Hot off a pair of acclaimed performances in “Lights Out” and “Hacksaw Ridge,” Teresa Palmer turns in some of her best work yet in the riveting psychological thriller, “Berlin Syndrome.” Director Cate Shortland’s third feature casts Palmer as Clare, a Euro-tripper who’s held captive after a one-night tryst with Andi (Max Riemelt). Palmer joined Backstage for a Facebook Live interview May 30 at Facebook Media Central in New York City. Catch the highlights—and watch the full video—below.
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‘Berlin Syndrome’ put her through the emotional ringer.
“We created this whole idea that [Clare] has this void within her and she’s seeking out adventure and life experiences to really make her feel again. And she’s very internal. She goes inwards whenever she’s faced with any kind of hardship, and it’s funny because I’m really the polar opposite. I’m so open and bubbly and wear my heart on my sleeve. I had to just get rid of every part of me to play her…. It was a hard time to navigate because, at the end of the day, you’re supposed to just brush all of those feelings off and go home, be a mom, and look after my 15-month-old. [But] I wanted to dive fully in 100 percent.”
Shortland knows how to work with actors.
“[Cate] just knew specifically what to do and what to say to help me find the authentic Clare. I just felt held by her. I knew that she knew this story and this character and this journey that we were trying to explore. I could fall on her and trust her. It was like this beautiful dance between her and I and my costar Max Riemelt.”
Palmer turns to independent filmmakers for something ‘fresh.’
“I love supporting independent film and especially new emerging filmmakers. My husband [Mark Webber] was an emerging filmmaker, and his work I find so brilliant—I may be a little bit biased. But he does something a little left of center, and I think we need to encourage and embrace these aspiring filmmakers because they all have these unique and individual voices and they just need the opportunity, they just need the chance. Sometimes, the only way to get their film seen is for someone who has somewhat of a profile to star. So I’m constantly telling my team [to] send me stuff that might not usually get made. I wanna read those scripts because there might be something interesting and fresh in there.”
About that ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ audition…
“I never actually auditioned with [Mel Gibson]—I had a horrendous Skype meeting with him, actually. I got sent an email that I guess never came to me, and they’re like, ‘You’re Skyping with Mel Gibson, this is the time.’ No one ever confirmed. And then I get a phone call saying, ‘Mel’s been waiting on Skype for 40 minutes!’ And I was like, ‘What!’ So I jump on Skype, and of course my computer freezes and then my iPhone dies and then my iPad dies so I keep trying to get onto Skype with him, and it’s just disastrous. And I hadn’t read the script in six months. I just had to wing it. And I somehow got the movie from that. But I had put myself on tape a few months earlier and I hadn’t heard anything so I didn’t think I’d got it. I was such a flustered mess. I was like, ‘I’m so sorry! Nothing’s charged, everything’s breaking, this is the most horrendous thing.’ And he was chuckling and he’s like, ‘I like you, you’re real.’ ”
She advises: Enter the audition room landed and unafraid.
“I know how horrifying it is to do auditions. For me, I have to try and get in my body before [walking] into the room. I just had an audition last week, and I could feel myself getting super nervous, and so I [took] 10 deep breaths, and I kept on doing exercises to just land in my body so that when I went into the room, I wasn’t self-conscious. Then what I usually do is try and chat for three or four minutes. Connect with the people who are going to be looking at you through the camera, who you’re reading with. Make them laugh, lighten up that room, get rid of any of that nervous energy. And then you’re going to be in flow and you’re going to be ready to go in and actually do the scenes the way you’ve been rehearsing at home, where you sound amazing!”
Want to star in a psychological thriller? Check out Backstage’s film audition listings!