Joana Metrass – We Die Young

By starrymag | April 10, 2019

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

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

A) It´s peak of pilot season at the moment so now is time for auditions and work on getting that next project. I also have a film in pre-production, it’s a co-production between Portugal-England-Brazil that will likely film at the end of the year, but I can´t talk much about it yet. Also, I have a film called The Spoiler due to premiere sometime soon.

Q) Please tell us the premise for We Die Young.

A) We Die Young wants to show a reality many people don’t know of: the young kids in the gangs in Washington, D.C. (and around the country) and bring empathy to it to help people not judge things as “black and white” and understand that a lot of times just because they end up in gangs doesn´t mean they are bad kids. They are just trying their best to survive in very harsh circumstances.

The film also brings awareness to immigration problems and what happens when people don’t feel safe or don´t trust the system, as well as awareness to PTSD in war veterans and addictions originated by war injuries and how they need, and deserve, our support.

Q) How was your character Anna originally described to you?

A) Anna represents the people that live in these neighbourhoods, the good and hardworking emigrants that so many times get judged just because they live surrounded by the gangs or just because they come from the same country, but that in reality are the biggest victims of it all. She is also the heart, the kindness and the one that still finds joy, dreams and falls in love. She was descried to me as the voice of Daniel´s (Jean-Claude Van Damme) consciousness.

Q) Was there anything you added to her that wasn’t originally described to you?

A) I chose to work her vulnerability as strength. So often we see it as a fragility, especially in a “world” so though as the one they live in. Like Rincon´s character (David Castaneda) says in the film “to be strong they have to fear you. Your heart made of stone” and Anna is the opposite of that. I think she is the strongest exactly because she is able to love, to be caring, kind and vulnerable and she is not letting anything, any life circumstances or all the though things that have happened to her take that away from her.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the movie?

A) This kind of movies are one of the main reasons why I am an actress. I love projects that aim to bring empathy to the world, to give voice to people or stories that need to be heard and that make people feel seen, cared for, understood and that they matter. I believe that’s our mission and responsibility as artists. That’s our share of helping create a better world.

Q) What kind of physical work went into prepping for the role?

A) This role didn’t require a specific physical training besides the creation of the character I do for every role (everyone walks different or has a different way that they stand or how much “room” they take and I always work on that for every character). This one was more about doing a lot of research, talking to people that have lived similar circumstances and really listening to them and understand them. It was also about working really deep on the emotions of this character and most importantly the relationship with Daniel because our communication had to be really honest, so honest and so truthful that the audience could see it just through our eyes and without words.

Q) Talk about working with iconic actor Jean-Claude Van Damme.

A) I was really nervous when I went for the first rehearsal. I had worked with a lot of famous actors but never with someone that is considered “a legend” and all my scenes are with him. But ten minutes into rehearsal I had forgotten about all of that because he is really humble and he was just there just like me, trying to do his best and trying to learn as much as he could about this reality and these characters. And from then on it was all about supporting each other so we could both bring our best to the scenes. Some things about these characters were completely new to both of us and a challenge, and we had to discover it together and discover how to make it work, and it was amazing.

Q)What advice did director Lior Geller offer during filming that you took to heart?

A) That the only words I needed to worry about were the ones my eyes were saying. There is one really intense scene between me and Daniel and we even did a whole take that none of us spoke any of the words in the scene and we had to do the whole scene with the same intentions but only “speak” with our eyes.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from behind the scenes on on screen filming this movie?

A) Jean-Claude showing me that dance he does that he got famous for. I´m kidding (But it was for sure funny).

I think the most memorable thing for me was filming that really intense scene we have together and the depth of work I had to do for that.  It takes hours to film a scene like that because we filmed in sequence and we alternate positions during the scene so there are no “rest moments.” The scene starts already at a really high peek of emotion (that comes from the previous scene) and the space was small, so pretty much every take was a close up. There was no “hiding”, which meant being able to be at that level of emotion for 5 hours straight and each take had to be as truthful (or more) than the first. It was really intense and really fun and amazing to do.

Q) What did you personally take away from working on We Die Young?

A) I learned a LOT about a reality I knew very little about. It opened my eyes and empathy to it.

Q) You’ve starred in shorts, TV and full-length film. Do you have a preference for the medium you act in?

A) They are all really different and I don’t really have a preference. I have also done theatre a lot and it´s hard to choose. In theatre I like that we get to live the whole story all at once in one night and the adrenaline of the audience. In TV I like that we get to develop and discover more and more of a character overtime. In film I like that we have longer to work on each scene and you know from the start the beginning and end of the arch of your character. In shorts I like “the urgency” – it’s a very limited amount of scenes to tell that story so every minute of it is of huge importance.

Q)What advice would you give to up and coming actors and actresses?

A) To find pleasure in the journey and not just “when you book the job.” It might take a hundred auditions to book one job, so if you only find happiness in that one time you feel unhappy 99% of the time. Each audition, no matter the outcome, is an opportunity to do what you love, have fun with it and don’t see it just as a “presentation” (that’s why some people get so nervous and hate auditions, but auditions are for most actors the big majority of your time and work so have fun with it!!”).

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

A) That I never forget for one second that the main reason that I get to be privileged to do what I love is because of you, because of your support, because you choose to see my work and every day I am so thankful for it!