. And he was a giant of a man. It was like watching the lion of the pride go behind the bush to die. It was intense.
That was part of the last seven years for me. Recovering from being paralyzed in my right arm. Recovering from a car accident. Basically, everything had to break in order for me to reform, to become myself not [only] in the off period. Imagine everyday you go to work, you’re saying something someone else wrote for you to say. You’re not even speaking for yourself. It’s very strange. I have, obviously, shit to say. (Laughs) I’m not saying it’s good stuff, but I’m saying I’ve got stuff to say.
How much did being a young famous person fuck you up?
It fucked me up. It didn’t fuck me up in terms of turning into a cliche. I was never arrested, I never did any of that stuff. I had always wanted to go dance on a table in a red dress but because of the environment at the time—the internet was crazy, it was the Lindsay Lohan era—I just left. I was like, “Peace out, losers. This is not my bag. I’m not playing this game. I will not be for sale.” I had a publicist that was like, “Why don’t you call me one day when you’re looking cute?” I was like, “Excuse me?” She said, “We’ll send our photographer down so we can get coverage, you know if you’re in a store and you look cute.” I was like, “What?” I thought about it for about two seconds and was like, “I absolutely cannot do that.” My father used to collect Edward S. Curtis prints and he did a lot of amazing prints of Native Americans and studied that culture. My father did as well. They say they feel the camera steals your soul. So I’m here to steal others. But you’re not going to continue the cycle?
No. I never did, really. My thing was always like, “You want me to play on the red carpet? Let’s fucking play. Let’s go hard. You want me to play? You want me to be your show pony? I’ll be your fucking show pony.” Why not? Why is everything a sacred cow? I realized that all of these rules that are put down for us, they’re all illusions. They’re not there. I’m not saying, “Fuck you,” to the rules, the rules simply don’t exist. That’s what irritates me when people complain about societal expectations. It’s like...
I don’t care! It’s like Madonna says: I’m not your bitch, don’t hang your shit on me. If this is how you want to approach marriage, do it. Don’t put it on me. If this is how you want to approach your religion, do it. Don’t put it on me. Whatever your deal is, do it. Keep your side of the street clean and leave mine alone, ‘cause your thought doesn’t count unless I invite you in and maybe we can exchange thoughts and be better and that’s amazing.
Actor and director made headlines after railing at a misogynist casting call for an Adam Sandler film, but says Wenzel had already left agency Innovative
Rose McGowan has confirmed her agent Sheila Wenzel was not responsible for “firing” the actor and director in the wake of her critical comments regarding sexism in Hollywood.
It is understood Wenzel left agency Innovative prior to McGowan’s infamous tweet on June 17, in which she railed at a casting note calling for actors to show off their cleavage with push-up bras. She later revealed the call was for an unspecified Adam Sandler film.
McGowan made headlines around the world on Thursday when she tweeted that she had been “fired” by her “wussy acting agent” for pointing out “the bullshit in Hollywood”. The Hollywood Reporter later named her agents as Sheila Wenzel and Steve Muller at Innovative Artists.
I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood. Hahaha. #douchebags#awesome#BRINGIT
However, the actor has since taken to Twitter to clarify that Wenzel was not involved in her departure, calling her “a wonderful agent that ceased working with Innovative before my firing”. Wenzel also appeared to show support for McGowan on Twitter, retweeting a post in which the actor said the wonderful thing about being an artist was that “you can’t be fired from your own mind”.
Sheila Wenzel is a wonderful agent that ceased working with Innovative before my firing. She's a good, strong woman I'm proud to know.
Meanwhile, a report in Variety quotes a source at Sandler’s production company Happy Madison who denied all responsibility for the offending casting note. “They were not aware the casting director sent this note out,” the source said. “They felt it was completely inappropriate and have made sure that it has not been sent out again.”
Wenzel had also worked with Amanda Seyfried and Tomorrowland’s Britt Robertson at Innovative. On Thursday afternoon the under-fire agency issued a statement to the Hollywood Reporter confirming the departure. “Sheila Wenzel, Rose McGowan’s primary agent, parted ways with Innovative before McGowan’s tweet yesterday,” the statement reads. “Wenzel was not the primary agent for Amanda Seyfried and Britt Robertson.”
