Mark Webber & Nicole Elizabeth Berger – The Place of No Words

By starrymag | June 14, 2019

By: Ashlee Dell’Arciprete

 

 

Mark Webber

 

Q) You have a history of portraying a different dynamic of characters in the films you create. Can you talk a little about that and who you portray in this film?

 

A: I play myself essentially. The films that I’m in, I’m playing always a version of myself. And so, I made this with my real son, Bodhi, and my wife Teresa Palmer. We are parents, in the film, who are raining our young son and I’m terminally ill. And it’s a film about how to cultivate a child-like sense of wonder in the dying process as a way of kind of shedding light on death in a way that is a bit positive. We have a tendency to think about folks dying as the worst thing in the world because it is to lose someone, but it’s something that we all experience and go through in life and being a dad and starting to talk to my son about what it means to be alive and where do we go when we die, and kind of all these big, existential questions are a big driving force in all of the work that I make.

 

Q) Speaking of your son, how was it having Bodhi act in the film? Had he ever acted before? What was that like?

 

A: So, this was his first time in a film. It was really cool. He learned so much throughout it. He just really showed up and was himself and the film was really built around him being himself, but he also gave his own version of his performance. He learned how it works – “cut, take, alright we’re rolling” and that we work in these short, little bursts to try and bring as much of himself moment to moment. There was this really beautiful scene how he found out on his own and his version of his way.

 

Q) That’s really touching. Do you think you’ll have more films with him in them?

 

A: It’s possible. I joke – So, I made a film with my older son Isaac when he was two. I made one with Bodhi. I made one with my wife. We just had a daughter, so the joke is like, “What are you going to do with her now? “

 

Q) A family affair! And as far as directing, what was that experience like for this film with such a large scale and visceral cinematography? Was that challenging at all, being that you are essentially portraying a version of yourself as you said?

 

A: It was challenging, but it’s also the most fulfilling thing in the world. Film making for me is my ultimate form of expression. Being able to be in a position to sit back and make a piece of art is a really fortunate thing. I’m really grateful about it. So, while it’s hard, it’s hardness that I’ve welcomed. So, I can’t even really say that it is hard in a way that I feel like real things in life are hard. It’s a good challenge.

 

 

 

 

Nicole Elizabeth Berger

 

Q) Please tell me a little bit about the character you portray.

 

A: I play the character of Esmerelda. In the real world, she is the daughter of the family’s closest friend and often cares for Bodhi. So, he looks up to me and sees me as a source of love and comfort and as someone who brings magic and playfulness in his life. In the fantasy world, I play the guardian angel who guides Bodhi on his journey towards death to find The Place of No Words, but it isn’t portrayed in a sad or fearful warm but in a way that reminds us to cherish each moment with the ones we love as we are all just visiting here.

 

Q) What was it like being in a film that’s part fantasy and part reality? Was it something that was new for you to experience?

 

A: Definitely! I’ve never done a fantasy-reality cinema film before. I’ve done dramas, thrillers; never a fantasy-reality cinema film and it was such a wonderful experience. Mark’s [Webber] family is so welcoming. They really welcomed me into their family. It was such a kind and warm community that I’m grateful to be a part of to this day. We are all very close in real life.

 

Q) Any plans on working on another one of Mark’s films in the future?

 

A: I would love to, I would love to. I know he does incorporate his real-life family members and friends in his films. That’s just a part of his film-making style. So, I hope to in the future! He’s brilliant. He wrote, directed and starred in the film and is such a genuinely kind, immensely talented human being.

 

Q) Were you able to learn a lot from Mark from working with him as well?

 

A: Oh, yes. I shot a film called Clover with him a year ago and he pulled me aside one day and asked me if I would be willing to portray an angel in his fantasy-reality film and I jumped at the opportunity and about six weeks later we were on a flight to a place just north of Wales!

 

Keep Up With Nicole Elizabeth Berger

 

 

 

A Place Of No Words held its World Premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and is currently seeking distribution.