411 Movies Interview: Sarah Bolger of The Spiderwick Chronicles Posted by Tony Farinella on 06.20.2008
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Sarah Bolger for an exclusive interview!
Sarah Bolger is an Irish actress who became famous in 2002 when she starred in In America with her sister Emma for which they were both nominated for many awards. Recently, she starred in the film adaptation of the children's novel The Spiderwick Chronicles with Freddie Highmore. In my interview with Sarah Bolger, we talked about In America, The Spiderwick Chronicles, her sister Emma, high school, and a whole lot more. The Spiderwick Chronicles will be available on a Two-Disc Special Edition DVD on June 24th. I hope you enjoy my interview with Sarah Bolger.
TONY: It seems like a lot of your characters, especially in films such as In America and The Spiderwick Chronicles, have a certain confidence and a certain inner strength to them. Are you pretty similar to those characters?
Sarah Bolger: (laughs) Well, I'll say that I like to play those parts because I'm probably nothing like them. I live in a house with my younger sister, Emma, who literally takes control all the time, so I get very little. But I have to admit that I do try and choose roles like that with women who are strong characters and good role models and not damsels in distress.
TONY: This is a very different film for director Mark Waters, because he's known for films like Mean Girls and Freaky Friday. When you signed on for this film, how familiar were you with his work?
Sarah Bolger: I think every girl loves Mean Girls, because it's one of those classic girl movies that everyone loves. I mean, I was very excited to work with him. I knew that he'd never done anything like this before. This was incredibly involved, the visual effects, the CGI characters, and it was a lot of work adding on to the acting and just the actors. But, you know what, he took it on board, and he really did a great job. He's very in control of his set, and he's genuinely a really nice guy and very easy to work with. So, I was pleased and thrilled to be able to be on a set like that.
TONY: From watching some of the special features last night, I couldn't help but notice Mark's passion for this film. I mean, this guy knew everything about the goblins and all of the creatures. Needless to say, he did his homework. As an actress, did you feed off his energy?
Sarah Bolger: It's a great advantage having someone like that on set. I mean, we did have Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi on set, but Mark was there all the time giving us any insight he had, which just made us feel a lot more comfortable with the characters and with the goblins and things that we couldn't see. Because of that, he could create an image in our heads very easily, and it made it a lot easier for us. I've never done anything with visual effects before, so it was a learning curve for me.
TONY: What was it like entering another world with your fellow actors?
Sarah Bolger: With Spiderwick, it was just amazing to be able to be thrown into that. I mean, it's every child's fantasy to have this ultimate universe around you. It was just magical, it truly was. It was a totally new experience for me, and I think I enjoyed very single minute of it.
TONY: What was it like watching Freddie Highmore tackle two different characters on set? I was so impressed with how he handled two characters in the same movie.
Sarah Bolger: I know! I absolutely agree. We were on set, and he would be Jared, and then he'd run into the wardrobe trailer and come out Simon. And to see that on screen, I was in shock. It's so perfect. When you watch it, you can't see one flaw. I mean, I didn't, and I was there all the time. It really was. He did a fantastic job, and Freddie, also, put a great deal of effort into making differences between the characters, and I think it came out really well.
TONY: What was the scariest scene to shoot in this film?
Sarah Bolger: The scariest sequence that we did was probably the troll and the tunnel sequence, because it was just this huge tunnel they built over two stages in a studio, and it was so vast and dark and spooky. And we had to really work ourselves up to be really scared of this troll, and I didn't imagine him to be that scary, to be honest. So when I actually saw him on screen, I was like, "Oh my god." He really was, for me, the creepiest.
TONY: What are some of the props and cons of working in front of the green screen?
Sarah Bolger: There's obvious disadvantages, because you don't get to react opposite something, and you have to make it up in your head as you go along, but I think that it gives you a great creative side and makes you really in touch with the character and what she's doing, and you really have to be aware of everything and be on your game all the time. It makes you concentrate far more on what you're meant to be doing. Honestly, there was no disadvantages to Spiderwick. Every single day was a joy.
TONY: What did you learn from hanging around established actors like Nick Nolte and David Strathairn on set?
Sarah Bolger: Nick Nolte came on set and he came into the hair and make-up trailer one day, and he was just so quiet and he had to sit there for like three or four hours while they were adding this very unique make-up. I mean, there was. He had to spend like three hours in that chair getting the make-up. He had these contact lenses that changed his eyes, which I'm sure were not comfortable at all, and he was so relaxed about it and didn't complain. I mean, I didn't even know he was there until I walked past him. I was like, "Is that Nick Nolte?" He really was a true professional. And then David Strathairn was just a real gentleman. Watching him would be your lesson in acting forever. I remember him acting off camera one day, and he was crying, and he was doing that for our benefit. He didn't need to. He's just a fantastic actor.