McGowan received support on Twitter yesterday from the Oscar-winning actor and feminist Jessica Chastain, who said her treatment confirmed “the misogyny underpinning the industry”.
As do I. Her treatment confirms the misogyny underpinning the industry. She should be celebrated for speaking out.👏 https://t.co/yUyO0LXkFd
"I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood," the actress tweeted Wednesday.
Rose McGowan appears to be changing agents.
In a Twitter message posted June 17, the Charmed actress criticized the wardrobe description for a part in a film that she received an audition script for. She said the forthcoming film stars a male actor whose name rhymes with "Madam Panhandler," and she later confirmed to E! that the star is Adam Sandler.
She pointed out that actresses auditioning for the role were told to wear a "black (or dark) form-fitting tank that shows off cleavage (push-up bras encouraged). And form-fitting leggings or jeans."
On Wednesday, McGowan tweeted that she had been dropped by her agent following the flap.
"I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood. Hahaha. #douchebags #awesome #BRINGIT," she tweeted.
McGowan, who has recently appeared on Crackle's Chosen and ABC's Once Upon a Time, had been repped by Sheila Wenzel and Steve Muller at Innovative Artists. Wenzel and Muller did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McGowan's tweets can be seen below.
casting note that came w/script I got today. For real. name of male star rhymes with Madam Panhandler hahahaha I die pic.twitter.com/lCWGTV537t
McGowan, 41, who recently made the jump to directing with the critically acclaimed Sundance short Dawn, has described her reasons for making the initial comment in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“It was just so dumb,” she said. “I was offended by the stupidity more than anything. I was offended by the fact that went through so many people’s hands and nobody red flagged it. This is normal to so many people. It was probably even a girl that had to type it up. It’s institutionally OK.
“The part that made me laugh was where it said, ‘Make sure you read the script so you understand the context of the scene,’” said McGowan. “That was the part that made me laugh the hardest.”
McGowan said she was “not trying to vilify Adam Sandler”, but added: “Although someone did tell me that when he did his Netflix deal, he said, ‘I signed with Netflix because it rhymes with Wet Chicks.’ I mean, what? What in the fuck is going on? No!”
The actor, who will make her feature film directing debut on the upcoming thriller The Pines, said she had battled Hollywood sexism for more than two decades.
“When I did my first film, I was told by my agent that I would need to have long hair so men in this town would want to fuck me and hire me,” she said. “That was said to a 17-year-old.”
Alright, Janet Jackson's comeback is really due. The singer just dropped a bomb on June 22 with the release of her first single in five years (ICYMI, Janet released a single, "Nothing", in 2010), her lead single for her upcoming comeback album, called "No Sleeep."
As it was revealed few months ago, Janet's comeback is in the process. Since then, Janet has dropped so many bombs with the announcement of her Unbreakable World Tour, a sneak peek of the backup dancers audition and few cryptic videos indicating her new music. And recently this new single surfaced online and has got her fans screaming in front of their electronic gadgets with and without voice.
So they say, Janet would never let her fans down. "No Sleeep" is a proof. Co-written and produced by Jackson herself and her longtime collaborators, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, her new song takes to a specific throwback to her songs like "That's the Way Love Goes" and those during the Velvet Rope era, but here in an updated version. The sultry and smooth groove depicts a kind of clean and neat production which seemingly avoids what today's songs sound like. The song particularly matches the dedication to her fans and her lover. Also, her signature breathy vocals seem to match in any music genres. It's true, Janet is still a living pop icon who experiments on music in a slight different way. That goes out with her songs considerably to be classic and iconic tunes.
In conclusion, "No Sleeep" slays. So, be sure to follow Janet's new music updates because she's a pop icon who makes good music, I guarantee.
Janet's new album is due to be released this fall and her Unbreakable World Tour tickets is on sale. For more information, go to Janet Jackson's official website.
