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'Pieces of April' Cast Talk Turkey Wed, Oct 08, 2003, 11:10 AM PT By Vanessa Sibbald One of the few truly independent films to get picked up for distribution at 2003's Sundance Film Festival is "Pieces of April" -- a simple story, that even director Peter Hedges calls "hard to handle." Shot on digital in 16 days on a miniscule budget (so small that it didn't allow for catering, trailers or even extras), the surprise Sundance success is a family film that is at times so real that it hurts. Starring Katie Holmes as the title character, the film follows a girl who invites her family for Thanksgiving dinner, but she and her mother (Patricia Clarkson) rarely seem to get along. Not helping matters is the fact that her mother is dying of cancer. Oliver Platt stars as April's father, while Derek Luke plays April's boyfriend. While the film has a subject matter worthy of any TV movie, "Pieces of April" is remarkably unsentimental. This is particularly remarkable given that writer Hedges ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"), who makes his directorial debut in the film, is such an emotional man himself. In fact, not only did Hedges often break down in tears while making the film, he also teared up while talking to Zap2it.com about the film. "It wasn't every day," Holmes laughs about Hedges on-set tears. Derek Luke ("Antwone Fisher") joins in, "It was several times a day." "I cried all the time," agrees Hedges. "Peter's a very emotional man and the danger of this material, and especially with Peter directing it, my big worry was that it was going to be sentimental," says Platt. "For me the remarkable achievement of the movie is how incredibly restrained it is." Despite the serious themes explored, the film itself is quite funny, albeit in a completely dysfunctional way (particularly in regards to Clarkson's character). But it is perhaps the balance between drama and comedy, that sets "April" apart from your average family film. "We all have a very powerful need to dramatize things, but the truth is that comedy and drama are such close cousins, great comedy comes out of anxiety, neurosis and fear and what great drama isn't laced with all sorts of absurdity, you know?" says Platt, who has done comedies such as "Funny Bones" and "Working Girls" and dramas such as "Benny and Joon" and "A Time to Kill" as well as mixed genres such as "Lake Placid" and "Married to the Mob." "As soon as it's about to get sentimental, it's funny again; there's this comedic moment and it's hysterical," adds Holmes, most noted as Joey on "Dawson's Creek." "I thought the balance that he created was just wonderful." With the total shooting time lasting only 16 days, Hedges split the plot of the film into two parts; the family's road trip to April's apartment in New York, and April's attempts to make a Thanksgiving dinner for her family, despite the lack of a working stove or knowing how to cook a turkey. Like they were when shooting the film, the cast seems to trip over each other during interviews, finishing each other's sentences. "It was a blur," Platt says of the eight days he spent on his part of the film. "You woke one day and then you woke up another day, and it was like in between, you shot a movie." Clarkson adds that they rarely left the car during the first seven days, since the budget obviously didn't include trailers for the actors to sit in between takes. "It was our running joke on the set," she says. "We had nothing. In between takes we were like, 'Should we go to our trailers now?'" "[We'd say], 'No? OK, we'll sit [in the car],' " Platt laughs, finishing her sentence. While the quick pace of the shoot had some shortcomings, including not allowing time for the actors to rehearse, the cast says that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Holmes in particular, who shot the film right after shooting the final season of "Dawson's Creek," is used to working at a quicker pace, where they'd shoot nine pages a day. "I think it makes it a little more natural," says Holmes. "Plus, with the digital, you can do 20 takes - it takes no time when you're not saying, 'Oh sorry, we ran out of film, let's take five minutes to load it.' And coming off a television show, we shoot nine pages a day anyway, so it wasn't so different for me, it was just nice that you didn't have to wait around. It was harder though -- naps were missed. I like the napping during the day." In the end, every actor I talked to said it was worth it, even if the changing room was a gas station bathroom. "Everything that I hoped the film would be was there," says "Far From Heaven" star Clarkson, who saw the movie for the first time when it screened to a standing ovation at Sundance. "It's not that often the first time you see a movie that you as an actor can penetrate your own narcissistic b------- that goes along with seeing yourself and are just in the movie," adds Platt. "I was crying at the end of the movie; I was crying at myself, which is embarrassing to admit to." "Pieces of April" opens Friday, Oct. 17 in New York and Los Angeles and expands wider throughout November. |
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