Actor's Roundtable: Jung Ho-yeon, Sandra Oh, Rosario Dawson, & More
Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve and The Chair), Rosario Dawson (Dopestick and DMZ), Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets), Emmy Rossum (Angelyne), and Lily James (Pam & Tommy) sit down with The Hollywood Reporter (THR) to talk about their respective projects and experiences. Lacey Rose from THR serves as the host for the group interview.
“I think it’s an interesting question because it’s [time before shoot], in some ways, our most unconscious moment. That’s the moment you’re at least, hopefully, paying attention to yourself.”
Lacey Rose begins the interview by asking what the actors do before going on set and how they get into character. Lily James is the first to answer. She states that she paces herself each day while doing her best to keep the feeling of her character in the back of her mind. Christina Ricci takes a few minutes before going on set to connect with her role and how said character feels. Ricci claims that it has been difficult to portray her character in Yellowjackets due to her character’s demeanor being a mask of what she feels. Sandra Oh chimes in by complimenting the question itself and analyzing the inquisitive nature of the question.
Rosario Dawson speaks up next. Dawson states that what she does before a shoot is dependent on the scene and explains how difficult it was for her to shift between her roles in DMZ and Dopestick. She believes that maintaining the integrity of one’s character is key for an actor. Dawson approaches her acting by experiencing the moment something happens rather than being stuck in one’s head thinking about “how” and “what if.” Jung Ho-yeon agrees with Dawson because she also tries not to think about anything before a shoot. If anything, Jung’s routine before a shoot is to not have a routine. Emmy Rossum adds to the discussion by describing every part of her routine conducted before a shoot. Rossum practices a variety of breath patterns that trigger immediate, internal responses. The purpose of these exercises is to eliminate distractions and to recreate the intensity of whatever feeling Rossum is looking for in her character.
“It’s a different thing. I did film for so long before I got into doing shows, and it was such a different process to agree to do something before you’ve read everything.”
The conversation continues with Lacey Rose asking the actors how knowledgeable they are about the fates of their characters. Do the actors ask questions about their roles, or do they let things play out while figuring things out as time passes? Dawson reveals that it was difficult when she started doing television shows because before, she had only played film roles where the entirety of her character was known before completion. Despite this, Dawson developed as an actor by moving to television and making a diligent effort to ground her characters to make them seem real.
“It [Jung’s character] was based on the script, but I just extended the story and then extended the experience by writing down a smell or physical things or emotions if I was there at that moment. I just wrote down the diary of the day that happened…so it’s more like extending, not making up the story.”
Ricci agrees with Dawson and then goes off tangent from the question by expressing happiness in witnessing young actors have more say in setting boundaries for the scenes. This relates to Ricci’s past fear of being fired for speaking up at the beginning of her career. Sandra continues the discussion brought up by Ricci. Sandra felt that it took a long time for women to have a voice to speak out, especially in television. She believed that she obtained an undeniable voice when she had the chance to work as a producer and earn credit within that position. Right now, Sandra is interested in growing the scope and diversity of the “sisterhood.” The sisterhood is the development of a group of female actors who share experiences, provide assistance, and serve as protection as an alliance.
Jung brings the discussion back to how actors get into character. Jung reveals that she always adds something extra to her character in addition to what is laid out in the script. The decision may be the correct or wrong choice, but Jung is happy to do so. Rossum agrees with Jung’s sentiments. Rossum states that she sees the script and her performances as a chance to experiment with something new.
“I think, especially starting in this industry, I was definitely seeing some very bad behavior rewarded across the board regularly, and a feeling that it was never going to change.”
Piggybacking off Ricci’s and Sandra’s brief discussion of female actors’ voices not being heard, Rose asks about possible situations where the actors felt the need to fight for women’s voice in Hollywood. Sandra immediately states that the number one place that needs to be addressed for an actor’s voice to be heard is the script. It is imperative to keep the director up-to-date with your character and how you view them. Dawson agrees that the script is the thing that needs to be fought over. Rossum also agrees and states her appreciation of seeing women have more control over their roles to the point where said women can even start their own production company to have more control.
“Ultimately, change is slow…It’s slow and when it really happens, it has to happen in such a deep way.”
Rose then asks the guests if speaking up has ever cost them work. Do they still worry about that, or has the world changed so much that it’s no longer a fear? Rossum is the first to speak. She reveals her difficult history of not speaking up due to the fear of retaliation. Back at the start of her career, Rossum was opinionated and sure of herself. Looking back now, Rossum believes that her forwardness and intensity were the result of knowing that her voice wasn’t heard. Dawson relates to Rossum’s fear because her history in the film business made Dawson, as a woman, cautious to speak her mind.
Sandra Oh believes that change is slow. However, part of the thing about change is normalizing said change. Sandra explains that the opportunity to set the tone of a show is important. She confesses that she took advantage of that opportunity every time she worked as a producer. It was because of the early directors and producers in the industry that women’s voices were not heard as much as men's. Sandra claims that to see more women being taken seriously in the entertainment industry thanks, in part, to women in high positions setting the tone of filming.
“I had a hard time figuring out what I am doing as a model. What is my purpose in life and working? I just kept watching movies and reading stories, and then I realized…’maybe I can just study humans’…Let’s just study human and that just leads to ‘why don’t I just do acting?’”
Rose shifts the focus of the discussion to Jung. She requests Jung to tell her and the guest actors if there were any early warning signs that Squid Game was going to change her life. Jung states that there weren’t any warning signs, and the show’s success caught everyone by surprise. She reveals that her and the other cast members watched the entirety of Squid Game before its release for marketing and promotional purposes. At the time, Jung felt like she performed poorly, and her first message to the director after watching the show was an apology. All the guest actors comfort Jung when she talks about how stressed she was. In response, Jung starts tearing up in happiness. She felt like the whole experience of filming, editing, promotion, and the release of Squid Game accelerated the start of her career as an actor far too quickly for her to handle. However, Jung admits that the journey has allowed her to accept her anxiety and address it when it springs up.
Dawson asks Jung on the reason she wanted to be an actress. Jung states there was no exact moment that made her decide to be an actor. While working as a model, she eventually had an existential crisis when she began to consider doing something else. Although she has found her passion for acting, Jung claims she is still figuring out what she has to offer as an actor. For now, she is focusing on educating herself about the industry and trying out various roles.
The interview ends with Rose conducting a final lightning-round-like questioning on what roles each of the guest actors wish to be cast as. Rossum wishes to be to portray a ventriloquist, Ricci wishes to perform as a mute, Dawson wants roles that allow her to be a part of every cinematic universe, Sandra desires to be a part of the superhero craze by being cast as an archetype villain, Lily hopes to be cast as a rockstar for her next role, and Jung wants to portray a psychopath killer in order to study them.