Scottie Thompson – Limbo

By starrymag | September 24, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) What have you been recently working on?

 

A) Well, with the pandemic putting a pin in a lot of things, I have been focused on writing lately. I have also been preparing for a very compelling independent film, but the actual start to that film remains uncertain.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for Limbo.

 

A) Limbo tells the story of a man, Jimmy (played by Lew Temple), who is on trial to find out if he will go to heaven or hell. His case is tried by two angels, Balthazar (Lucien Collier) and Cassiel (played by yours truly).

 

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

 

A) I read the script and was struck by the depth of characters, as well as the strength of the dialogue. Mark Young, the director/writer, is such a talented writer and I was immediately excited by the story. I found Cassiel’s arc to be a wonderful challenge; an angel with a very naïve understanding of humanity, who is forced to face the ugliness of humanity and still search for redemption. I think that is something that we all have to work through as humans each and every day and I found the allegorical element to the film brilliant.

 

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

 

A) Good question… Honestly, it’s been a long time since I was presented with her description and I can’t properly answer that. I think I remember Mark describing her as intelligent with a quiet strength.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t in the initial breakdown?

 

A) I added hand sanitizing. [winks] Good one, right? I can’t really speak to that because I never saw a breakdown.

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them?

 

A) I did know Richard Riehle, as we had worked together almost a decade earlier on a film. But I did not know any of the other actors. And I was blown away by all of them. We worked at a very quick pace and everyone showed up with such strong choices and incredible work ethic, as well as being wonderful to work with as humans. I was actually familiar with our DP, Cristos Bitsakos, from my work on “NCIS” so I knew I would be in very skilled and professional hands.

 

Q) Were you looking forward to sharing a scene with anyone in particular?

 

A) I was looking forward to Richard’s scenes, because his jokes were so interesting on the page and I was curious to see how could bring them to life, knowing his comedic ability. I was excited to work with Lucien and see how the legal bent of the scenes would unfold and how to balance that with the challenging relationship between Cassiel and Jimmy.

 

Q) What advice did director Mark Young offer that you took to heart while filming?

 

A) Mark was very encouraging of my process throughout filming. He encouraged me to stand in the strength of Cassiel; and trust that her heart still shone through her decisiveness. I think there is a history of strong women being perceived as “bitchy” for standing their ground, and I shrunk from asserting myself in moments out of fear of that old story, and Mark encouraged me to work through that.

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of shooting?

 

A) Play good music in the car on the way home or after a wonderful makeup wipe down in the little makeup room we had; which also provided a space to decompress with my fellow actors and reflect on the work of the day in a supportive way.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite moments from working on Limbo?

 

A) I loved getting to work with Lew and Lucien on the heavy lifting of the legal element, in that it was largely us holding down that fort and checking in on one another as we worked through the scenes. We had a lovely camaraderie. I also really loved watching the actors come in for their scenes who popped in and brought such powerful choices in their work. And, of course, getting to sit back and listen to Richard Riehle tell jokes.

 

Q) What do you think it is about this movie that will make it a fast fan favorite sci-fi film?

 

A) I personally have grown to love sci-fi over the years for its capacity to showcase humanity in its truth and I think this film does a superb job of that. It has such depth. The characters are working through very difficult issues and the film remains entertaining at the same time.