TONY: Did you get a chance to talk to Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi about your character?
Sarah Bolger: I honestly think that Spiderwick did stay very true to the original books. I mean, yes, we did four of the five, but I think the characters were extremely similar. But I do remember talking to Tony DiTerlizzi about Mallory, and I was so eager to hear what he thought of what I was doing so far and how he perceived Mallory and how my Mallory was similar to his in his mind. You know the way you can just talk to someone and completely realize, "Oh yeah, that's what Mallory should be?" We all wanted to get the books on screen, and we wanted to stay true for the people who love the books, so I think we worked really hard to try and get that across. I think it works.
TONY: What's your most vivid memory from shooting this film?
Sarah Bolger: Well, to be honest, we filmed in Montreal for five months, and I remember we had to get up at 5am every morning and travel an hour to the set. It was this forest for most of the time, and three inches of muck all day long, and it was raining, but I think everyone was having a great time. The crew on that movie was fantastic, and every morning, we'd sit and have coffee in the morning and talk. It just brings a movie set together and makes it a comfortable place to be. Spiderwick was fantastic, and I'd do a sequel in a minute.
TONY: What's it like having a sister in the acting business? Are you able to relate to each other on a lot of different levels?
Sarah Bolger: Well, Emma and myself filmed in In America, and sometimes film sets can be very lonely places, because there's a lot of waiting around and sort of sitting and waiting for the rain to clear up or the sets to be ready. And to have my sister in there, and she did come to Montreal with me, I mean, it's a comfort to have someone there who you're friendly with and you can talk to. Everyone on the film set has a job, and you always feel awkward shuffling around and looking for somebody to talk to, so having family members there, especially ones who are in the business, as you say, is a great help.
TONY: As you look back on In America, what kind of perspective do you have on the film today? Even though it's been five years since the film came out, people are still taking about it and watching it.
Sarah Bolger: To be honest, I was ten when I made that movie, and Jim Sheridan made it very much like a family. And I didn't even realize what happened after the movie was finished. I had never done a film where there was publicity afterwards or premieres or anything like that, so In America was my first taste of this world, and I was shocked. When I ended In America in Dublin, I just thought that was it. You say goodbye to the actors and the directors. When I saw what people thought of In America and what people wrote about In America, I was amazed. In America didn't seem like work to myself and Emma. It was just like home. It was amazing and relaxed. When I saw people come out of the cinema crying, I couldn't believe it. In America was one of those things that I'll never forget. It was the best experience ever. Jim Sheridan is like my hero.
TONY: I remember reading Richard Roeper's column in the Chicago Suntimes, and he offered a full refund if anyone didn't like the movie.
Sarah Bolger: Really? Well, that's pretty good. (laughs)
TONY: How do you balance everything in Hollywood and keep it in perspective?
Sarah Bolger: Well, I go to a normal school here in Dublin, and I work hard and have to keep my exams up. Honestly, I think school is very important, because the acting business is not a sure thing, so you have to have your options behind you. I work hard, and when I'm on set, I have a tutor, so it's not too hard to keep up. But when you're away for so long, it's sort of hard to keep up with all your friends and stay in their lives. So when you come back after five months, not that they're not going to be there for you, but they've moved on and things have happened in their life that you're not present for, so it's hard to rekindle that. But, I mean, it's all part of this, and when you act, you have to be aware of that. But there's sacrifices for everything. I think family is the most important thing, in my opinion, so I'm very lucky that my family comes out with me when I'm filming. I'd be lost without them, trust me.
TONY: When you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed, where do you go to unwind and relax?
Sarah Bolger: When I'm working, I go on very long walks. I walk for hours and get lost half the time, to be honest with you. But I swim religiously. I love it. But I don't know, I've never got to that stage where I need to get away from the acting world and stop thinking about my character or stop thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow. I haven't gotten to that point yet. Maybe at that point, I should give up. (laughs)
TONY: Finally, what kind of work do you want to seek out in the future?
Sarah Bolger: Well, I've never done a comedy, which I think would be really fun. There was some comic moments in Spiderwick, but I think a comedy would be really different.
TONY: Thank you so much for your time, Sarah. It was great talking to you.
Sarah Bolger: Lovely talking to you. Thank you so much.
