Kristanna Loken – Lime Salted Love
By: Nicole Holland
In 2003, Kristanna Loken’s breakthrough role as T-X, playing opposite of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, established her name on the domestic and international film circuit.
Currently, Loken serves dual roles: actress (Sci-Fi Channel’s Painkiller Jane, The L Word, Lime Salted Love and In the Name of the King) and executive producer (Painkiller Jane and Lime Salted Love).
In her latest film Lime Salted Love (represented by ITN Distribution), Loken journeys to the spectrum’s polar opposite (and trades in her well-known action characters) and delivers a never-before-seen side: a raw, real and emotional performance as the sexual provocateur named Zephyr in this surrealistic and hypnotic art house film. According to film critic Todd Konrad: “Loken flips the artistic coin and reveals an emotional intimacy rarely glimpsed while maintaining a wonderful inner poise and strength in the new independent film Lime Salted Love.”
As IFQ’s Nicole Holland speaks with Loken, IFQ senses Loken’s magnetic energies: artistic passion, creative drive, stability, free loving nature, individualism, optimism and her dynamic high spirits. IFQ realizes that this charismatic Libra is a rare gem when it comes to the “Under 30 Hollywood crowd.”
IFQ delivers a peek inside the red room with Kristanna Loken and gives you a taste of Lime Salted Love.
IFQ: Can you tell me about the production phase of your new film Lime Salted Love?
Kristanna Loken: It was a complete blood, sweat and tears project as most independents. There’s no really right or wrong way to go about financing a project—you are creative and lucky to get what you get. It started with the classic kind of actors’ studio story. We all met at an acting class–Danielle Agnello who wrote and co-directed the film and myself and Joe Hall, who was also one of the co-directors and writers. She wrote a short (Worn Like a Tattoo) that I was in and we both won an award at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival; she won for writing and I won for acting. Then she wrote a feature and ended up contacting Michael Goi (Vice President of the ASC – American Society of Cinematographers), in hopes of cinematographer. We really had nothing at that point—other than a script. We didn’t even have any kind of budget and also I wanted to get into producing, so I came on more as a production aspect as well as co-starring. He loved it and said, “Look, whatever it takes I want to help you guys get this piece done.” He submitted the script and we ended up winning a camera package from Panavision, which helped out a lot. We shot it on HD. Then, we had private investors. We set a date, and then we had it on that date, so that’s how the film began.
IFQ: This is the second time you have worked with Danielle Agnello. How was your experience working with Danielle (who is an independent filmmaker)? You usually do studio films. Was this your first feature independent?
KL: Thinking back, it certainly was one that I was involved with. I’ve done some independents a few years ago, but not involved on this level. Danielle is an amazing talent. She is just such a raw talent and I knew as soon as I started working with her in the acting class that she was going to go far. I didn’t know in what capacity, but I knew somehow because she’s got such a depth of fold, emotion and creativity that it’s just a really winning special combo. So yes, we collaborated again on Lime Salted Love after Worn Like a Tattoo. Danielle, again, is the classic tragedy through arts story. She got into a terrible car accident and was hospitalized and went into a coma for a few weeks and when she came out of the coma, she was trying to get off of several medications and they ended up putting her in a psych ward and the whole time basically, we just said keep writing the script, this will help you through it and she did. She didn’t have a place to live; she and her dog were living above the acting studio—during winter with no heat, but she wrote it and she is doing really well right now. For a young woman, she has got a lot to really pull from in her own personal experience.
IFQ: What was your reaction when you first read the script of Lime Salted Love?
KL: The interesting thing is that I read the script [in sequential order]. However, the way it’s edited now, the best correlation would be Momento. You kind of see the end of the film first and then you find out more as you go and as you watch. You put the pieces together. The script wasn’t like that. The script actually was in sequential order.
We even shot it in order. We edited it in order. There was just something that was missing. Then Danielle came to me one day and she said, “Oh my god, this is it. This is the idea. We are re-editing the film.” She just had this chicken-scratch list of which scenes she wanted where and how it would be revealed. It became kind of a whole different and much cooler and interesting film. It really took on its on life.
IFQ: Danielle and you had an intense connection and played well off of each other in the roles of Ellie and Zephyr. One of the most intense scenes is the “red room” scene where the two of you are back to back with the overlapping dialogue. Even though this was a minimalist scene, was this difficult to shoot?
KL: Yes, it was because it was very surreal and it was very metaphoric. It sent a message with us being so connected yet never looking at another one. It was like you said poetic in the way that it was written–kind of on-going finishing one another’s sentences. [The characters] both were coming from a similar place of what we’d experienced as children and the pain involved in that. It was a really intense scene. A lot of different and strange kind of bizarre things came to mind when we were shooting that scene.
IFQ: What are your personal thoughts on your character – Zephyr? Which of your own qualities did you bring to the table in this particular role, if any?
