Editor’s Be aware: The next story incorporates some spoilers for “Poker Face” Season 2, Episode 6.
Season 2, Episode 6 shouldn’t be your typical episode of “Poker Face.” Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) has been working as lunch girl at a neighborhood elementary college, the place she meets the terrifying Stephanie (Eva Jade Halford), a pupil whose ambition compels her to humiliate one among her friends and not directly kill the category pet.
It’s a demanding function even on paper, and one dropped at life beautifully by the 12-year-old Halford (the episode premiered on her birthday), who goes toe to toe with Lyonne, Margo Martindale, and Adrienne C. Moore all through the episode. It’s sufficient to shake a seasoned professional — however Halford is already on her option to being simply that, having simply wrapped “The Final Day” with Alicia Vikander, Victoria Pedretti, and Wagner Moura, from first-time characteristic director Rachel Rose. As a toddler, she’s used to getting forged for flashback scenes (she performs the younger Vikander) however had a sense that “Poker Face” was greater than that from the primary auditions.
“My mother was like, ‘I believe a flashback scene, since you are inclined to get these auditions,’ after which I used to be studying it and was like, ‘That’s in all probability not a flashback scene…’”
The scenes pointed towards the heavy lifting required of her within the episode; talking boldly to adults, intimidating classmates, and a few mild blackmail. Stephanie is hardly reformed by the implications of her actions, and the ending means that that is one miscreant Charlie may need to be careful for sooner or later.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
IndieWire: Inform me about how you bought this half.
Eva Jade Halford: I acquired an audition from, I believe, my supervisor, and I did the audition, after which I despatched it in and was like, “I’ll in all probability not get that as a result of it’s type of an enormous half.” My mother was like, “Yeah, perhaps not, however little small issues first.” Then I acquired a callback, and I used to be tremendous excited as a result of they stated they actually preferred me, and I used to be like, “Ooh, yay!” It was tremendous enjoyable, and I acquired excited as a result of after I was about to go away, [director Adam Arkin] stated, “See you quickly. You’ll be listening to from us.” So I used to be like, “OMG, I’d get this half.” Once I acquired the e-mail that I acquired within the half, I acquired tremendous excited and was leaping all over the place.
I wager! Do you keep in mind what scene you learn?
I learn scene the place I’m on the slide, and he or she’s simply on the finish of the slide ready for me. I learn the scene the place I’m backstage with Elijah, and he finds out that the projector has his child image, and I believe I additionally did the lavatory scene.
Oh wow, three massive ones. What did you consider the character if you first learn even these scenes, or the entire episode as soon as you bought the half?
Once I acquired the script, I used to be tremendous excited, so I used to be studying by it numerous occasions. I used to be like, “OK, diva, she’s tremendous baddie! Sure, blackmail your principal!”
So was it exhausting to play somebody like her?
I imply, not essentially, as a result of my sister says I act like Stephanie on a regular basis. So it wasn’t actually exhausting, nevertheless it was actually enjoyable.
Yeah, it’s enjoyable to play the baddie. The primary a part of this episode, after we don’t precisely know what’s taking place, you must do numerous performing with simply your face, which is admittedly exhausting for even some seasoned professionals. What was some stuff that you simply did to try to present Stephanie’s feelings and assist us get to know the character earlier than she actually says quite a bit?
Effectively, I’m a really emotional particular person myself, so I like to make use of my facial expressions and furrow my eyebrows a bit, or twitch my eye or flare my nostrils, or make sudden little actions with my face that you could simply inform is like, “Oh she’s pissed,” or “Oh she’s joyful,” or like, “Oh she’s planning to homicide a gerbil.”
What was your favourite scene to shoot?
My favourite scene — though it was the toughest, it was positively the funnest — was positively the lavatory scene.
What was particularly enjoyable and tough about it?
It was enjoyable as a result of I acquired to hang around with Natasha and Margo. [The crew] had been eradicating partitions and eradicating the ceiling to get all of the totally different pictures and I believed it was actually cool as a result of it was on the soundstage. It was actually fascinating — having to take away the partitions after which establishing the digicam once more, after which putting again the partitions and eradicating a special wall and putting the digicam there and getting totally different angles. I believed it was actually cool. One thing tough about it was in all probability the singing, as a result of after I skip off and I’m singing, they didn’t give me any tunes; they solely gave me lyrics. They didn’t give me a melody or something. I type of simply needed to improv it after I was singing, so it no two takes for a similar.
Oh, that’s enjoyable. You talked about working with Natasha and with Margo, so what did you study from them and the opposite professionals on this shoot?
It was actually fascinating to look at the method and the way they do issues. I didn’t actually develop any habits from them, however for instance — Adam was tremendous explicit with each single take that he would simply need it to be simply good. I believe he had a imaginative and prescient, and I believe he positively made it come to life.
That is such a juicy function to do, what do you wish to do subsequent?
I simply completed this characteristic movie with Alicia Vikander, and it was actually enjoyable. And I’m hoping to do perhaps a present on Broadway, or one other massive present the place I’m a much bigger half as an alternative of like just a little child half, as a result of I believe it’d be tremendous thrilling.
When you met Stephanie in actual life, what would you say to her?
I believe I might see her, and he or she’d be like, “Who’re you?” And I’d be like, “I’m you.” After which she’d be like, “Oh, that’s fairly cool.” After which I’d be like, “Do you wish to go get some stars?” She’d be like, “Yeah.” After which we’d simply skip off into the sundown.
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