Louise Linton
Louise Linton is an actress to watch out for over the next twelve months or so as she has a wide range of film roles on the horizon.
We caught up with her to chat about movies such as Serial Dater Anonymous, and Intruder as well as working with filmmakers Christopher Carson Emmons & Warren Beatty.
- You are going to be back on the big screen with Serial Daters Anonymous, so can you tell me a bit about the film?
Upon discovering her fiancé cheated, a witty, driven fashion columnist, (Linton) jilts her husband-to-be at the alter and goes on a retaliatory dating streak to avenge the city’s women and give men their comeuppance! But when she runs into her first love, will he ignite the fire or put out the flames?
Serial Dater’s Anonymous is an All American Romantic Comedy in the ilk of 'Runaway Bride' meets 'This Means War'.
Sam Page was on Season II of ‘House of Cards’ opposite Kevin Spacey. He is known for his roles on ‘Scandal’, ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘The Client List’, ‘Desperate Housewives’, ‘Shark’, and ‘CSI: NY’.
The film will was shot on location in Milwaukee in September 2013 for four weeks.
- You take on the central role of Claire in the film, so what was it about the character and the script that really appealed to you?
The moment I read the first page of the script, I was enthralled because the film opens with a bang. The next scene shows a bride running barefoot through busy streets and intersections and there is something so deliciously irregular about that image. It’s the last thing one would ever see a bride do.
To see all that taffeta and her long veil as she bolts across the tarmac, weaving between cars, her pure white dress being soiled by the grime and dirt of traffic and the city streets.
It set the tone for the rest of the script and I was intrigued where the character could go from this terrible moment in her life. Most films have the terrible drama near the end where it then gets resolved and leaves the audience feeling satisfied that all turned out okay.
This film opens with the terrible drama. I wanted to see what she would do and how she would change from this catastrophe. The character unravels and instead of staying wounded, she goes out to get revenge.
- Can you talk a more about Claire and just how we are going to see her develop throughout the film?
I loved playing this role because Claire has such a powerful character arc. She goes from being a sweet naive Midwestern girl to overnight turning into a bright fierce woman hell-bent on revenge against men.
She goes through a wild transformation both in her personality and the way she dresses. That meant there were 30 plus wardrobe changes, so the costumes were great fun.
I loved working with Sam Page who played my love interest. He's just finished a role on House of Cards with Kevin Spacey and was a very entertaining guy and easy to get along with.
It was great fun to film and really went from the sublime to ridiculous. There was a very funny scene where I had to climb out of a car window in a wedding dress - a huge, fluffy Princess number with mounds of lace and taffeta.
Trying to climb out of a car window gracefully in that outfit was impossible and gave everyone a giggle and hopefully it will make audiences laugh.
- You have been in a few comedy films in the past, but how do you find this genre? Some can find comedy quite a daunting prospect - particularly when they are in a lead role?
Truly, comedy can be daunting. If you’re not funny, the film doesn’t work. We’ve all seen those comedies where we just find ourselves cringing and not laughing at the jokes. There’s a delicate balance. And jokes translate differently to different audiences. Even people in the UK and the US have different senses of humour.
It’s widely understood in the film industry that UK and USA comedy movies are hard to sell to foreign territories because places like South East Asia and the Middle Eastern countries don’t understand our humour.
I think the key with comedy is timing. There’s a rhythm to it.
- This is only the second feature film for Christopher Carson Emmons, so how did you find working with him? And what kind of director is he?
Chris is diligent, follow through and hard working. He’s a very young director, which I find impressive because not many people have the drive or contacts to really direct full-length feature films in their mid-20’s.
The only directors in Hollywood who started so young have turned into some of the most famous directors of our time. When they start directing at a young age, they’re not afraid to place their stamp on the film.
You can see their fingerprints on their work, like Wes Anderson for example who made Bottle Rocket he directed at the age of 25. His films are known for their distinctive visual and narrative style.
Some older directors, direct beautifully but without placing an obvious signature on their work. Chris is the kind of director with a style you can spot.
I like that. He’s a very sensitive and thoughtful person and a true artist. We’ve become good buddies since we shot the movie.
- How collaborative is the process between the director's and the actors? How open was he to you bringing ideas to the character and the scenes?
This depends on the specific actor and director. Some directors are very controlling. The director on my other film, Intruder, knows exactly what he wants the characters to do, say, and wear. He really doesn’t like it when actors deviate from his vision. Which many actors love.
Many actors like a strong director who knows what they want and has a unified and streamlined vision of the film he or she is making. Chris Emmons isn’t like that though.
He’s collaborative and he enjoyed my input on the characters wardrobe and her emotional changes throughout the film. He sees the final film as a tapestry and collaboration of which he is at the helm, but with the creativity and input of his cast and crew.
- We are also going to be seeing you in thriller Intruder. How did that role come around?
The director gave me my first lead role in a sci-fi movie in 2009. We wanted to find something else to collaborate on for a long time as we work well together.
We are on the same wavelength and can talk very openly. There's trust between us and when we make films together, it's very much a collaborative experience.
He writes strong female leads and doesn't like women to be depicted as weak or powerless. I love this about his scripts. He called me in September 2012 and offered me the role.
- Intruder will also see you produce for the first time, so what made you want to tackle that? How was your first producing experience?
