Acclaimed actress Radha Mitchell chatted about her new movie “Life Upside Down” and being a part of the digital age.
‘Life Upside Down’
“Life Upside Down” was written and directed by Cecilia Miniucchi. Mitchell stars as Clarissa Cranes and her character gets to be flirty with Jonathan Wigglesworth (played by Bob Odenkirk). “That was a little chaotic,” she said with a sweet laugh. “We are having a screening of it this coming Friday, which is an amazing result, because the movie was a digital experiment.”
“My friend, Cecilia, the director came up with the idea and we decided to do something creative during the pandemic, and this experimental project turned into a fully finished film. Cecilia was able to edit it together with an amazing editor,” she said.
It is a romantic comedy about time, distance, and the human condition. Three couples, connected by friendship, love and work, are each stuck in their respective homes in Los Angeles during the beginning of lockdown.
Finally forced to face their spouses, friends, lovers, and eventually themselves head on, their lives turn slowly but surely upside-down.
“The film was cast-dependent and we were lucky enough to engage the time of Danny Huston and Bob Odenkirk,” she added.
“It was made during this insane time and it feels like a little moment to reflect on what we went through. The pandemic was a bizarre period, and the movie enables you to look back at that episode, have a laugh at it, and see if there is anything that you’ve learned from the experience,” she said.
Sundance Film Festival
Most recently, her movie “Blueback” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. “It was great, it was cold and a long couple of days, but ‘Blueback’ was well-received and we had a good time screening it.”
“It was a nice opportunity to catch up with the director and the producers and discuss its upcoming U.S. release, and its alignment with Earth Day and ideally, the environmental causes that we want to get engaged with,” she said.
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, she said, “I think it’s an emancipating thing. This movie is actually a perfect demonstration of that. It was shot on a cell phone, so it basically demonstrates that anyone can make a film.”
“In our case, the director wasn’t even present in the shoot, and her husband was holding a cell phone and an iPad, and that was pretty much the crew, and one other person. It allows you to reduce the amount of voices and it distills the perspective. You can be a one-man band, if that is your intention,” she elaborated.
‘Whoever Was Using This Bed’
She also played Iris in the award-winning short film “Whoever Was Using This Bed,” which was directed by Andrew Kotatko. “That was based on a short story by Raymond Carver, who is one of the greatest writers in America. He is beloved by my dear friend Andrew Kotatko, who wrote the script, dd the interpretation and directed the film.”
“Andrew Kotatko is a very particular director, and he wanted to make a trilogy, so this short film will be a part of one package. It was a beautiful experience and we got to film it in Sydney, Australia,” she added.
‘Neighbours’
She also recalled her time in the Australian soap opera “Neighbours.” ‘It was probably the longest-running TV show in Australia. It was recently shut down and everybody was sad about that. I had the privilege of playing two characters on that show, with two different names and two different storylines,” she said.
“It was early in my career and it was great. It gave me an opportunity to act every day for a period of time and get in the discipline of being a working actor. We were quite fresh and young, and back then, we rehearsed. We were super into it and we brought a lot of energy to it at the time,” she added.
‘Finding Neverland’
She also played the role of Mary Ansell Barrie in “Finding Neverland,” which was directed by Marc Forster. Its all-star cast of actors included Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie, and Freddie Highmore (early on in his career). “That was a beautiful experience as well,” she said. “This was Marc’s third film, and we shot it in London with amazing actors. It was a wonderful story that retold the story of the creator behind ‘Peter Pan’ and what the influences were of his life.”
Advice for hopefuls in acting
For young and aspiring actors, Mitchell said, “Be true to yourself, don’t follow everybody else, don’t become a commodity, try and stay an artist. Perhaps figure out how to produce your own content because it can give you a sense of power in your own life.”
Regarding the title of the current chapter of her life, Mitchell said with a sweet laugh, “Midlife madness.”
She shared that she would love to someday work with Dame Jane Campion as her dream director in the contemporary entertainment scene, as well as Oscar winner Jane Fonda in the acting side of things.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Mitchell said, “Success is an integration of how you feel, your truth, and your power to express that in the world.”
To learn more about Australian actress Radha Mitchell, check out her IMDb page, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
