Eve Hewson This Must Be The Place Interview

Eve Hewson This Must Be The Place Interview

Cast: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, Eve Hewson
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rated: M
Running Time: 118 minutes

Synopsis: In This Must Be The Place, Sean Penn plays Cheyenne, a bored, retired, wealthy American goth rock star living in Dublin (and looking a lot like Robert Smith). He's a complex character, bumbling around town with friends and living in an enormous mansion with his down-to-earth wife of 35 years, Jane (Frances McDormand.) When he learns of the death of his father - who he has been estranged from for over 30 years - he returns to America to embark on a road trip that will change him forever. His quest is driven by the revelation that his father was humiliated in Auschwitz at the hands of an SS officer, who may still be alive and living in America. Cheyenne's search takes him across the heartland of a country now foreign to him, encountering some great people as he is reawakened to the possibility of reconciliation and self-discovery. This is a rare film that is able to mix stunning originality and elegance with real humanity. Penn is riveting, beguiling and downright perplexing in a performance that reminds you why he is one of the greats. Featuring a terrific soundtrack with music and lyrics by David Byrne and Will Oldham, This Must Be The Place is a genuinely unique film full of warmth, humour, profundity and lots of eye-liner.

Release Date: April 5, 2012

Interview with Eve Hewson

Born in Dublin, Eve Hewson now resides in New York City where she is a student at NYU. The Must Be The Place marks her second feature film, following Erica Dunton's acclaimed indie hit The 27 Club, which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. In 2010, Hewson starred as Della in For the First Time, a 16 minute short about an Irish couple trying to make it in New York City. The film was pared down and made into a music video for Irish band The Script's song of the same name.

Question: Who is Mary?

Eve Hewson: Mary is a 16 year old Goth and Cheyenne's best friend. She's a dark old soul from a broken family - her brother's left and her mother's lost her mind and kind of forgotten about her. Cheyenne takes her in and takes care of her. They're friends and form sort of a tribe together. She's a huge fan of his. They confide in each other. He's the one who knows all her secrets.


Question: Does he make it known to her what his intentions are when he leaves?

Eve Hewson: Mary just finds out that his father is dying when he leaves. She thinks he will go and then come back. Then after a while when he doesn't come back, she feels like he's abandoning her, just like her brother.


Question: What was your reaction to the character? How much work did you have to do to find her?

Eve Hewson: The script was so detailed and precise. To create the character was the easy part; there were so many layers right there on the page. But Mary is so dark and has really heavy scenes. I knew that it would take a lot of work to get under the skin and understand where all that pain came from. The music that I listened to helped with that. I listened to The Cure, Talking Heads. All of their lyrics gave me an insight into what Mary was feeling and what was going on in her head.


Question: I assume you don't look like this in real life?

Eve Hewson: No - they dyed my hair and extensions, gave me rings and ripped tights - though I do wear ripped tights in real life! The costume and the hair and make-up helped a lot with finding the character. I feel darker and closed off which is obviously what she's trying to do, putting up a barrier. I couldn't feel like Mary if I was wearing my own clothes.


Question: How have you found working with Paolo Sorrentino?

Eve Hewson: I watched Il Divo and it's pretty heavy and intense. Everything is really controlled and precise and you'd think working with Paolo would be really scary. But he's the most gentle human being I've ever met. Everything's so calm on set, he knows exactly what he wants and he takes his time. There's no fuss or tension. He knows exactly what he's doing. It's kind of a gift.


Question: And with Sean Penn?

Eve Hewson: I'd never met Sean before pre-production. I was pretty intimidated because of his body of work and his level of intensity. I wasn't sure how that would translate into real life. But he's been fantastic and very friendly. It was great and working with him was an education in itself.


Question: Can you tell us about Frances McDormand and the character she plays?

Eve Hewson: Frances plays Jane, Cheyenne's wife. They nurture Mary and Jane is a positive female influence in her life. She adores their relationship, she supports their friendship and takes care of Mary in her own way. Frances and Sean work very differently, so it was interesting to see how they work in a scene together.


Question: You're primarily involved in the Dublin portion of the shoot. How has that been?

Eve Hewson: I grew up in Dublin. I moved to New York for school and then I moved to LA. And now I'm back here to make a film. It's actually been very comforting as I know exactly where I'm going and I'm staying at home - it's helped me feel comfortable on set.