Chelah Horsdal – The Man in the High Castle

By starrymag | November 15, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been working on?

A) I’ve started on a show for Netflix called “Firefly Lane” based on the book by Kristin Hannah as adapted by showrunner/EP Maggie Friedman. Having a gas working with the whole cast, led by Sarah Chalke and Katherine Heigl. It’s a beautiful portrait of friendship following two girls as they grow into women over the course of thirty years. I play Sarah’s character’s mother, Margie, starting in 1974 and up into her 70s in 2003. This demands being aged up thirty years, which is both awesome and terrifying. Although there’s no way to feel more appreciative of one’s current youth than by taking off the aging make-up.

I also just squeezed in filming a short film alongside Joel de la Fuente while he was in town doing a play. Our stunt coordinator on “High Castle,” Maja Aro, is also a filmmaker. She gave Joel and myself the chance to act together for the first time.

 

Q) Please tell us what is new this season on “The Man in the High Castle” and with Helen.

A) We see Helen living a completely new life. As was revealed in early sneak peaks and trailers, we find her at the start of episode 401 living in the neutral zone with her daughters. She’s questioning the choices she and John (Rufus Sewell) made almost two decades earlier and confronting the reality that those choices lead to the death of her son. Her journey this season is complicated in that she must figure out a way to survive in the reality as it is…no easy feat when that reality is living under the oppressive forces of fascism.

 

Q) With Helen having lost her son and her daughter Jennifer on the verge of being genetically tested, what is her frame of mind going into the new season?

A) At the start of the season she’s living in a perfect bubble of country life. But she is undoubtedly terrified of the inevitable day in which she will be confronted by the demands of the Reich and the threat of returning to the life that she ran from.

 

Q) What keeps challenging you about portraying this role?

A) Honestly? Nothing. I loved everything about it. Except maybe the boning in the longline bra and girdle.

 

Q) Helen has such an incredible wardrobe. What is a favorite outfit or piece that you’ve worn?

A) Oof. That’s a tough choice. Perhaps more important to me than picking a favorite, is celebrating how incredibly fortunate I’ve been on this show to be taken care of by some of the greatest costume designers in the business. In Season One Audrey Fisher found multiple vintage dresses that were fit perfectly to my form. In Season Two JR Hawbaker came on board and built most of the closet that year from sketch. In Seasons Three and Four we had Catherine Adair who, again, had every Helen costume built from sketch by the insanely talented cutters. When you are a woman with curves like mine, the experience of feeling utterly embraced by the people dressing you is both unique and really important. I’ve spent a great deal of my career allowing myself to feel shamed by people trying to stick me into frocks that aren’t meant for my body. The luxury of having garments built to my measurements and tweaked with multiple fittings cannot be overstated. It enabled me to feel so much more powerful and fearless in my work as Helen.

 

Q) Talk about working closely with costar Rufus Sewell, who plays your husband on screen.

A) This, again, is a tough one. My affection for Rufus knows no bounds. From the first moment we met we just clicked. One look in his eyes and I knew we’d be good. I was in awe of his talent right up until our last day of shooting, four years later. He is so unbelievably talented and committed to being truthful in every moment. There is no bullshitting when your partner is present in the way. Rufus has a unique effect on me in that we shared such a connection of trust and felt safe to take risks, which naturally leads to allowing yourself as an actor to risk more and push yourself further in making “dangerous” emotional choices. He gave me that, mostly just by being a soft place to land between action and cut. This is one of the many benefits of working so closely with someone for a long period of time. With each passing year our connection and understanding for one another grew and I’d venture to say that that deepening made us better at our jobs. It also makes harder to have it end.

 

Q) What have been some scenes that standout the most to you and hold a special place in your heart from your time filming the series?

A) There have been so many beautiful, subtle moments that just worked over the years where all the forces combined and it felt like a little bit of magic was sprinkled on us. One was the last episode of Season Two when Helen has been drinking and we see her break ranks with John for the first time as he leaves for Berlin. Something unexpected came out in the filming of that scene, making John take Helen’s face in his hands before delivering the line “I love you” …Those three words said so much more than what was on the page. It was gorgeous and heartbreaking.

Also, for the sheer scale of it, the parade scene in Episode 306. To look around at this MASSIVE production that employed a super-sized crew that day, including fifty additional hair and make-up artists, three hundred background and roughly 200+ daycalls in all the other departments – it was just mind boggling. And there the two of us were, in the center of it all, standing out the roof of a car waving calmly. It was bananas.

 

Q) With so many emotional arcs for Helen over the years, how did you shake off a long day of filming?

A) A hot bath and the cuddle of a dog. I made a decision very early on in my career that I wouldn’t look to a vice to quiet the mind after a hard day of work. I’ve seen many artists go down the path of choosing a glass of wine or a joint or sex or food or shopping…whatever it is that can numb all the feelings we conjure up to do our jobs. I came up with a routine that involves some quiet self-care and meditation. It’s served me well in putting all that emotion back inside its little box until I need it again.

 

Q) What did you cherish the most about this role?

A) The relationships. No contest.

 

Q) What did you personally take away as a bit of memorabilia from your time on the show? (i.e. a costume, a favorite jewelry piece, etc.)

A) It was very difficult to find something that I could keep which wasn’t adorned by some horrible swastika or Nazi iconography. I ended hanging on to a door plate that says “The Smiths” from our alt-world selves. That and a lot of my wardrobe. Although, unfortunately, I’ve let go of much of the weight I carried as Helen, so many of the pieces don’t really fit anymore. Eventually, I’ll have them tailored (again).

 

Q) What has it meant to you to have been a part of such an iconic series?

A) You know, as we’ve been living inside of it, it’s strange to even consider that High Castle IS iconic. I mean, I know intellectually that it is…but I just kept plodding along shooting the show in Canada without a clear understanding of the reach until a few years in. Don’t forget, the show only became available in Canada with the launch of Prime in 2017. So, there really wasn’t a common awareness of it, as in other countries, early on.

As it comes to its end, I feel nothing but gratitude. This has been such a beautiful journey for me. I have made friends on this show who I will have for life. I move forward with tremendous hope about what opportunities will be presented in the years to come.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the fan feedback you receive to the series?

A) Yes and no. I’m very challenged by being on the receiving end of people’s idealizing or praise. I know that’s twisted…But, frankly, I just feel like a person who’s doing their job…And the way that can cause some people to treat you is, well, weird. I get it though. And I can appreciate how meaningful these fictional characters are to some people. That’s both an honor and a burden, as there may be an expectation on me as an individual to live up to certain standards. I grew up as the daughter of a man who was a household name in Canada for the bulk of my life, so I witnessed the good and bad of what it means to have an effect on people’s lives from the front row. OF COURSE, it feels good when people like what you’re doing…However, with that comes the reality that many won’t. And my belief is that if you open yourself up to the praise, you inevitable open yourself up to the criticism. And I don’t know that either are particularly helpful in making choices as an artist as they can create a need for outside validation which, in my opinion, is the death of art. I’ve journeyed a long way and worked really hard to NOT need it.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work you do?

A) A simple thank you. I do appreciate your energy and your support. I just try not to depend on it. 😉(see above).