Enrique Murciano – The Half of It

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What did you think of The Half of It when you got to see the film?

A) I saw it when it first came out on Netflix. I loved it. I thought it was so smart. I loved the way it was directed and the actors in it. It’s a wonderfully put together project. I’ve done a lot of a good movies and I’ve done a lot of bad movies. So, I’ve gotten great reviews and I’ve gotten terrible reviews. And I’ve gotten mixed reviews. This movie, every reviewer adores and sees it for different reasons. For me, it’s been such a sweet thing to see this labor of love. The amount of time, energy and dedication that Alice [Wu] put into the film…I’ve worked with a lot of directors and I’ve never worked with a director that sent me a playlist and was like, “This is what your character listens to.” I’ve never worked with a director who literally on set would dedicate like thirty minutes huddled up with me sort of telling me exactly what she wanted. She had this movie already cut together in her head and she just needed this from me or that from me or this particular thing. She’d ask for it, I’d give it to her and then we’d move on. It was one of the best experiences that I’ve had making a film and I feel that everyone who was a part of it really loved being a part of it. I feel like it resonates on that screen.

Q) What were some things she told you or songs she gave you to get you in the mindset of this character?

A) She knew this character better than I know myself in real life. She was amazing! She sat me down and was like, “Your character is sort of the old way. He’s a pastor. He loves his daughter, but he wants his daughter to take these avenues that in his head are the right choices. He doesn’t want his daughter to make these mistakes or to do this…He thinks there is one path that is right and the others just aren’t.” She was so particular about how subtle she wanted me to be with that. She was incredible. Also, she gave me a tremendous amount of freedom. She’d send me these emails the night before we’d shoot and say, “I’ve done some rewrites and this is what I’d like you to say. Also, come up with something you want to say.” It was great. I liked everything about this movie. The other thing I like about this movie is the way they cut it together. It doesn’t feel heavy, although it is rich. It doesn’t feel slow. It is perfectly paced and it sort of leaves you satiated. With this movie, as an audience member (not just as a cast member) we’ve been handled with care. It feels like the people who made the movie love the audience. It’s not overwritten. It’s crisp and the messages are strong. It’s a movie that tells the viewer, “We get that you’re smart. We get that you’re aware. So, this movie is for you.” I felt that way. I love that.

Q) Talk about working with on-screen daughter Alexxis Lemire.

A) I loved working with Alexxis! I thought she was beautiful. She played my daughter so we had a nice rapport. Her mom and her family were on set. I got to meet her mom and her aunt. You can tell she is a good one that comes from a very loving home. I feel like a lot of that seeps into her performance in this movie. She’s sort of the apple of her dad’s eye and, in a way, she’s this unicorn prancing across that screen. Not only do I think she is talented, but she’s very talented and nice to be around. It was a real delight to get to meet her mom and her family.

Q) What do you think it is about Aster’s upbringing that made her the object of people’s desire while also making her feel like she can’t be her authentic self?

A) I think they did a good job in casting her because she is almost perfect in a way in the sense that she’s not just beautiful she’s just naturally charming, charismatic and funny. You talk to her and she sings all day. I remember sitting in the makeup trailer and there was music blasting the whole time from her area. She knows every word to every song that it’s like watching a live performance. I think this girl Aster, in many ways, lives her life like that. Obviously, she’s a focal point of her family. Her mom is obsessed with her. Her dad is obsessed with her. But so is the town. The star quarterback is in love with her. The whole town has a buzz about her. I think they picked the right person for that job because she has that in real life and it’s palpable. The love that I have for her on screen is wanting the best for her, as her father. Whether it was the best for her or not, but me thinking it is as a character. I saw that in her parents in real life. It was very cool to see. She’s very much an “Aster” to them.

Q) What do you think makes her so reserved?

A) I think a lot of people have that feeling. I identify with that character. I remember being that age and wanting to be creative, wanting to be a musician, wanting to be on the stage and live out my dreams. Without my parents intentionally doing it or not…My parents were the most supportive parents anybody could ever ask for, but I wanted to please them. My dad is a hardworking man and my mom is a hardworking woman. I sort of wanted to please them and so there was a pressure there. Whether it was self-induced or not, there was an injection of pressure there to make them proud, do the right thing or not let them down that I think this character embodies in a beautiful way.

Q) As someone who portrays Aster’s parental figure, what was it like for you watching the scenes where she is torn between Paul and Ellie play out?