KL: I really liked the way Danielle wrote the Zephyr character because she was kind of someone that I think anybody could relate to–just young and trying to find her way in life and kind of artsy and open to anything and non-judgmental and dabbling a little bit here and there, but yet having this deep wound like the Ellie character. I think that was the main bond that they had. It’s like were they in love? Were they just friends? Did it matter? Kind of anything went. I know that I could definitely relate to her. I think there are a lot of other young women in their early to mid-twenties who can relate. They are going through that in their lives, not knowing which way is up and dealing with all these crazy people and experiences, and just really trying to come from a good and truthful place.
There are always certain qualities of yourself that you bring to every character because those are the qualities that you draw on to create the character–past experiences that you’ve had. I think I can relate to past hurts as a young person, not necessarily child abuse, but different kinds of trauma that happened in my past that I was definitely able to recall and use. Also, I am openly bisexual [like Zephyr]. I’ve had relationships with men and women and that’s something that I have always seen as a real kind of freedom of loving whom you choose. So yes, there were definitely a few things that I called upon.
IFQ: Do you think that Generation X & Y will easily relate to the characters in Lime Salted Love? I felt like Ellie, Zephyr and Chase all had “relatable elements.”
KL: I absolutely do. Also I think what we hope to do is educate the young people with the film and let them know that it’s okay to talk about their problems and come to terms with their problems and not be afraid by what’s happened in their past and not be insecure or embarrassed about it. They could really come out and know that other people were going through this. So many people experienced child abuse when they were young, or have been raped or have gone through some traumatic childhood experience, like Chase’s experience–losing a sibling at a very young age and all the responsibility was put on him. I think there are lots of different elements that people from all walks of life could relate. Look at Reality Bites. That was a simple story of young people and what they were going through and those problems. Everybody related to one of those characters. This is a deeper operation of looking inside the depth of characters. So yes, I do think and I hope that it does educate people and they go, “Well this happened to me. I shouldn’t be afraid of this. Let me go and get help before I make the wrong steps. Before all of a sudden, oh my god, I don’t see a way out and I overdose.” There are other steps that you can take before you let it get to that destruction.
IFQ: What’s your opinion on independent films vs. studio films?
KL: The reason why I wanted to get involved with my own production company was I felt very frustrated with the scripts that I was reading. They were getting hundreds of millions of dollars to be made and for what??? They had no real meaning. They had no real story. They didn’t really affect you. You didn’t learn anything from it. It wasn’t politically or environmentally aware. Now with the influx of political, economic and environmental awareness that we have, you start to see some more independent films like that. But human suffering–people want to be able to connect to the characters and walk away feeling something. I’ll tell you right now, Lime Salted Love is not a happy movie. It’s a very intense and weighty piece. I want to say like a cross between 21 Grams and Mulholland Drive, edited out of sequence like Momento. You feel for the characters and you’re left with a greater meaning. That’s really why I wanted to start producing my own films.
It’s so challenging doing independent films and especially those that are avant-garde or a little bit different or out there. When you know you have something special, you can’t help but love it and appreciate it and you know certain types of people will appreciate it too.
IFQ: Switching over to TV, you are involved in the TV show Painkiller Jane. Can you talk about your roles as an actor and executive producer?
KL: Yes. That was my first time working in the producing field on a TV show, which is very different and of course has similarities to doing a film. The series was very structured in a sense and very fast-paced. We put out 22 one hour episodes over an eight month period. We shot it in Vancouver and Budapest. It was an interesting challenge for me because I was the only creative on-set producer all the time so a lot of people think they can give the title to the actor to appease them, but I really learned so much on a production level on a TV series. I’m grateful for that. I could go onto another TV series just on a producing aspect alone and know exactly what to do because everything went through me. From locations to set design to casting, it all went through me plus the dialogue and action. It was the most challenging job I’ve had and it went on for eight months of 15 hour days on average. We only wrapped two months ago. I’m still kind of coming down from it. [Laughs.] It was great and I loved the character. She was a bit of an anti-hero. She didn’t really know why the things were happening to her and basically she was getting to the root of the reason. She had a healing capability, but she took on the physical, mental and emotional pain so it was a big emotional rollercoaster.
IFQ: You are on Showtime’s The L Word. How’s your experience on the show?
KL: That’s a very different experience from anything else that I have done. I really love Ilene Chaiken, who is the creator and executive producer. We have some great directors. John Stockwell and Angela Robinson are great to work with. Also, Angela is one of the producers on the show. I love what the show is about. It’s the only show of its kind on the air. I love the fact that they really go for it and they definitely don’t have a lot of censorship on Showtime. [Laughs.] It was a really nice departure for me, a totally different type–you know, a bisexual single mother who has a 10-year-old kid and I really enjoyed that.
IFQ: Your breakthrough film role was in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines where you played opposite of Arnold Schwarzenegger. How was it working with Arnold?