Tired of Hollywood's misogynistic attitudes towards female actors, Rose McGowan has quit acting to make films that tell women's stories.
As her debut short-film Dawn, is set to be released on June
22 on YouTube we met with Rose McGowan and discussed her new vocation
as a film director, the story behind her upcoming first feature film The Pines,
and her escape from Hollywood's status quo of misogyny. And as it turns
out, her new professional journey is far more personal than one could
imagine.
First things first, let's discuss your short-film debut, Dawn, the tragedy of a teenage girl... Dawn
is about growing up as a young woman in the 60s, experiencing first
love and femininity, but it is also about asking what happens when we as
a society, with maternal influences, bind our daughter's hands? How we
give them no defense mechanism at all-we only say 'no, you can't do
this', without explaining why. But it also questions the idea of
masculinity, the two men that Dawn idolises are Robert Hunter and Rock
Hudson, now known as gay actors, but at the time, they would have been
her teenage dream. I also wanted to question class disparity by putting
an emphasis on the material contrast between the working class and the
middle class--for example, the condition of Dawn's family car which is
brand new, versus the boy's car, who works at a gas station, which is
much older. I say a lot without having to hit anybody over the head. So
it's not a coming-of-age story per se, it's rather a cautionary tale.
What about the casting, how did you chose your actors?
I
didn't want anybody to look like an actor from L.A. I got Tara Barr to
play Dawn, her face doesn't have this innocent baby-fat anymore. As for
the male lead role, I was looking for somebody who could embody a
paedophile, a victimiser, a manipulator capable of gently scrambling
Dawn's brain.
Dawn was screened during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. How did people react?
My
favourite reaction was from one lady who told me that she threw up
after watching it-for me it was a compliment. It was very stressful to
her-not because there's any gore, because we don't really show any
violence—but I think Dawn affects women of a certain age group, the generation of women who grew up in the 60s.
Why did you chose to focus on the 60s in particular?
Well the
60s are a very weird time for women. Even the sexual revolution, which
came towards the end of the decade, was still benefitting to patriarchal
culture. I mean, by the end of the 60s, you weren't considered as cool
unless you were into free love, but five years earlier you'd been taught
to only please a man. It was a very schizophrenic time for women, and I
wanted to study that and express it through Dawn.
The way women perceive themselves - is this your principle priority at the moment?
Women-and
the way women look at each other and feel about themselves-are at the
core of my work. I was looking back on my own career and I realised that I
was turned into a commodity, and one that I didn't participate in or
sell very well. I felt very uncomfortable about making myself into that
commodity. The male gaze affected me a lot, most of the time, when you
see a woman on screen, she proceeds with the eyes of the men that filmed
and directed her; she sees herself that way instead of having her own
perception. And I've been seeing that way for years-I'm not blaming
anybody, I was part of the Hollywood machine-but I'm glad that my own
life experiences and empirical evidences made me think and act in a
different way. The only way to get beyond this is to leave the gender
part out of filming-you have to show people the middle. That it's not
only always about men versus women or women versus men. For me, it's not
even about focusing on a female-centric perspective, but rather about
developing a story-centric one. I hope that comes through in Dawn.
The Pines, your debut feature film, is currently in pre-production. Can we get a little sneak-peek of the plot?
It's
set in 1971—it looks like I'm obsessed with period films, but I'm not.
It's about a mother-daughter relationship. The mother used to be in a
mental institution, where she committed suicide, and her daughter is in
that same mental institution and is told to leave, but she actually
doesn't want to leave, she feels safe there. Then, she gets taken in by a
family of healers... and that's all I can tell for now. I will start
the movie very desaturated, without colour, and as her mind gets
healthier, the colour will evolve and get brighter… I basically want to
question reality through visual elements.
