It is difficult to talk toMamie Gummerwithout mentioning her mum — the legendary Meryl Streep. At Cancun, Mexico, where the 32-year-old Gummer was promoting her latest film, Jonathan Demme’s ‘ Ricki and the Flash’ , most questions were around how it felt to be her mother’s daughter. In ‘Ricki and the Flash’ , releasing on August 28, Mamie plays Julie, estranged daughter of rock chick Ricki (Streep). The soft-spoken actor talked toMini Anthikad-Chhibberof the pros and cons of working with family, of the differences between working for television and the movies, and how she always knew she would be an actor. Excerpts:
Can you talk about the experience of working with your mom?
I think that I am among four other people on the planet that would not be actually intimidated by my mom, the others being people that I’m related to. It was a really wonderful experience. Honestly it was, it was really profound and one that I will treasure. It was a little bit disorienting, because it was challenging to disassociate from the person that you’re the most sort of intrinsically connected to in the world. But once we kind of dug in and figured out the characters and the world that we were creating, and the story that we wanted to tell, within a few days it was really quite easy.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of working with family on the sets?
Advantages, I would say there is an undeniable shorthand. We could communicate and express things wordlessly and subtly. Disadvantages were, I guess, our relationship in the film, the characters are so different from my mother and my own. And so having to kind of spit vitriol and fire and have this real anger that Julie has for her mother was a bit of a challenge for me.
What was your working relationship like?
We were very careful in respecting Jonathan’s process. And he wanted to keep us more or less separated when we were working just to maintain some distance. We drove to work separately, we maintained our own space but we drove home together.
Was that distance helpful?
It was helpful in the beginning when we were trying to establish our characters and their relationship. As we came to understand the story we were telling, we didn’t need to be as stringent about it.
Tell us more about your character in the film and how you approached her?
I approached her with caution, as I urge everyone else to. What I love about Diablo’s (Cody) scriptwriting and what she was just touching on, is how unapologetic her female characters are, and how it is like that wicked, wonderful blend of humour and also heart. I think Julie is a tough cookie, who has fallen on some hard times. And I think she was very determined from a young age to define her life and her character against what she felt her mother was. And I think, ultimately, she kind of comes to peace with the ways in which they are similar and kindred.
When did you realise you were going to be an actor? Was it possible that you wouldn’t be an actor?
It is still possible that I might not be an actor (laughs). I was always performing as a kid. I was very extroverted and loud as a kid. I also saw my mum, how much joy acting gave her, how much she loved it. That was really infectious and inspiring.
Is there any kind of character you prefer?
Really good, complex, messy…
What about an action film?
I think the nature of action movies would have to shift for me to be in them. I would love to see an action movie that I was in because it would mean it was an unconventional action movie.
Is the way you approach a film different from the way your mom approaches a film?
I don’t know. It is a very private process. We don’t talk about it much
Do you ask your mom for advice?
No, I don’t. I have lots of other people to advise me. If it is something specific, I would ask her and if she thinks it is dumb idea, then maybe I would reconsider or maybe not.
What do you like doing when you are not acting?
I like to read, do yoga, eat, meet friends. I take advantage of New York City, see as much as I can. I try and stay as curious as I can, trying to absorb as much as possible.
What is the difference between working in a film and on a television show?
It depends. With The Good Wife , I do one or two every season. It is like trying to remember the details of an old friend — like what is the name of the guy she is dating? It is a bit of sense memory stuff. The other television shows I have done, I have enjoyed because it has been a very immersive process. You live in a person for a prolonged period of time — I guess it depends on the person you are living.
What kind of actor would you like to be?
A working one! For as long as people will have me. I’d like to just keep my head on. And start making the film calls that I’d otherwise be waiting for. If that means producing or directing, I think I’d be keen. Potentially directing, I like being the boss!