KL: He was great! As you would imagine, he has a very larger than life persona with his posse of people. I learned a lot by working with him and watching him. He’s really great with his fans, which you have to be if you want any kind of longevity. Obviously, number one is talent, but you have to be accessible to them. They keep you going. Those are the people who see your films and they are a very important part of your career. I really just watched him when we did two major publicity tours in Europe and Asia. Well, they don’t get much bigger than him. I learned a lot.
IFQ: Judging upon your experience with him, would you ever think that he would be your Governor one day?
KL: Yes, absolutely. He got the question all the time. He was going to run for office. When we were doing publicity, he very wisely said, “Look, I’m here to promote the film. I’m not here to talk about my political career,” and left it at that. It didn’t surprise me at all.
IFQ: Before Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and your international success, how did you break into the acting scene?
KL: It’s funny because ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to act and just took the proper steps. I grew up with a lot of different training: dance, regional theatre, acting classes, stage groups, singing–a little bit of everything, which actually made for a well-rounded background when I started pursuing it professionally at 13. Then, I was living in upstate New York and went down to the city and got an agent. Actually, my father did a bit of acting and he is also a writer, but it was an agent of his. I started working with him and then it just kind of snowballed from there. I came out to LA at 16, alone with a dollar and a dream. [Laughs.] I’ve always studied and taken the actual craft of the work very seriously and had a lot of respect for what we do artistically and just kind of remained grounded with that and wanted to grow within the art. There is no CEO of acting. There is no final level, which is very exciting to me.
IFQ: I’ve seen your highly-skilled range of acting from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines to Lime Salted Love. Where did you study? Do you have any advice for up and coming actors?
KL: I fell in love with the most incredible teacher here in LA and her name is Silvana Gallardo and unfortunately, she just moved to Kentucky. I do know that she is still doing workshops and classes there. She has her own technique. Basically, she works with getting in touch with your self on a deep and emotional level and being able to stay there and not being afraid and kind of accessing those emotions, which I find extremely comprehensive. I use her techniques all the time on set or for auditions. Actually Danielle and another gentleman (George Castañeda, who is in Lime Salted Love) have started an acting group called The Paper Hat in Hollywood. That’s another really good thing that they’ve got going on. It’s a similar technique. They’ve used a lot of the different greats: Meisner, Strasberg, Uta Hagen and put them in a blender and mixed them up. That’s another class I would check out. It’s very affordable. They charge people five bucks. Anybody can come, which makes it very nice, because I think a lot of the acting classes, the prestigious ones, the ones you have to wait on a waiting list and you have to pay thousands of dollars to even get in–when you do, is unrealistic for young actors who are starting out. They can’t afford that. Acting shouldn’t be about how much you can pay for the classes. I don’t think that states how good the classes are. Those are my recommendations.
IFQ: Since you live in LA, how do you feel about the obnoxious paparazzi? Do you try to remain low-key?
KL: Yes. I couldn’t be anymore removed from the LA scene, so to speak. I’ve never been a part of that. I love what I do, but I don’t need to be reminded about it all the time with it slapping me in the face. I like to have my private time. I like to do things with my friends who are not involved in the business. Also I have a beach house in Cape Town, South Africa, which is another place that I love to just totally get away. I think it’s important to have that grounding.
IFQ: Since you “have that grounding,” what’s your opinion on today’s Young Hollywood?
KL: It’s funny because I just turned 28 and somehow I managed to survive through all of that. [Laughs.] I was never a part of any group or clique. I think there is always going to be that burn out rate with young people who reach a certain level of fame, status or income. It’s sad, but I think that people who do burn out, maybe they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Maybe they aren’t really taking it seriously. Maybe they just need to learn a lesson and they’ll come out of it and they will be fine. Maybe the pressure is too much. Who knows what it is? I think people go through whatever they need to go through in life and hopefully, have the ability and have their eyes open to take the circumstances that they are going through and learn from them and grow with them. I’ve always had meditation. I don’t know why, but I found meditation at 18. It’s been something that I do every day that’s really given me a lot in life.
IFQ: Do you have any upcoming projects?
KL: I have another film coming out. It’s called In the Name of the King. It’s kind of an action, medieval epic with Tony Cheng who directed House of Flying Daggers and here, he directed the second unit. I did some really cool wire work with the Cirque du Soleil acrobats, which was really neat. It’s with Jason Statham, Claire Forlani, Burt Reynolds and Leelee Sobieski–a huge ensemble cast. It comes out in North America in January 2008.
Kristanna Loken’s official website: www.kristannaloken.net
Lime Salted Love’s website: www.limesaltedlovefilm.com
Lime Salted Love’s Exclusive World Sales Agent: ITN Distribution, AFM Suite #825, www.itndistribution.com, Contact: 917-690-1539, 702-361-1430, stuart@itndistribution.com