I had just graduated from law school and started my production company, Stormchaser Films, so I asked him if I could come on the movie as a producer as well as an actress. He said yes.
So suddenly, I had my first opportunity to produce. I want to produce because I want to be a creator of content and to select which stories I want to tell.
Whether I act in them or not, I like producing and having influence over which movies make it out there into the world.
- Now that you have made that leap, how much is that something that you are keen to explore further going forward?
100%. Now I have done it once, I realize how much work it is, and that there is a whole routine you must learn, and a language producers speak. I think it’s like riding a bike.
You have to learn how to produce films because between selecting good material, developing scripts, creating partnerships with other production companies on certain projects and putting films into pre-production, location scouting, casting, hiring of crew, production and the quagmire they call post-production, there’s a lot of elements and a lot to learn.
It’s wildly complicated. But as you learn the ropes, it gets easier. It’s hard but it’s a great way to combine a love for film with a way to earn an income.
- It really has been a very busy year for you as you have also completed work on a Howard Hughes biopic directed by legend Warren Beatty. How was that experience?
I play Betty, a young starlet who is one of the actresses under contract to Howard Hughes' movie Studio in the 1950s. She looks like Marilyn Munroe.
I can't say more than that because Warren prefers absolute discretion - as he has done on all his films, and I respect that a lot. I can say though that acting with that cast of stellar actors was a unique and extraordinary experience.
- As I said Beatty is a big screen legend, so how did you find him as a filmmaker? And there is a terrific cast on board as well.
Warren is the kindest person I’ve met. He’s warm, personable, and thoughtful. He’s also deeply intelligent... and funny.
He’s a perfectionist, especially in his work and in his creativity. He’s quick on his feet and while everything in his films has been planned out long in advance, he’s also very creative during the process of filming.
When we met, he asked me to watch 'Reds' and 'Bullworth' to familiarize myself with his writing and directing work. Reds is a remarkable film, and highly complex, both in the character’s relationships and in the commentary it makes on the Russian Revolution and on radicalism, idealism, and communism at large.
For his work on 'Reds', Warren became the third person to be nominated for Academy Awards in the categories Best Actor, Director, and Original Screenplay for a film nominated for Best Picture. (This was done previously only by Orson Welles for Citizen Kane, and Woody Allen for Annie Hall.)
Warren deservedly won the Academy award for best director for Reds.
He was nominated for best screenplay on Bulworth, which is an equally brilliant and clever film with a subversive message about phoniness and artifice in modern politics.
- You kicked off your career in television, so how was the transition into film? And where would like to see you career go over the next couple of years?
I was doing film and TV around the same time. It wasn’t a choice. It was more an eagerness to work as an actor, be it film, TV, or theatre. The roles came along and I was thrilled to take roles on both the big and small screens.
The harder transition was coming from a theatre background than a film and TV environment. Acting for the stage is radically different. I had to learn to make everything smaller.
I took years of acting classes when I lived in the UK, then I switched to film and TV acting classes when I arrived in the states. I attribute much of what I learned to various acting coaches around Los Angeles.
- You also have a degree in journalism and have graduated for Law School, but what has drawn you towards acting?
I have been an actor since the age of six. That was always my passion and my vocation. I got my degree in Journalism and my law degree because I owed them to myself. I’m a big believer in education and the value it brings into your life.
I wouldn’t be the person I am without those degrees. They enhanced my life in ways I would have really missed out on if I had only followed acting alone. They make me a better actor.
- Finally, what's next for you going through the rest of this year?
I am shooting two more films this fall. Next month I begin filming in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on a new movie "Echo Effect" a political action thriller about a conspiracy to shut of Manhattan's water supply.
The film is set in New York. I play Kate, the love interest, who is a brilliant and subversive investigate journalist on a mission to uncover the conspiracy. I will be filming there for three weeks.
I am also filming an iconic character in a big cult horror remake but I’m not allowed to say the title as they are deliberately keeping it under wraps during filming.
I have also launched a handbag line in collaboration with Dunmore Scotland. Established in 2012, Dunmore Scotland is a vibrant family run fashion label producing striking bags and accessories with a contemporary twist. Inspired, designed and made in Scotland, each Dunmore bag guarantees outstanding quality of craftsmanship.
Launched in July 2014, ‘The Linton Collection’ is a range of three elegant pieces. All handcrafted in bottle green, each feature the luxurious soft leather, which has become the Dunmore Scotland hallmark.
The Arisaig is a large weekend bag, suitable for men or women; the Appin, an elegant and useful ladies bag and the Alford, also a ladies piece, is shaped as a traditional bowling bag, all are trimmed in exquisite bridle leather.
This collection is simple, elegant, and versatile. These bags combine the perfect pairing of luxury and function and are so timeless they can be passed from one generation to the next.
Worn individually or as a set while traveling, the Arisaig, Appin, and Alford each convey an understated elegance, which combined with Dunmore’s exceptional craftsmanship and durability make this collection a beautiful and reliable addition to any wardrobe, no matter the season.
Whether in the city or the country, taking a weekend trip or traveling between continents, this set is the quintessential accessory to complement every lifestyle.
‘The Linton Collection’ is on sale now at www.dunmorescotland.com.