Cinema has its share of taciturn filmmakers, iron-willed men who run their productions like 17th-century Jesuit priests. Joachim Trier is not one of those guys. Just ask the three actresses who star in his latest dizzy-dancing opus on contemporary life, “Sentimental Value.”
According to Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning, the limber qualities you see in their performances are a reflection of the environment of warmth and spontaneity in which they made the film.
“The three of us felt limitless in what we could do,” said Fanning, who plays Rachel Kemp, an American movie star visiting Oslo, Norway, to research a role based on and intended for Reinsve’s character Nora, an actress who has a touchy relationship with her director father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). Ibsdotter Lilleaas co-stars as Reinsve’s more stable sister, Agnes, an introverted woman who’s nonetheless a stealth force in her own right.
Referring to the production’s lovingly collaborative vibe, Fanning added, “You can feel it right when you walk on Joachim’s set. It’s like we’re all moving in unison in order to create a safe place where everyone feels included and involved. And without everyone, it just wouldn’t work. The result is that his movies are made with such joy and hope and a lightness of touch.”
Reinsve, Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Fanning were all nominated for Golden Globes this week. Separately or together, they are on screen for practically every scene of “Sentimental Value,” and the trio supply the mix of melancholy, yearning and effervescence that’s become a Trier signature.
Renate, you’ve worked with Joachim on three films, including “The Worst Person in the World.” What’s the special quality that makes audiences connect so deeply with his films?
RENATE REINSVE: For us as actors, the thing is that Joachim doesn’t ask us to play vulnerable but to actually be vulnerable. When I did “Worst Person,” I opened myself to something raw and unpolished that lives inside me but that not many people see. Showing that part of myself was really scary.
But then when it was seen by the audience, the experience became so rich in hindsight. People who have seen that film come up to me and tell me about their lives. They talk about the scenes that were very personal to them. And then the circle becomes bigger and bigger and we all feel a little less lonely in the world.
This movie, which is partly about moviemaking, includes many self-referential qualities, perhaps most of all in your role, Elle. You play an American actress who goes to Norway to work with an esteemed director – which is exactly what you yourself were doing.
ELLE FANNING: We found ourselves laughing at how meta it was. Joachim and I would be walking through the house and he would be explaining how the shot was going to go, just like Stellan’s character would be doing in the scene. There would be a silence and we would look at each other and just laugh at the absurdity of it.
At the same time, I was aware that my character was not me. She’s a bit lost when we find her. She’s going through her own feelings of longing and searching. But there’s that special thing when you feel like someone sees you for your talent, and that’s what she experiences during the rehearsal with her director — and what I tried to connect to.
Has your sister (actress Dakota Fanning) seen the film?
FANNING: She has. We had a Q&A the night that she saw it and I spotted her in the audience and I just started crying. She gave me a big hug and was very emotional afterward. It’s a story about sisters, which, of course, resonates.
Speaking of sisters, there’s an a magnificent scene late in this movie where Agnes and Nora comfort each other in Nora’s bedroom. It was partially improvised. How did that happen?
INGA IBSDOTTER LILLEAAS: In that scene, (Renate and I) are talking about being siblings and how our lives have turned out differently, and why. And I explain that, for me, I am the way I am because I had her. Because she was my protector growing up. And I felt very connected and moved and emotional. It felt very true. So I was sitting on the floor, Renate was on the bed, and I wanted to hug Renate. But I was scared about ruining the take. Sometimes being spontaneous can ruin something great.
But Joachim, from the beginning, had told us that it’s in the mistakes where you find the art. So in a split second I got up on the bed and hugged Renate. Kasper Tuxen, the cinematographer, jumped on the bed too. And it was like a feeling of release. I loved Renate in that moment and I just said, “I love you.” And “I love you” in Norwegian is not like the American “I love you.” When I grew up, it was not something sisters said to each other. But I felt that’s what I should say in that moment.
REINSVE: This is exactly the way that Joachim likes to work. We already have that platform of improvisation and flexibility when we go into a scene. Everything is adapted to the dynamic between actors. So in this scene, Inga jumps on the bed, Kasper jumps on the bed with the camera, I’m still in character too. And it’s all because Joachim is so open in how he works. It feels like the whole room is making the scene in the moment. These are the scenes that leave space for the audience, when they can feel that authenticity. That’s what makes Joachim’s movies so magical.
You’re each open to being vulnerable as performers, but do you find it difficult to watch your own performances? Some actors really struggle with that.
REINSVE: Vanity is definitely itching a bit when I see myself and I have my face all crunched together in a weird way. But I always get something out of it, craft-wise, because I can watch how my intentions got translated. Sometimes I watch myself and I can say, “Ah, that’s how it actually looks when I’m thinking these thoughts.” So I can learn by watching the work. But I’m not saying it’s comfortable.
IBSDOTTER LILLEAAS: For me, it really depends on the performance. If it’s a good project, then I’ll engage with the story and forget a little bit that it’s me. But if I feel like it’s false or I don’t believe it, it can be really aggravating. So sometimes I won’t watch things I’m in if I know it’s not good.
FANNING: When I was a little kid, I loved watching my movies, because it was my face up on a big screen and that was just so cool. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten more self-conscious about it, but I agree with what Inga said about getting caught up in the story when it’s really good. For this movie, I just wouldn’t want to miss all the other scenes.
This story first ran in the Actors/Directors/Screenwriters issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the issue here.