Do Dawn or The Pines somehow reflect your own life experiences? Or is everything pure fiction? I
use the women in my films as substitutes for what I want to say. I was
institutionalised when I was young-not through any fault of my own, I
had a step-father who wanted me out, and I was put in hospital from
which I escaped. But the subject was very intriguing to me, as I met
people there who felt more comfortable in the hospital and were
completely afraid of the outside world. And I understood that, because
for 7 years I quit acting, largely, and traveled compulsively, and
ended up rattling around an empty house in Los Angeles. It was my
version of the hospital, I was getting well in there, I could recover
from a lot of personal issues, including my car accident, the death of
my father, and many other things that happened to me. So I related to
this script about a girl that is trying to find her own sanity. For me
it took all of these things to get me out of acting.
Were you truly fed up with acting? Don't get me
wrong, I loved it, but let's put it this way: it's very hard to think
about other jobs when you're discovered standing on a street-corner at
18. I realised that my favourite part of being on set is being on set -
leading, directing and running things, it's my personality. My brother
used to call me Hitler!
Oh wow, that's something...
My
job as an actor was to take the audience on a journey, and now, as a
director, it's just a broader version of that. I used to be part of a
universe as an actress, and as a film director, I'm defining that
universe.
Did you feel trapped in Hollywood, and unable to express your own vision?
My
brain needs a lot of stimulation, and as an actor you often don't get
any. You need a good memory, a lot of stamina, emotion, and hopefully
intelligence-it has great thought but it doesn't require it. Imagine if
for 15 years, the only thing you've ever said is what somebody wrote for
you to say. You're paid to be like somebody else. I actually grew up in
my spare time, when I wasn't being other people, when I could focus on
my extracurricular activities, such as lobbying on behalf of the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), or working on a new web-platform
for curated creative experiences, and on a music project, among many
other things. What gets said and done in that town, especially towards
women, is disgusting. There's an omnipresent ownership of women. Once, I
had an agent who told me not to speak very much in meetings, because it
was intimidating to men-and she was a woman! Or another example, three
years ago, I was considering coming back to Hollywood when I met my
husband, and was about to sign with a new manager-and that guy stuck his
tongue in my throat after the meeting. I just reacted by saying
''C'mon! Is this still happening? Still? You just showed me a picture of
your 9-month-old baby! But I will out you at some point. I've got a
list.'' I always try to take everything with humor and with a punch in
the nose for them. Mainstream America doesn't get me, but that's cool,
because I don't get them either, so at least we have something in
common.
The iconic Elusive Chanteuse talked to BuzzFeed about her past, present, and infinity.
Let’s be honest, Mariah Carey probably needs no introduction. The singer, songwriter, actress, pop icon, diva, is not only the biggest-selling female act of all time (selling over 54 million albums), but also one of the most successful musical artists of all time. She’s had 45 singles land in the Billboard Hot 100, and of those, 18 have hit No. 1
— the most for any solo artist ever, and second overall only to the
Beatles for most number ones (who have 20). Mariah recently compiled
those career-spanning 18 number ones for her new greatest-hits album, #1 To Infinity, as well as for her new Las Vegas residency
at Caesar’s Palace. In celebration of her album and show, Mariah talked
to BuzzFeed (at the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland) and answered
questions about everything from her career to which Mean Girl character she’d most like to be.
1. What do you love most about your career? Mariah Carey: I love being able to do what I love for a living most about my career. It would suck to be stuck doing something I hated.
2. What, so far, has been your favorite career moment? MC:
Wow, I’ve been blessed and had so many moments. It definitely has to do
with the Lambilys. My fans have made all my career moments special for
me. They are the ones that have gotten me through every single thing —
good times and bad, they are who I go to and lean on. I am very thankful
for that.
3. Do you have a favorite moment in your new Vegas show? MC:
I love performing “Infinity” in Vegas because to see the people singing
along to such a brand-new song — I just wrote and recorded it three
months ago — it’s one of my favorite things. I love performing all the
songs, but to sing “Infinity” after the 18 number ones is pretty cool.
