5 Questions with Jaclyn Bethany
Photo by Rebecca Reid
Rehearsing for an Off-Broadway show while dealing with a host of personal issues makes up “The Rehearsal,” a 6 part web series by Jaclyn Bethany. We asked her how the project came to be, her general approach to directing, and what comes next for her…
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I am from the Deep South - Jackson, Mississippi. I have always loved cinema, even as a two year old I knew all the words to The Wizard of Oz. Initially, I fell in love with theatre because I think that’s what was more accessible to me. I performed at local theatres growing up. But I always knew I wanted to direct. Filmmaking felt like a natural extension of my process when I wrote my first script. It was a short film, and I didn’t feel prepared to direct it. Over the next year I was lucky enough to book some roles in various films that were being made in Louisiana and NYC. This was four/five years ago. But I really tried to soak in different sets and filmmaking experiences before I attempted to take the reigns of my own project. It really wasn’t until I went to study for my Masters at the London Film School that I committed to filmmaking, and not acting exclusively as a career. An actor’s life is very hard, and I’m glad I discovered I could do more.
2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
I always wanted to do a production of Miss Julie in some capacity. So that’s what I started with, and then I just started imagining this character’s world. At the time, I was hanging out with a New York theatre crowd that was older than me and still very much going through the artistic struggle, although they appeared to have everything. I found that fascinating. That being on Broadway isn’t this extraordinary experience that I imagined as a kid. I thought it would be interesting to explore a woman at a crossroads both professionally and personally, how she becomes so obsessed with her character that she loses control of her personal life. Also there’s a lot of weird hype around her, is she even that good of an actress? All of this really fascinated me. I thought the gender dynamics reflected in the play could also reflect in the story as well. I wrote some of the roles with actors in mind. Specifically, Tina Benko’s role as Helen, a powerful theatre producer who yes seems to have everything, but has her entire life and career tied up in her ex-husband - a playwright whose career she spent their entire marriage advocating. Halfway through, she delivers a seven minute monologue to camera and Tina’s just incredible in it.
3) How do you approach acting and directing at the same time - is there one you feel more comfortable with Does it vary film to film, or is there a baseline condition you typically fall into? How would you describe your general vibe while directing?
I really think it’s less about my process and more about if the other actors are open to this type of collaboration. I guess it’s unusual, but it’s becoming more and more common. But it’s like devised theatre - you have to have ultimate trust with your actors. Maybe the actors have more control in the scenes for example because I cannot always be at the monitor. It’s how we feel in the scene together. To me, it’s about finding those magical moments with fellow collaborators whether I am acting, directing, producing whatever. And honestly, as long as you find those moments, I don’t think there should be a big distinction between acting and filmmaking it all goes together.
I don’t know that I feel comfortable doing any of it. I’m confident, but probably not always comfortable. There’s a difference! But that’s why I love it. The process is so unpredictable - it’s wild, it’s crazy - it’s thrilling. I am a very subtle actor, and for a while I would question that. Like should I do more? Do I need to have every single thing I do planned out? And then I realized no, I’m me and that’s enough. People are either going to like me or not.
What role I do depends on the project. I just did a film where I wrote and acted in it, I did not direct. I don’t want to act and direct in everything I do. That’s superfluous.
I try to direct in the way that as an actor I would want to be directed. I don’t believe in micro-managing the actor or directing them emotionally, like telling them how to feel. Ultimately I want my performers to feel free and comfortable to do their best work. Even if I am silently freaking out, haha! No, I want everyone to have a good experience while feeling challenged and excited by the work they create. Because that’s what it’s about for me. And honestly, much of the directing happens before you get on set. When you’re on set your just finessing your vision, and sometimes it may take more work than you expect.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I really loved Beanpole directed by Kantemir Balagov, his second feature. It played at Cannes and recently at NYFF. It follows two young women, best friends and survivors as they navigate post World War II Leningrad. It is bleak, but extraordinary. I loved the complex female relationship portrayed; how unapologetically bold, yet natural the filmmaking is - and the hyper realistic world it created. It’s hard to explain, the film is like a dark fairy tale, but then you realize stories like the one portrayed actually happened. I read something in an interview with him that I loved. In the apartment in the shared house in the film the woods, the walls, everything is really creaky and noisy. Just as it would have sounded in 1945. Instead of overlaying this with some kind of sound design, they kept the sounds. I love these kind of details and authenticity. As an audience member I did notice and was sometimes distracted by it but in a good way. It felt like you were IN the room with these women. Amazing.
5) What’s next for you?
I am currently working on my second feature, an experimental, improvised project entitled Highway One - which follows a bunch of misplaced millennials in rural California at a New Year’s Eve Party. It all takes place over the course of one night. It’s an ensemble piece and it’s very Chekhovian.
I’ve been casting that which has been really fun. I am waiting for my first feature Indigo Valley to premiere and as an actor, recently shot the feature film Under the Lantern Lit Sky which I also wrote. It is a re-imagined prequel to A Streetcar Named Desire. I’m simultaneously working on a book of poetry with New River Press to go alongside that.
I am in the process of founding an all female arts festival called JULIET that will hopefully launch in London in 2020, as well as collaborating on a book called OBJECT - which will champion women in the arts. Really, these two projects are not about me at all, they are placing admirable women and often unheard voices as their thesis.
Contact Info:
Instagram: @jaclyn_bethany