Margo Martindale interview

I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing the actress, Margo Martindale, for the upcoming DVD release of her movie, Scalene (review forthcoming) on the web site, the Film Yap.  If you've followed this blog at all, you know I am a huge fan of the FX TV show, Justified.  A special thank you goes to Austin Lugar and Chris Lloyd for the opportunity.  It was great fun.  Here's a bit of the interview:

Margo Martindale has attracted new fans, and more attention, to her impressive film and TV career (“Lonesome Dove”, “Million Dollar Baby”, “Secretariat”, “A Gifted Man”), with her recent Emmy-award winning appearance as Mags Bennett on the hot TV series, “Justified”.   In “Scalene”, an indie film releasing on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 31, 2012, Martindale brings her considerable talents to the lead role as a mother caring for her brain-injured son.  “Scalene” is billed as a “perceptual thriller,” a movie told from three point-of-views, offering a challenge for the actress, and the opportunity to work with the young and upcoming director, Zack Parker.


Martindale talked recently with Indiana-based mystery and Western novelist Larry D. Sweazy, on special assignment to The Film Yap, about the impending release of “Scalene”, the role of Janice Trimble, and life post-Justified.

Larry:  What about this role (Janice Trimble) appealed to you?  It was pretty complex.

Margo: That’s what appealed to me.

Larry: That’s not fair, I gave you the answer (laughs).

Margo: I like a thriller.  I’m really drawn to murder (laughs).  That’s all I read, thrillers and murder mysteries.

Larry:  This movie presents some real challenges for an actor.  It’s almost like you play three characters.  How did you approach the role of Janice Trimble?

Margo:  It was complicated, and I had to keep asking Zack (director Zack Parker), who am I now?  Whose point of view is this?  Is it Jakob’s (Adam Scarimbolo), Paige’s (Hannah Hall), or mine?  It was fun in that way to make the adjustment to the more sinister Janice in Hannah Hall’s point of view.  I really enjoyed it. I think Zack has great vision, and I think he has a really good future.

Larry:  This was my first introduction to Zack’s work, and I agree, it looks like he has a promising future.

Margo: I really think he does.  I love the Hitchcock element to his style, and he did it on a dime, too.  I really believe in him.

Larry: You’ve done work in indie films like this, and you’ve done a lot of work in major studio films.  What are the advantages of each one?

Margo: The advantage of big, huge films, are money and luxury and time.  I would say mostly time.  You have a lot more time because you have a lot more money.  This film was fun because there were people who don’t get the opportunity to make a movie like this.  The DP (director of photography) was fantastic, all the camera people were incredible.  They really had a great crew, and everybody was working basically for nothing.  It was an opportunity for people who haven’t had that bit of luck.  [Indie films] are a great platform for an artist, I think

Larry:  Movies don’t get made in Indiana very often.

Margo: Well, I loved Richmond, I really did.  I had a great, great time, stayed in a beautiful place, and they treated me like I was doing a major motion picture.

FOR THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW GO HERE: thefilmyap