SOFIA URIBE ANGELOPOULOS TALKS STILL OHIO
"Hollywood is paying attention to indie filmmakers"
Daniel John
In 'Still Ohio' four people brought together by a carpool discover that the worry of sharing a ride with strangers is about to take a backseat as they become trapped in a time loop. Where did this unpredictable script take you that left you unable to pull away?
As a viewer, I consider the plot a vehicle for the interpersonal relationships at play. I love watching movies because of the connections we see on screen. So although I was interested in the logistics behind a time loop movie, I was much more intrigued by Anna’s relationship to Doug and what the inevitable patterns of a long distance relationship mean for a young woman coming into her own. Ana’s relationship with all three characters on the road trip is complicated, she doesn’t feel completely safe with any of them, yet there’s a natural intimacy that develops when stuck in a car with three people. I find this really true of college, especially coming from a BFA program with twenty people per class, you become close quickly, and there’s a risk and excitement that comes with those first few connections. Watching how each character responds at every gas station, forces Ana to confront her own identity and values, what within herself will save her? When I went to college, I came from a big family, entered a long distance relationship, and joined a group of actors from different backgrounds. I had to work on filtering which values were mine and which were the voices of others. So I related to Ana on that level. Sometimes growing up can feel like a time loop, trying to move forward, but always falling backward, and then one day you realize you’ve made it through.
What did you make of Julia?
When I first read for Julia, I played what was on the page, a fun party girl in love with a jock, threatened by the new girl on the road. It wasn’t until the callback when Kaylin gave me the note to welcome Ana into the car and make her feel comfortable that I started to understand Julia. Two years later, I have much more empathy for her character. I think she craves connection with other women and understand the need for female friendship to survive. Ultimately, Julia wants to do the right thing. She fights for others, even if she isn’t always kind about it, she knows what she wants and she chooses good. And thank God she’s flawed, it makes her much more interesting.
Did the confined space help you all connect, nothing like a long car ride to bond?
I can’t believe we only filmed for two weeks. I feel such a deep connection to the people who made this film, the cast and crew. The four of us, Fernanda, Michael, Jake, and I shared an Airbnb for the duration of filming so it really felt like summer camp. We shot from 6pm to 6am, all overnights. Working that way created this special moment in time when no one else was awake, it was all ours. Because we spent so much time together, we bonded immediately. Our nights consisted of long talks about our families, our hopes and dreams, the uncertainty of pursuing what you love. Our mornings consisted of McDonald’s on the porch, watching the sunrise, folding laundry, Fernanda’s chocolate chip pancakes. You never know when you’ll get to work as an actor, for a lot of us it was our first feature film, and you could feel that on set, that every single person was there because they loved it. You felt it in the way people took care of each other, lifted each other up, joked around between takes and focused on the task at hand. So yes, everything about the film was confined, an indie shot in the director’s home state, filming for hours in a car, and two weeks of overnights to get it all done. But the restrictions of a first film is what makes it special, because you know you’re a part of a group of people who are making it happen, despite everything, and to me there’s nothing more magical than that.
How much ground did you actually cover in making the film. Did you get out on the road or were you mostly parked?
A lot of it was actual driving. And even if I was sleeping in the backseat, these were some of my favorite scenes, driving through Ohio in the summer. It was so beautiful. However, on one of our first days it started to rain. The crew had to improvise and switch to a “poorman’s process” where we mimicked the effects of driving in a garage. The car was stationary but the crew spun lights and manually shook the car to imitate the feel of a moving vehicle. It was that day that I really started to trust the process, seeing everyone work together like that, and remain calm despite unforeseen challenges. It was very sweaty in that car but thankfully Hannah and Cora were there to blot us dry and shoutout Monse for keeping us hydrated.
Where do you think your desire to get into acting came from?
I started ballet when I was four and honestly I still remember my first moment on stage as a water nymph in a sparkly blue leotard. My favorite parts of ballet, and what I was best at, were the character roles, which favored acting over dancing. I participated in school plays and musicals from fourth grade through high school and forced my cousins to reenact scripts I wrote at every family event. It seemed like a natural progression to study acting in college and honestly I never questioned it. Acting has always been the love of my life and theatre was always my community. It was a place where you could never be too much. There’s always an opportunity to express yourself, to laugh, to empathize with drastically different experiences. I wouldn’t want to do anything else. No matter how strange or lonely pursuing this career can feel, those few moments when you get to perform, to build something with people you admire, it makes it all worth it.
What is the endless road ahead but a future full of yet unknown opportunities. Is horror a genre you would love to return to, over and over again, or what kind of work are you hoping to explore?
I love horror, even if it’s hard for me to watch, I scare very easily. I think it’s a fantastic avenue for first-time film-makers because it’s relatively low-budget and you can play with such emotional extremes. As an audience member, I understand the demand for horror right now because as a society we’ve seen such lows, such darkness, that sometimes the only way to process that is to reach into the blood, guts, and monsters of it all. There’s also something comedic about horror that I really enjoy, a campiness that pokes fun at our fears, and makes going to the movies really exciting. What calls to me as an actor is a strong script and or a group of people dedicated to their vision, so as long as that’s there I’d love to explore it. I’m fascinated by all of it, dramas, romance, comedy, period and what’s so special about horror is it captures it all. As I said before, the scripts that excite me hinge on the relationships between the characters and how these connections affect what they are fighting for.
The wide road of possibility can be as inspirational as it is daunting. What do you think is important when traveling the road of an actress to move forward in a good way?
Gosh, I’m still trying to figure that out. When I was working front-desk at a Pilates studio, I’d spend my time between classes stalking celebrities’ Wikipedia pages and calculating how long it took them to build a career, when they booked their first project, if they have a family and kids. I can spiral, especially when audition after audition starts to feel like a time loop, and even that’s an opportunity many actors don’t have! But creating my own work has helped immensely. I stopped doing that for about a year and didn’t feel like myself. Recently, I left my full-time job to take that risk once again. Acting in your own shorts or developing scripts with friends reminds you of why you do it during the down time. I also use my auditions as an opportunity to play. With self-tapes it feels like your own mini production. When I graduated college we were coming off of Covid and soon after the writer and actor strikes happened, so throughout the years auditioning, I’ve heard how “terrible the industry is right now.” My thought process is, we can only go up! I am very excited for what’s to come. People are filling theaters again. There’s a generation of young people tired of an algorithm, who actually crave human connection. Hollywood is paying attention to indie filmmakers, so I hope this call for new voices and faces prompts the people in power to take more creative risks. As for me, I will always move forward, because acting is what I’ve always wanted and if you love something that much, you find a way to do it.
Screening at festivals now, have you had a chance to share it with the audience?
Yes! I saw it with the cast, director, and AD at MIFF. It was my first time seeing myself on the big screen and honestly a very weird experience (laughs). But once I got over the initial shock with a glass of wine, I was able to relax and enjoy all our hard work. I am so amazed by Kaylin and Bitty and all the crew, they really made it happen! This is a film made with a whole lot of heart and I’m proud to play a part in it. Go support indie filmmakers and watch 'Still Ohio'!
