Exclusive Interview with The Tall Man’s Jodelle Ferland

The Tall Man is the latest film from Martyrs director Pascal Laugier and was released this week on Blu-ray/DVD. The movie deals with missing children in a small town at the hands of The Tall Man I had a chance to talk with actress Jodelle Ferland (Silent Hill) about her role in the film.

The story is interesting in that it ends up going in a completely different direction from what one would normally expect. Did you read the entire script before signing on and is that something that attracted you to the project?

I read the script and Skyped with the director, Pascal Laugier. I've read and acted in a lot of horror/thriller movies, and when I read the script, I knew there was something different about it. It keeps you interested the whole way through, because it was something you aren't expecting, and that is what I loved about it.

Was this a role that Pascal had you in mind for the entire time or did you have to audition?

They did approach me for the role. I didn't have to audition against everyone else, but I did talk with Pascal over Skype before I was hired for the role. I think my work on Silent Hill is what he was most familiar with.

As an actress, this role is a big departure from your other roles. Would you say this is your most challenging role to date?

All of my roles have been challenging in their own way, but I've never played a mute girl, so this was definitely a challenge. You'd think not memorizing lines is easy, but it's harder because I usually associate my lines with my actions. When you don't have any words, you just have to remember everything on its own, from where you're standing to the emotion on your face. It was a bit tricky, but I liked the challenge.

What did you do to prepare for this role? Did Pascal suggest any research or did you model your character of anyone in particular?

Often I have a "just do it" attitude with my roles. I'm playing a character based on someone from a book, I'll do more research and find everything I can about a character. When it's something new, I think it's best to think about it yourself and talk to the director.

How involved were you in the creative process to develop your character? Did Pascal know exactly what he wanted to do or was it more of a collaboration?

It depends on the director, but Pascal definitely had a specific vision for the movie, so we did everything until it was perfect [laughs]. Not that it's a bad thing at all, because it's refreshing to have a director that knows exactly what he wants and who won't stop until how it's supposed to be. Sometimes you have a director that says "do whatever you want", but it helps to have someone confirm your performance with you.

You share a number of scenes with Jessica Biel. Can you tell me about your experience working with her?

I love when you enjoy an actor's work and meet them, and they are everything that you thought they would be. Sometimes you meet an actor that is your idol and they are a jerk, but she was completely the opposite. She was amazing to work with.

While many of our readers will know you from Silent Hill, they may not have realized that you were in two of the bigger horror releases this year, Cabin in the Woods and ParaNorman. What draws you to these types of films, if anything? Do you seek out horror films or are filmmakers reaching out to you?

I don't really seek out any particular type of role. I get sent a lot of scripts to read and audition for. Sometimes I say no, but I don't particularly look for dark roles to play. They just come my way and I accept them, because I think they will be a fun challenge for me.

---------