Tell us about Walk All Over me. What’s the story, where did it come from?

WAOM is about a woman catapulting herself into a new environment, trying to adapt amidst some rather odd circumstances, making a big mess and then struggling to clean it up. Or, more succinctly: it’s about a woman assuming her roommate’s identity as a dominatrix and the danger that ensues.

The story came from drinking a lot of espresso. I started wondering, what if Alberta was a woman rather than a place and what if she inadvertently stumbled into the world of s&m? I took this notion, cobbled together a story of a woman who impersonates a dominatrix and then spends a great deal of time trying desperately to step back over the line she’s crossed.

I wanted both the dominatrix and submissive to be inexperienced, and to not know that about the other. I showed the idea to some people and they seemed to like the direction. But the element of danger wasn’t yet there. I brought in my co-writer Jason Long, and together, we decided that there should be some nastier characters in the story to heighten the stakes.

Help us understand the geography of the movie. Vancouver, Winnipeg, Alberta – how do they all fit together?

Well, I’m Canadian and live in the province of Alberta, which also happens to be the name of the film’s protagonist (played by Leelee). The film’s opening has Alberta (the character) fleeing from Alberta (the province) to Vancouver…all of which was shot in Winnipeg.

(pause)

I know…barely makes sense to me either.

To be honest, shooting in Winnipeg worked out well for the movie. I’m happy we did it. The crew was very good. And as director, I welcomed not shooting in my home province. I tend to perform better away from home--I’m able to see things with fresh eyes.

The film is described as a thriller/comedy. Hopefully there’s a little romance too?

Depends on your definition of romance, I suppose. But for me, definitely. Alberta poses as Celene, her dominatrix roommate, and meets a guy named Paul. The two of them share several moments while exploring something neither of them has ever experienced. There is a tweak of attraction between them that carries through to the end, despite the two characters being separated for the bulk of the film. Non-traditional, but that’s what makes it interesting.

I remember there being concern at the script stage that the brevity of Alberta and Paul’s initial meet couldn’t sustain itself through to the end of the film, when the two characters meet up again. I was pretty sure it would work. And it did. It’s a testament to both Leelee and Jacob Tierney (Paul) that their connection works as well as it does.

You did some research on the whole dominatrix thing. Did anything interesting come up?

Oh, man. That’s a whole other interview. It’s a fascinating subject. So much of it boils down to the exchange of power. Those who have it occasionally want to give it up, those who don’t have it would like to try it on, see how it fits. And even saying that is a huge over-simplification.

Going in, many of my assumptions turned out to be wrong.

What was it like to work with Tricia and Leelee?

They’re completely different people, but both came to the movie with intense eagerness and commitment. I remember that they bonded quickly and hung out sometimes when we weren’t shooting. This showed up in their chemistry on-screen and made it easy to believe they’d known each other a long time.

It’s a difficult thing to balance the tone that is featured in WAOM, since it treads so precariously between thriller and comedy and I remember being concerned whether it would work or not. The tone of the film was new to both Leelee and Tricia, I think, but they adapted quickly and made it their own.

But I suppose the greatest thing about working with Leelee and Tricia, was how clear it was that both of them were excited about the movie. I can’t imagine working with actors who weren’t passionate about what they were working on. I’m sure it happens all the time…someone needing a quick cheque, filling a last-minute gap in their schedule… That would be an absolute nightmare for someone like me, because I feed off the actor’s excitement and energy as much as they do off my own.

Films like WAOM that pay attention to nuance and tone will continue to be what attracts actors like Leelee and Tricia. It’s about the script, the passion of the filmmakers and the cast. If all of these elements work together, like they did on this film, anything can be accomplished.

Leelee and Tricia were there because they believed in the film. I knew it instantly. And within two days of shooting the entire crew knew it too.

If you had to describe Leelee to someone who had never seen her, what would you say?

I would say that even though she is young, she somehow manages to seem old at the same time. She has an innocence and experience that melds together into an odd and intriguing combination. Like she’s already lived several lives. There is something beguiling about that and about her as a person. Beguiling in the most charming way.

Also, since you asked…Leelee often seems to attune to frequencies that 90% of a room full of people aren’t aware of or don’t bother noticing (she knows what I’m talking about here). She’s very perceptive. Someone can flash a look or a gesture that no one but her picks up on. She uses this on-screen and it’s part of what makes her a really good actor.

She is not someone who merely goes through the motions of letting a character inhabit her. She takes things very seriously.

Smart, brave, funny. She’s all of these things.

Leelee posted a photo of the crew on her myspace page. Everyone looked happy. Was that just for the camera or was the film really fun to make?

The film was fun to make, though I’m realizing that mostly in retrospect. By that, I mean that I didn’t realize how much fun it was until it was over. I was living and breathing this movie day and night while we shot. And even though it wrapped very recently, it already feels like it was a year ago. That’s what editing does to you. It’s such a stark change from production that it tends to underscore the end of one stage and the beginning of another. Like turning to a drastically new chapter in a book. It jolts you.

Editing, sound mixing, composing, all fun. But nowhere near as exciting as being on set, seeing something you’ve created come to life before your eyes.

Can you say anything yet about when we can expect to see Walk All Over Me in theatres? In Canada, the US, in Europe, everywhere.

That’s out of my hands to be frank. What I’m anticipating is premiering it at several festivals this fall/winter, then sporadically traveling with it well into 2008. I did this with my first film and it was nice. I love seeing it with an audience. Very, very gratifying.

A theatrical release in Canada and the U.S. is something I’m eagerly anticipating, but I don’t know the dates yet.

I want to talk about the other cast just for a second, because this film allows each of them to shine in their own way. Certainly Leelee and Tricia, but other cast members like Lothaire Bluteau, Jacob Tierney, Michael Eklund, Michael Adamthwaite. Geez, here I am mentioning everyone, but I feel that’s appropriate. The cast in this movie is very good and I’m so proud of them and their work.

Could you give us a bit more dirt—oops—I mean info on Leelee? Did she make a lot of jokes or act goofy, did she freak people out by staying in character between scenes, did she order odd food, did she go out partying every night? Things like that.

Okay, three pieces of dirt. Only one of the following statements is true (or half-true). Which one? You decide…

The coffee on set wasn’t…well, it wasn’t very good. So I’d buy coffee every day for a few select people. Leelee was one of them. And after watching me pay with my own money, I’d hear the same story everyday: Thanks, Robert. I’ll get it tomorrow. That okay? Well, let’s just say that never happened. Not once. And that she owes me about forty dollars.

We did a few graveyard shoots, where we’d start around eight pm and go until that time the next morning. What I learned is that about three in the morning, Leelee begins—perhaps unwittingly—to talk in a British accent. Almost like she has no control over it. It’s maddening. This happened on a few occasions, but seemed to pop up more often in grocery stores.

Lastly, Leelee would show up on set in her pyjamas quite often. And when she didn’t feel like changing into her character’s costumes, she’d insist that I write the pyjamas into the scene. At first I thought, okay, a bit awkward, but she was so insistent that I went with it. Whatever. Long story short, she’s in her pyjamas for about 70% of the film. My editor and I are trying to figure out how to make it all play over the course of the film. I’m not going to lie, it’s tough.

One last question. Who ended up with the boots?

I don’t know the answer to that, actually. Though I hope that each of them were able to take something that will remind them of the movie in the months and years to come.

Thanks, Robert.

Thanks, guys. I enjoyed doing this.

Thanks to Gordon and JohnA.