May 21, 2012

Tanna Frederick Lives the Hollywood Dream

by Jennifer M. Wood | Published April 21, 2008

(Page 2)

MM: Though the idea of success in Hollywood being all about “who you know” is certainly changing—particularly with so many people getting their start on the Web with YouTube, etc.—there’s still no denying the power of having a major industry player as one of your biggest supporters, which is something you’ve certainly found in Henry Jaglom. People often talk about trust being one of the most important aspects of a great actor-director collaboration; how has working with Henry proven this to you?

TF: Trust is one of the most important things I think an actor-director collaboration should have—100 percent trust. And Henry and I have that. I ask myself why that is—what makes this relationship so unique and the work and ideas flow so easily and explosively. I think it stems from the fact that we have the same sense of humor. It’s like collaborating with a best friend; from the moment we met, we found we liked the same films, were annoyed by the same actors and balanced each other out with his sort of sophisticated posh New York upbringing and my Podunk Iowa sticks upbringing.

We somehow shared a lot of similar belief systems in life and attitude toward work and the process of filmmaking and acting. And I come back to the sense of humor because mostly we just make each other laugh, and there’s something about that, in my opinion, when you both just “get the joke,” as we like to say. Perhaps nobody else is laughing and it’s just an Enchanted Cottage sort of deal (watch it—great movie), but we get our “joke” and when we work together we keep that sense of entertainment going throughout the production process, and it makes it a good time.

MM: Can there ever be a downside to working so closely with one person?

TF: I suppose there could be a downside to working with just one person, but my relationship with Henry is not like that… I still have other films I am working on with other directors and producers, I’m just lucky to have this home base with Jaglom where I have a fantastic time making crazy lovely work again and again.

MM: How do you continue to challenge each other when you develop a natural shorthand?

TF: I don’t think there is a natural shorthand that Henry and I have developed, he’s a dynamic artist, and he keeps himself on his toes; during the last three films everything has changed from the amount of script we adhere to, to the crew, to the tone and flavor of the story. Henry’s a creator who doesn’t stick to one methodology just because it worked on the last film. He changes everything constantly, so I have to work to keep up with his whims. But that’s a good thing, I think. It keeps everything forever fresh, new and exciting.

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Comment by Rathna on 10/29/08 at 1:08 am: Thanks for the movies! nice read.
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