A) On a technical level it was beautiful to watch because I think she is extraordinarily talented. And, again, I love the way this movie was made. So, I was like, “Wow! They executed. They did what they wanted to do and they did it in a beautiful way.” As a human and watching another human have a human experience (as I just said) and identifying with that – identify with who you can trust and who you can’t trust, identifying with who you allow yourself to open up to and love and who you don’t, wondering why people love you and don’t love you. That’s something I’ve dealt with my whole life. Why does she love me? When she says I’m wonderful is that really true? I don’t think I am. I don’t’ feel like I’m great, but she says that I am. She says I look good in this bathing suit, but I feel like I had too much beer and cheeseburgers this last month. There is something that humans do…And I’ll be the first to admit that I’m one of them! No matter how many times you tell me you love me and no matter how many times you tell me how great I am or how great you think I am or how sexy you think I am…Or how talented you think I am. I don’t believe it. I’m kind of wondering, “What’s the real reason you’re here in my life?” I feel like she identified with that because she was going through that as far as the trajectory of that character with that trinity she had with Paul (Daniel Diemer) and Ellie (Leah Lewis). I’ve been approached by people and I’ve been “loved” by people that I spent a lot of time enjoying it and going for that ride and seeing where it goes and yet I sort of question the authenticity of it. Those questions came from somewhere deep within myself and not the other person at all. Is my meatloaf really that good? She says it’s the best meatloaf, but I don’t think that’s true. It’s impossible that it’s the best meatloaf she’s ever had. She’s probably had much better meatloaf! I bet you she’s had much, much better meatloaf before me! I’m much better at giving love than receiving love.

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes you’ve filmed?

A) I loved the scenes in the church. I think there is a very synchronistic feel to it. It felt like there was a symbiotic moment. All the actors were in this one room, I was on the alter and Ellie was on this balcony with the organ. All the main characters were in the room and the supporting characters were in the room as well. She had us rehearse it so much. Again, Alice knew exactly what she wanted and was very clear about what she wanted and that came from the rehearsals. It felt almost like it was a live production, like a play if you will. I loved shooting those scenes. There were so many of us and we all had our moments. It was so well choreographed that it was fun to be a part of that machine. It was actually a lot of fun. I enjoyed that a lot. I also enjoyed shooting the scenes in the classroom. Again, there was so much going on. It wasn’t teachers giving this boring diatribe about taking care of the instruments and being a music class. It was mechanical and well-oiled and all these kids are sliding these notes to each other – papers that Ellie had written. The way the put the chyron of the screen where it was like, “Nerd alert! Nerd alert!” It was a very well-constructed scene and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Q) What did you personally take away from your time working on The Half of It?

A) For me, it was very nice to see and be a part of a movie…I’ve been an actor for years and years and years and a lot of the time I had felt like, “Oh, I’m telling the same story again.” We know who is going to get the girl. We know who is going to get arrested. This movie it was wonderful…It was nice to see a movie that I’ve wanted to see for a long time. And it was also really nice to be in a movie that I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. I loved the movie and it was very refreshing to read the script and be like, “Oh! We’re making this? Great! Wow! I’m lucky. Let’s do it.”

Q) What message do you hope viewers take away from watching the movie?

A) I’ve grown up around social racism. There are extreme forms of racism, which we obviously don’t tolerate. We’re just like, “Hey! There is no room for that here!” But then there is this more casually, watered down racism that does exist. When those kids drive by her and they yell, “Chugga Chugga Choo Choo,” it’s a terrible position to be in when you’re alone and being talked down and made fun of. You ask me, “Is there a message that I hope people take from this movie?” That you’re not the only person who has been talked down to and yelled at from a pickup truck because of where you’re from, what you look like or because you don’t’ want to live your life like everybody else. So, in many ways, I – Enrique Murciano – had a lot of Ellie moments where I was running down the street and someone made fun of me for just not being exactly like everybody else. Sometimes it’s bullying. Sometimes it’s clique-y high school crap. Sometimes it’s very casual racism. People sometimes aren’t even aware that they’re doing it. When I saw this film, I was like, “I know what it feels like to run down a street and have people make fun of you.” I hope the message that they take from it is, “You aren’t the only one. You’re not alone.” And that’s why, for me, it was just nice to see. When a grown man identifies with high school students, it means that the movie is transcending a genre and on a human level is connecting. Again, I think that’s why we all got into this business in the first place – to connect with others.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the work you do?

A) I don’t think that the guy who bumps into me on the street in New York and is like, “Yo! You’re mad cool! Put your arm around me! Let’s take a picture together!” – I think they think that I’m doing them a favor because they thank me a lot. “Is it cool if we take a picture with you?” I don’t think they know that I like doing it more than they like doing it. I love that. The love that they give me I need it more than the picture that they get out of it. The pat on the back that I get from it, I’m the one that should be saying, “Thanks for saying that.” But it’s funny, the world that we live in we’ve sort of been programmed to think that we should thank the actor for taking that photo with us when it’s kind of the opposite. I should thank the human being that is humble enough and sweet enough and doesn’t think they’re too busy enough to stop me and say, “Hey! I think you’re great!” That’s something about my profession. Imagine you’re a dentist and people knock on your window and say, “Hey man! That root canal – it changed my life!” They would love it and it would mean something to them! I guarantee if you pulled up to the dentist’s office and said, “You changed my life. Can I take a picture with you,” or, “Hey, you made my life better during one of the darkest moments I was going through. I’m going to leave a comment on your Instagram.” They’d love it! It just happens that the business that I’m in you’re set up in a way to have that exchange. So, if I had to say one thing to people who love what I do or appreciate the work that I’ve done or continue to watch the shows that I make or the shows that I’m in, thank you. I’m the one who should be thanking you.”