Vic Carmen Sonne chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about her new movie “The Birthday Party,” which will be released on Demand and on Digital on August 14th.
The synopsis is: The story is set in the late 1970s somewhere in the Mediterranean, where Marcos Timoleon, an Aristotle Onassis-like tycoon, is throwing a lavish, extravagant birthday party for Sofia, his daughter and sole heiress, on his exclusive private island. The party is a perfect excuse for various people in his life to approach him with their own agendas. But Marcos, who is used to ruthlessly controlling everything and everyone around him at whatever cost, is also secretly plotting a big decision on his daughter’s behalf.
Sofia, however, has come to share some important news of her own. As guests start pouring in and night falls, the party grows rowdier and more decadent, while the inevitable clash between Marcos and Sofia reaches a heartbreaking climax.
On her experience starring in this film, she exclaimed, “It was a lot of fun!”
On playing Sofia, she remarked, “The first thing that comes to mind is that I liked how Sofia had been studying movie stars from the ’70s. I think she had a lot of fun trying to replicate things she had seen on the big screen. She was inspired by Faye Dunaway, Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, and all of those phenomenal women. That was a lot of fun.”
She had great remarks about working with Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe. “It was amazing. He is an incredible human being and one of the best actors in the world, so that was really fun,” she said. “Working with the cast and crew was great. Miguel, the director, is Spanish, and the cinematographer is from Catalonia. I’m from Catalonia as well.”
“Obviously, we shot the film in Greece—both in Corfu and Athens—and most of the crew, as well as a great part of the cast, were Greek. It was really interesting, and I felt so welcomed and so well taken care of. It was just a very good experience,” she added.
On filming in Greece, she stated, “I loved it. I loved the ocean and the culture. I felt there was a great sense of hospitality, and there were so many fun, focused, and passionate people. I really had a good time. I would love to film in Greece again any day.”
On the lessons learned from the screenplay, she reflected, “That’s a good question. I think one of the things it taught me is that we can have so many preconceived ideas about people. Someone like Sofia and her family come from a level of wealth that most people can’t even begin to imagine. She was born into this financial and material abundance, and I guess it’s easy to make the assumption that, ‘Okay, well, she had everything on a silver platter. Life was easy for her’.”
“Getting to live her experience and explore the world through her eyes made me appreciate a certain kind of openness that I feel I now have in a different way toward people who are so easy to write off as spoiled or as people who have had everything handed to them,” she added.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, she said, “I love that more people have access to more stories. I think streaming is good for that. I wish I had a little more of a social media presence. Maybe that’s something I should work on. I do have an Instagram profile, but I’d like to post more. It’s generous to allow people in, I think.”
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “Poppy Mom.”
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “You can do whatever you want, I think. And keep going. Sometimes it can take a while. You’re perfect, and never stop dreaming. I know it’s super corny, but I truly mean it.”
Success
On her definition of success, she said, “I think I read something yesterday—I believe it was a quote from Ariana Grande, or perhaps she was quoting somebody. It was something along the lines of: If you can rest your head on your pillow at night without worrying, that is success. Peace of mind. I think that’s really nice and beautiful. If you can go to bed without worrying, I think that’s a success.”
For her fans, she expressed, I love you! I hope they enjoy ‘The Birthday Party.’ I think it’s something about how being vulnerable and having a lot of autonomy can coexist in one human being.”
“I think what I’ve said about having a sense of self while still allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open is probably the thing that stays with me. That’s something I hope people can take from the movie,” she concluded.
To learn more about Vic Carmen Sonne, follow her on Instagram.
