Actress Addison Timlin (“Californication”) chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about her new film “When I’m a Moth,” where she stars as Hillary Rodham.
‘When I’m a Moth’
Filmmakers Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak produced and directed “When I’m a Moth.” Cotler was also responsible for writing the screenplay, which is rich in symbolism. It is a parable on the ambiguity of political narratives, and rightfully so. “Zachary [Cotler] was a writer before he made films, and as far as storytelling goes, symbolism is a big part of his art,” he said.
“I think Zachary puts a lot on the page but a lot of it is in between the lines, so to speak,” she added.
In this un-biopic, set in 1969 in Alaska, Timlin stars as a young Hillary Rodham (before she became a Clinton) and it deals with “what if” scenarios that see a young Hillary working as a fishmonger in Alaska.
On tackling this role, she said, “It was definitely intimidating, I have to say, but I admire her so much. It was a big challenge, even the dialogue in the film was challenging. We shot the film a long time ago, during her campaign for the presidency so I felt like I was saturated with her everywhere.”
“It was exciting to feel a connection to her during that very unique time in history,” she added. “I don’t think there are any hard lines about the film or any big assessment that we are making about Hillary Rodham, it is more commentary about a young woman at that time who is taking a lot of space for herself. It is slow and immersive; it is not exactly Hillary Rodham, it is an idea of her so if you keep that in mind and take things with a grain of salt and look at it from the perspective of any story about a very ambitious and smart woman during that time.”
On being an actress in the digital age, Timlin said, “The digital age is a lot of different things. I am happy that things that I’ve made now have a broader audience thanks to the streaming services. That was so special and important to me. The digital age is making it more possible for these smaller films to be seen, which is great, and it will be great for the next generation o filmmakers.”
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “If this is the work that you feel that you need to do, then you should do it.”
Life during the quarantine, being a mom
Regarding the title of the current chapter of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “Motherhood.” “I have two kids, which feels like 100 kids. It’s a really nice and quiet chapter of my life,” she said. “The silver lining in this pandemic is that it really allowed me, and my husband and my two kids to all be together. It was a beautiful time to slow down. I was counting my blessings the whole time because we were in a unique position.”
“I spent a lot of time cooking during the pandemic, so I definitely got better at that,” she added.
‘Californication’
She opened up about her time on the hit Showtime series “Californication.” “That was such a long time ago and it is one of the greatest times in my career and my life,” she said. “I was so young and it was such a big job. It brought me out to Los Angeles and it changed my life in a lot of ways.”
“I made a lot of friendships that are still very big and important in my life today, and I am really grateful for the opportunity. I look back on the experience fondly and I am proud of the work that I did,” she said.
Timlin had great words about working with fellow actress Madeline Zima in “Californication” and shared that her friendship with her stands to this day. “Madeline is beautiful and so talented and she is very kind. I only want good things for her. Madeline is one of the best,” she said.
To learn more about actress Addison Timlin, follow her on Instagram.
Read More: “When I’m a Moth” earned a favorable review from Digital Journal.
