Actresses Critique
Adele Pearce - Carmen Moline
Adele chose the role on her own accord after reading the script. Thankfully when going through the rehearsal I realised she suited the role well. Not only because she has an arty background and instantly connected with the role but because she was perfect at portraying the loving girlfriend who is not set in her ways but if you cross her she will let you know exactly how she feels and that she will neither put up with it or stand for it.
She drew from the characters background and family which she then goes to use in the present day and her current relationship. She felt confident and comfortable being intimate with the other cast member rather than it looking like she has read the script and seen that their is going to be a kiss with another woman and her not being fully comfortable with it because she is straight. They both appeared to joke about it before hand to somewhat take the power out of the kiss (peck on the lips) which merely lasts seconds.
Adele portrayed herself in a highly professional and presentable manner which on screen will/should make people of the lesbian, gay and bi-sexual community feel somewhat honoured/proud to be presented in such a positive light rather than the usual stereotypical way of one half of the couple being portrayed in either a butch or incredibly camp manner.
Josephine Arden - Grace Whedon
Josephine was left with the role of Grace as she came into production a lot later than Adele due to a former cast member pulling out at the last minute, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the two females knew one another well enough to not worry having to make small talk or getting one another before filming. They felt comfortable enough to get straight into production after a couple rehearsals.
However when I did tell Josephine about which role she would be playing she seemed content and somewhat relived as she too felt a connection with the character and thought it was more her than the role of Carmen.
During the rehearsal and production Josephine brought with and charisma to the role. She portrayed all the emotions and feelings across in a happy go lucky manner which can be interpreted as the characters way of suppressing and trying to see the best of every situation. Rather than shouting and cussing as Carmen does instead she takes the calm approach and doesn't want to discuss it at the present moment as she has other things on her mind/ going on in her life that she concludes to be more important. She knows what she wants and how to achieve it in a hassle free manner.
Josephine often asked questions and frequently made suggestions so as to make the role as believable as can be for the viewing audience. She was eager and keen to please so wanted to know which was the best way to approach the film, character and interacting with the other cast member.
Initially when I began the project with the two females I thought i'd have a few minor issues with them knowing one another, as I thought they would get easily distracted and that we would have to do re-takes but truth be told when it came to takes we only had to re-shoot a couple scenes not because of distractions but down to merely lines be muddled up, forgotten or saying their lines at the wrong time. They seemed to be the perfect match for my short film, their portrayal of their relationship on screen reminded me of that of the relationship my girlfriend and I have. It was so realistic that had I not known they were not straight and just close friends I would have believed they were an actual couple.
