It was very exposing, in more ways than one.”
— Alex O’Loughlin, The Canberra Times, June 28, 2005
In June 2005 “The Age” posted an article with Kerry Armstrong about her role as Trish Sweetwater in “Oyster Farmer” – you can find the full article here.
We take a look at some excerpts from the article:
(Just a reminder to those who might not know, but in ‘Oyster Farmer’, Alex still used the surname O’Lachlan and he only changed his screen name in his work after that)
From the article:
Armstrong is a beguiling woman; strong, confident, with a self-possession that is incredibly attractive. Fellow actor Alex O’Lachlan, who stars with Armstrong in her latest film, Oyster Farmer, calls her “bewitching”.
“Kerry is an easy person to trust,” says O’Lachlan.
Her most memorable scene is with the film’s lead character, Jack, played by O’Lachlan, and is set on board a boat, where Trish cleans up some nasty scratches Jack has received. He has to undress in front of her, and there’s plenty of sexual tension. O’Lachlan, like Reeves, only knew Armstrong by reputation, and was both excited and nervous about working with her, and not in small part due to the scene on the boat.
Alex:
“Kerry is such an incredible actor, and a powerful woman, and as a young man, I have a very healthy respectful fear of women, especially when they’re playing a role like this. Kerry has unique way of acting; she’s got the reins and she’s the boss, and I realised that was happening, and I followed her lead. She works at a level of excellence all the time, but there’s also an unpredictability about her which I really enjoyed, and kept the scene exciting, and this was captured on celluloid.”
Armstrong tells how it was just her and O’Lachlan and the camera. It was remarkably intimate. “What kicked in was Trish’s authenticity, and the deeper I got into the scene as Trish, the more frightened Jack became. What you see on screen is a moment – and it’s happening to me as a woman – when you come together in a way that’s either intellectual or spiritual, and it’s like a harp, just one note. What I’m finding as a woman in my 40s is that I like that note. When you’re younger, it’s like Pan’s flute, and in this scene, I heard this note; not a bass note, more like a Middle C, and it’s to do with strength, authenticity and sexuality.”
“You never really know Kerry,” says O’Lachlan. “She’s very mysterious, she’s quite extroverted but also introverted. It sounds paradoxical, but it’s the truth. I’d work with her any day. One thing I learnt from Kerry is that you’re in control as the actor. You can drive the scene to where it’s going to go; you need to bring your truth to it. She’s bewitching.”
We hope that you all enjoyed this little look into the feelings of the actors themselves. To them it is a job and they are professionals, but actors are still human and have to cope with everything their characters needs them to be……. 😛
When I looked around the set at the amazing actors I was working with – Jack Thompson, Kerry Armstrong, Jim Norton, David Field – it sometimes didn’t feel quite real. I feel very fortunate to have had the experience, every moment I listened intently and watched what they were doing. I had so much to learn and they were all so willing to teach….I felt blessed.
— Alex O’Loughlin, Oyster Farmer Production Notes, 2005
If any of you happened to catch the stunning banner Paula made for this post, you might have seen that there is a birthday girl today. We would like to wish LurxGirl a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
All our loyal readers will know LG has a good way with words surrounding our favourite man! Thank you for all the fun you add here!
Hope you enjoy the ‘little’ Jack treat we dished up for you on this special day 😛
Lots of love – Paula and FOYeur!!
Alex O´Loughlin ~ An Intense Study 