4. Do you have a personal favorite off your #1 to Infinity album? MC:
Hmmm, a friend of mine told me last night that his favorite song was
“My All,” and I have had lot of people tell me that’s their favorite
song. And that song is based on a real moment; I wrote in the album
credits for #1 to Infinity that was the first time I fell in love
with love, and it’s true. I went to Puerto Rico and had MOMENTS; they
weren’t severe moments, but they were moments for me, Miss Goody
Two-Shoes, and out came “My All.” But, I am not going to claim it as my
favorite ‘cause I love “Fantasy,” as well as the newer songs “We Belong
Together” and “Touch My Body.”
5. Is there an artist that you’d like to collaborate with whom you haven’t worked with yet? MC:
I want to collaborate with me ‘cause I’ve done so many collaborations
that after a certain point unless you’re really working with a certain
caliber of an artist, there’s no point [to collaborate]. It just
becomes, ‘Oh, let’s throw these two people together,’ and that’s what I
feel is wrong with some of the collaborations that happen today and, dare I say, I helped paved the way for some of these little collaborations that happened today.
6. Do you have a favorite look from one of your music videos? One that you would want to frame in your house? MC: I have a lot of different ones framed in my house from different moments, things like Divas Live
framed — not necessarily from the music videos — but moments for me.
Like, it was a huge deal for me being on stage with Aretha Franklin,
Diana Ross; these different moments were milestones for me.
7. So this is a new chapter for you, what do you want to accomplish next? MC:
I have so many dreams that I haven’t yet realized. I would say that
there is a lot of things in the acting world that I want to do. And I am
so grateful to people like Lee Daniels, and even Brett Ratner, for
having fun, working with me, and pushing me to limits where I definitely
would not have wanted to go.
There are a lot things I have on the
horizon that I’m going to be doing: acting, singing, even writing for
movies. I think I’d even like to score a movie — I don’t know why that
hasn’t happened yet, clearly someone isn’t on their game.
8. What is Bianca [from the “Heartbreaker” video] up to right now? MC:
Dahhling, I don’t know, she’s really hard to pin down. I really wanted
to bring her here today, so it’s only really her essence that could be
here today. But I hope BuzzFeed and I can get Bianca off her arse.
9. Do you think Bianca will ever make a cameo in a future music video? MC:
I want her to make a cameo — maybe she could do an interview with
BuzzFeed. The only thing is that she’s a DIVA and over the top. Like, my
glam squad is nothing compared to hers, nothing.
10. What’s your No. 1 selfie tip?
Get the proper angle and the best lighting that you can.
11. Are you for or against a selfie stick?
For
a selfie stick! That way I can control it. I don’t need to take a
selfie with someone from their bleak angle; I don’t care for that.
12. Instagram: filter or no filter?
It depends: If I’m feeling “Bleak” then we might throw a filter on.
But sometimes I am #NoFilter and I am proud of that. When I used to
take pictures with the babies and I would just be waking up and it’s
just this natural moment that is emanating inside — it’s not a ‘let me
go put on a ton makeup and go tra-la-la’ type of thing.
I do love a good filter, though. 13. What is your favorite thing to do to make you feel fabulous?
I don’t know dahhling but it must be feeling “festive.”
14. Coffee or tea?
Tea.
15. What’s your go-to Starbucks order?
I’m
not a subscriber to walking into large corporate entities that I have
to walk into and be waiting in line, because then I have to stand there
and be like, “Hi,” and people look at me and what I’m going to buy. If I
do get something, I usually have someone deliver it to me and it’s
usually tea.
16. Which Plastic (from Mean Girls) would you want as your BFF?
Regina George — you have to be on her good side. Honestly, I would just want to be her; she’s the best.
17. Do you cook at all?
I’m actually a really good cook
and people don’t believe this about me! When I was pregnant I needed to
make sure I was getting my nutrients, so I just started cooking a lot. I
always cook on the holidays and on Christmas Eve. I cook my dad’s
recipe for linguine and white clam sauce — he left that recipe for me;
he was a great cook.
I love to cook; I get creative. It’s fun and something totally different from what I do every other day of the year.
18. What’s your top three emojis?
— LOL crying face.
— The heart.
— And the kisses. 19. Favorite curse word?
