Video:

 12andholding

Zoë Weizenbaum

Conor Donovan, Weizenbaum, and Jesse Camacho in "12 and Holding"

DP: When you auditioned for "Memoirs," did Rob Marshall really talk to you about the role of Pumpkin?

ZW: At the final audition. The big thing I had to work with the whole time is that it's a period piece and there was a different culture than I'm used to. At my first audition, I did a lot of hand movements, because Americans talk with their hands; and I've grown up with a lot of people who are very animated so I do that a lot myself. The big instruction I got at the final audition was that Japanese people are very reserved and don't let out more than they need to.

I had first gone in to audition for the main girl, and then I went in for her best friend, Pumpkin. And I got a call back, and the second time I did it with the director and casting director. At first it was very scary. You sit there with many girls and the waiting is nerve-wracking.

DP: When he was trying to get you to commit to his film, Michael Cuesta (watch our video interview with Michael Cuesta...) said he sent your mom his first film, "L.I.E." It's a chancy film to show to a mother. How did she react?

ZW: She was very open to it and thought that I could handle a similar film. She told me that after people she knew saw "12 and Holding" or saw the article about it and me in the New York Times, they asked, "Were you comfortable with your daughter doing these things?" It was like them asking if she didn't find a need to protect her daughter more. My mom told them that she was really comfortable and understood the motivations behind the character.

DP: "L.I.E." is about pedophilia and I think it was R-rated, but it makes little sense that adults should be the only ones to watch it? In fact, did you watch it with your mother?

ZW: Yeah. It's actually NC-17. My mother and I did the whole process together. We watched "L.I.E." with friends and the environment is different with that kind of movie and they felt a bit uncomfortable. But I've grown up in an environment where we see movies dealing with those issues all the time. So it didn't really affect me that much. The first time I saw it I wasn't horrified or disturbed. I think it's a really good film—and really honest.

DP: Honest is the word Michael uses to describe his follow-up film, "12 and Holding." He says it's not a dark film, but a real, honest film. Could you tell that from the script?

ZW: The first time I read the script I kind of had a resistance to it. We were on vacation, and I said to my mom, "Oh, my God, listen to this scene!" And then I'd read it to her. And she would say, "Wow!" I said, "I could never do that."

Once I did the audition tape and read the script over again, I knew I had to look beyond the acts themselves and focus on the characters and their relationships and situations. I think it's a really good film to see to learn about relationships, between parents and kids and between kids and kids.

DP: Why do you think you were the right choice to play the role, that you understood her so well?

ZW: I would never do the things she does but as a character I like that she's quirky and really funny, and at first she's not really influenced by the image of a "pretty teenager." You can tell a lot about her by the good friends she has. I related to her in an offbeat kind of way. She's kind of dorky and I could play that, but she's also remarkable at the same time. Dorky in a good way. She's off a bit, and weird in the best sense of the word. It was a challenging role.

DP: The moment where I think you and Malee are the same is when you sing the Blue Oyster Cult song at the school. That's when I saw you.

ZW: Yeah! I see myself there. I love performing and singing, and I loved preparing for that song. I really feel I'm in my element when I'm onstage, so you might have seen that.

DP: Was your being an Asian-American ever brought up considering it is never mentioned in the script?

ZW: I had a lot of apprehension about that scene. I'd talk to my mother and say, "Oh God, the scene is coming up on Tuesday!" We would refer to it as "The Scene."

DP: How long into the shooting schedule did you do it?

ZW: It was later, maybe after two or three weeks. It would have been harder if we shot it at first. The reason it was so comfortable is that I had a really good relationship with Jeremy Renner and with Michael and was familiar with everyone on the set. And we'd done hard scenes before so, I understood Malee better. That made a difference.