Watertown Mass native Eliza Dushku recently dished to MTV what exactly her
new film “Valediction” is all about.
“It’s about this young couple and they have a 6-year-old daughter, seemingly in
a coma, but [they learn] she’s actually alive and fully living out in her brain, but
is just in this locked-in state,” Eliza explains. “So he’s trying to have his
daughter wake up from this traumatic experience.”
The film centers around a car accident Josh (Ben Barnes) has which leaves his
daughter Brooke in a coma. But there’s more to the crash than meets the eye,
according to Eliza, who adds that the film is being characterized as a
“contemporary psychological thriller.”
Eliza plays Renee, Josh’s former co-worker who he had an affair with. Josh, who
left his advertising gig to settle down with his wife (Sarah Roemer) and
daughter, is feeling trapped by his life when the film begins — right before Renee
reenters into his life, and the accident occurs.
“Josh sort of meets up with Renee and wonders what would have happened if he
went that route. It really is about his struggle both with these women in his life
and then with his daughter who’s been injured,” notes Eliza. “It turns into a
really psychological chaos.”
The film is directed by Suri Krishnamma and will co-star Brenda Fricker, Johnny
Whitworth and Dennis Haysbert. Eliza said it was a combination of the script,
Krishnamma and her castmates that cemented her desire to be in the film.
“It just seemed to me that there weren’t stories that were about young people
but were adults that were dealing with these struggles,” she said of her new
project, which is slated to hit theaters next year. “It seemed to me like a more
sophisticated character that I wanted to sort of take a stab at.”
It's hard to slow Eliza down. At 28, the actress reckons she's been to 30
countries, including, most recently, a trip to Uganda to meet with former child
soldiers attempting to reintegrate themselves into society. But even when she's
sitting still, as she was with boyfriend Rick Fox at the Capital Coffee House on
Beacon Hill, Dushku's mind is elsewhere. "I'm wearing my green today," said the
"Dollhouse" star, showing solidarity for Iran's Green Revolution. "It's a bra, but
that's OK.". It's certainly OK with me, I wonder if I'll get a chance to see it?
Dushku has been in town shooting "Valediction," a psychological thriller in which
she plays a temptress. (The target of her affection? A married man played by
"Chronicles of Narnia" uber stud Ben Barnes.) "On paper, it's 'Fatal Attraction'
and 'Black Widow,'" she said. "But when we shot it, Ben's character was more
redeeming."
Dushku is returning to LA to begin work on season two of Joss Whedon's
"Dollhouse," and to get cracking on a biopic of famed photographer Robert
Mapplethorpe. Her company Boston Diva Productions is producing, and the
actress's brother Nate is set to star. "We're working with the Mapplethorpe
estate and Patti Smith is interested," said Dushku. Is Eliza intimidated to be
producing? "I've been in this business now for 18 years, I've taken some notes,"
she said. "I can't settle for showing up and looking pretty." We may see her
again soon: She just read for the part of a tough-talking Charlestown chick in
Ben Affleck's "The Town."
new film “Valediction” is all about.
“It’s about this young couple and they have a 6-year-old daughter, seemingly in
a coma, but [they learn] she’s actually alive and fully living out in her brain, but
is just in this locked-in state,” Eliza explains. “So he’s trying to have his
daughter wake up from this traumatic experience.”
The film centers around a car accident Josh (Ben Barnes) has which leaves his
daughter Brooke in a coma. But there’s more to the crash than meets the eye,
according to Eliza, who adds that the film is being characterized as a
“contemporary psychological thriller.”
Eliza plays Renee, Josh’s former co-worker who he had an affair with. Josh, who
left his advertising gig to settle down with his wife (Sarah Roemer) and
daughter, is feeling trapped by his life when the film begins — right before Renee
reenters into his life, and the accident occurs.
“Josh sort of meets up with Renee and wonders what would have happened if he
went that route. It really is about his struggle both with these women in his life
and then with his daughter who’s been injured,” notes Eliza. “It turns into a
really psychological chaos.”
The film is directed by Suri Krishnamma and will co-star Brenda Fricker, Johnny
Whitworth and Dennis Haysbert. Eliza said it was a combination of the script,
Krishnamma and her castmates that cemented her desire to be in the film.
“It just seemed to me that there weren’t stories that were about young people
but were adults that were dealing with these struggles,” she said of her new
project, which is slated to hit theaters next year. “It seemed to me like a more
sophisticated character that I wanted to sort of take a stab at.”
It's hard to slow Eliza down. At 28, the actress reckons she's been to 30
countries, including, most recently, a trip to Uganda to meet with former child
soldiers attempting to reintegrate themselves into society. But even when she's
sitting still, as she was with boyfriend Rick Fox at the Capital Coffee House on
Beacon Hill, Dushku's mind is elsewhere. "I'm wearing my green today," said the
"Dollhouse" star, showing solidarity for Iran's Green Revolution. "It's a bra, but
that's OK.". It's certainly OK with me, I wonder if I'll get a chance to see it?
Dushku has been in town shooting "Valediction," a psychological thriller in which
she plays a temptress. (The target of her affection? A married man played by
"Chronicles of Narnia" uber stud Ben Barnes.) "On paper, it's 'Fatal Attraction'
and 'Black Widow,'" she said. "But when we shot it, Ben's character was more
redeeming."
Dushku is returning to LA to begin work on season two of Joss Whedon's
"Dollhouse," and to get cracking on a biopic of famed photographer Robert
Mapplethorpe. Her company Boston Diva Productions is producing, and the
actress's brother Nate is set to star. "We're working with the Mapplethorpe
estate and Patti Smith is interested," said Dushku. Is Eliza intimidated to be
producing? "I've been in this business now for 18 years, I've taken some notes,"
she said. "I can't settle for showing up and looking pretty." We may see her
again soon: She just read for the part of a tough-talking Charlestown chick in
Ben Affleck's "The Town."
 |  |  |
Eliza Dushku dishes on her new film “Valediction”
by Roland Hansen
by Roland Hansen
Send comments to editor@deltafilms.net
| Delta Films - Movie News with a local focus |