Stop trying to make it happen…
20. Champagne or wine?
Right now I’m not trying to have
either one of them. But if I had to, it’s all about the glass, so I
would have to go with the champagne flute — it’s the best look.
21. Favorite board game?
Taboo,
and I love Balderdash too. I’m actually really good at Balderdash and
no one wants to play that game with me. Especially the movies category; I
don’t want to give away my secrets, but I am pretty good at that
category.
22. What are you binge-watching right now? Scandal, I have to admit. I was binge-watching How to Get Away With Murder and Veep. It’s freaking hilarious, I live for Veep.
23. NSYNC or One Direction?
Oh come on, oh come now. Do you really expect me to answer that question?
24. Hello Kitty or Lisa Frank?
I don’t think I’m
equipped to answer that question. I’m going to have to have my friends
handle that for me. But Hello Kitty, how many great moments have we had!
25. Which is better: a pink unicorn or a winged dolphin?
WOW. I guess I’m going to have to go with the winged dolphin.
26. Favorite Disneyland ride?
Tower
of Terror. I love the Tower of Terror. I have to say the Disney World
Tower of Terror is the best one, ‘cause you get a different surprise
every time. I am also a record holder for one of the people who has
ridden that ride the most.
27. Favorite Disney Villain?
I’m
not for the villains, I’m only for the princesses. I mean it’s fun to
have Jafar or whatever; I didn’t even remember their names ‘cause
they’re not important to me.
28. Favorite Disney Princess?
I love Rapunzel — she’s genius. Also Tangled is my daughter’s, Monroe’s, favorite movie. So I kind of go with what they love.
29. Which do you prefer: Five Guys or Shake Shack?
30. In-N-Out?
Someone tried to get me with that the other day and I had to tell them stop.
31. What are you obsessed with right now?
I’m obsessed with humidifiers, because being in Vegas is so dry. I literally have, like, 10 humidifiers around my bed.
32. What is one thing that a true diva could not live without?
I guess a smart remark every now and then, a good sip of water.
33. Where is your favorite place to spend Christmas?
Typically
I like to spend Christmas in Aspen [Colorado], but as long as it’s a
snowy place, I don’t care. It has to be a white Christmas. And then we
have to go somewhere warm and tropical for the new year.
34. What do you get someone who has been naughty?
Coal in the stocking — isn’t that the traditional thing?
35. Favorite Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
My
favorite Christmas gift is to have a relaxed Christmas and to give
gifts. I love giving gifts. It’s almost like I don’t open my gifts
until, like, three days after Christmas, ‘cause I want to give everyone
else their presents. Especially now having my own little babies, it’s
all about them.
36. Do you decorate your tree?
We
decorate like a Charlie Brown tree. I have a decorator who helps me
‘cause I only have a few days when I get there [Aspen] to decorate,
because I do a show at the Beacon Theatre [in New York City] for
Christmas.
37. What one ornament has to be on your tree?
The angel on the top of the tree, dahhling.
38. Favorite holiday movie?
My
favorite holiday movie has yet to be filmed. Brett Ratner and I have a
new movie and we’re working with New Line Cinema and we’re very excited.
It was my idea, I brought it to them, I am executive-producing it. I am
not the star of the movie, but my music is the star, and I have a very
integral part in the movie. And it’s exciting.
But I live for Elf. Also, in general I love movies like Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life; I like the classics. Have to say Elf
is my favorite, so good. If I could be a female version of that
character I would be that Will Ferrell character. It’s the best classic
of the last 15 years.
39. Do you have cookies on Christmas?
We
make cookies, gluten-free Christmas cookies. My other favorite
additional treat is hot cocoa and butterscotch schnapps. We go on a
two-horse open sleigh and bring that drink and it’s so good. I had only
had the peppermint schnapps and then someone introduced me to the
butterscotch one and it’s the best.
40. What’s your favorite song to sing at Christmas?
I
have to go with my own, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” I still love
it. Even though it’s not my favorite vocal performance, or the best
thing I’ve done in that way. It’s just for fun, it’s… moments, dahhling.
I’m the queen of festivities, that’s all I can say.
