They say that you are only as good as the people you hire which holds true for director Cyrus Baetz‘s film Speak Your Mind. He put all these great actors and actresses in this dialogue-driven dark comedy about a man named Jacob, played by Steve Kaszas, who is a struggling actor himself who needs to get his **it together. He is having problems with his girlfriend Cassie, played by Angeliki Athanassoulias, and his new seedy boss, Anthony hilariously played by Justin Darmanin who is supposed to show him the ropes in the acting industry. Jacob does look for help in his life and career by taking some deep method acting lessons by Robert Williams, played by Paul Nicholas Mason, who tells him to level up his acting and take it up a notch. Jacob also consults his lesbian therapist Iris, played by Lee Lawson, consistently and tells him to try to do something new by speaking his mind whenever he gets the chance. This method is what she calls the “mind speaking method” and it brings him to a whole bunch of chaos but new levels of understanding of himself and where his life is.
All of these great supporting actors make this film enjoyable and we here on FERNTV were impressed with the performance of Lee Lawson. We thought there was a lot of chemistry between her character Iris and Jacob in the film. Despite the dark and dry humour amongst Jacob’s other counterparts, Lawson brings the charm and hope into the character of Jacob allowing the film to balance itself out and cut into that dryness. FERNTV caught up with actress Lee Lawson to discuss her pivotal role in the film Speak Your Mind and the industry during this pandemic.
FERNTV: Briefly describe your character in the film Speak Your Mind and the experience in the casting process?
Lee: I play Iris, she’s an old, nurturing soul; good at reading others, not so much herself. I introduce Steve Kaszas’ character, Jacob, to an experimental therapeutic technique and hijinks ensue. As for the casting process, it was a good old fashioned audition. I like auditioning, it’s one of the only times where screen actors get to “perform live”, which always adds special energy to the mix.
FERNTV: You are the supporting actress to the main character Jacob played by Steve Kaszas in the film. For those who are not in the know can you explain what it means to be a supporting actress or actor in a film?
Lee: For sure! I think playing any character, be it a lead, supporting or itty-bitty-bit-part, is much the same process from an acting point of view. You analyze, feel out the beats and commit. The real difference is the way the director sculpts those performances to best tell the story of the central character. The peripheral characters give the protagonist something to bounce off of; they help or hinder or teach or reveal something… And when a film is clicking, you feel the supporting characters as fully dimensional people as well. I think Cyrus did a beautiful job balancing the perspectives in the film.
FERNTV: What was it like to work with Cyrus Baetz and what has he taught you when working on this film?
Lee: Cyrus is an incredibly giving, collaborative director. Throughout the process, he was right there with us (the actors); rehearsing, running lines, checking in. Oftentimes, once you’re cast in a project, your contact with the director is extremely limited until you get to set. Speak Your Mind was different, Cyrus made himself available so we weren’t working in a vacuum. As for lessons learned…I learned a lot about how far you can push a moment. There’s a pivotal monologue in the film and when we shot it Cyrus let me do it 11 times. 11! It was amazing to be able to work through a chunk of text like that and to have a director take the time to find it.
FERNTV: This film Speak Your Mind comments on the industry and the difficulties and struggles in being an actor/actress. Can you comment on this as well?
Lee: Nope. I’ve never struggled one bit. 😉 Though I have heard from others that it can be difficult to remain truthful and open while outside voices dictate what you’re allowed to do and how much you’re worth… So potentially that aspect of the film checks out.
FERNTV: There are a lot of scenes in the film where I caught myself laughing hard because of that Toronto sarcastic humour which is prevalent in the film. Do you feel that the city is being recognized for that type of comedy?
Lee: Torontonians are very, very serious. We never joke. Only people from Scarborough. Canadian humour in general tends to be pretty quirky and dry… Not mean… Just dry. Canada Dry. But in all seriousness, I think it’s lovely that Drake and the Raptors have made us at least 20% more relevant to the rest of the world. Thanks, Drizzy.
FERNTV: What are your thoughts on the current state of the Canadian film industry?
Lee: Hmmm… That’s a tough one… If you had asked me pre-quarantine times, I would have said; “it’s a vibrant, growing, exciting scene to work in.” Now? I think we’re in the same recovery process as everyone else. I don’t know if bigger productions from the states will shoot here more or less. If independent production will go up due to cheaper rental costs or down due to safety concerns… It’s hard to say how social distancing will affect sets and even the stories being produced. We’re just going to have to wait and see. Although I have to say, I’m enjoying the BTS pictures from productions that have started up again; whole crews in PPE, plastic wrap draped over everything… Very sci-fi.
FERNTV: When it comes to acting, who are you influenced by and why?
Lee: There are actors I love; Cate Blanchett, Catherine O’Hara, Catherine Keener… All of the famous Cates and Catherines… And Elisabeth Moss… But I try to let the story and aesthetic of the project be my inspiration. To let each film organically inform my process. I try to find music, or films or even literature that “vibes” with whatever I’m working on. To draw maps, or write backstory or sometimes even do movement exploration to find unique things.
FERNTV: How do actresses like yourself move forward or maintain inspiration during this COVID-19 pandemic?
Lee: You know, it’s funny…I spent the first part of the shutdown feeling restless. I kept trying to push forward, develop, reach, grow, and be disciplined. But one of the most valuable things that have emerged from our…collective compulsory holiday… Is a sense of calm. For the first time in my adult life, I feel like I can be still and breathe. Perhaps periods of lower output are important too, I think they help reset your sensitivity to the world around you. Sometimes it’s okay to just be.
FERNTV: What are some of your future projects at this point?
Lee: I have some cool ones on the horizon! One of the interesting aspects of the shutdown is that all of the things I’ve been working on have been bottlenecked and will all be coming out simultaneously in 2021. There’ll be a really neat period piece called Of Wise and Earnest Men that was shot on 35mm, A quirky economic comedy called Think About a Dolphin for Once. A western horror called The Young Wife, and my hyper-visual, tactile, short called Sit. I’m excited about all of them!
Fernando Fernandez is a graduate of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto. He became interested in entertainment journalism in the late 2000s writing for online startups. He founded FERNTV in 2009 and focused mainly on the film industry. With over a thousand interviews conducted with all walks of life in film, he is still learning as if every day is day one.
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