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Cast and Credits

Synopsis

The Production

The Actors

The Filmmakers

Production Facts

William Hurt Interview

Molly Parker Interview

Andy Jones Interview

Interview - Molly Parker

Audiences have come to expect nothing less than a pivotal performance from actor Molly Parker. Directors and producers rave about her ability to delve into the farthest-reaching corners of a character's psyche and give moving and memorable performances. Parker has inarguably become one of the most highly sought actors on the scene today; she is now in a position to pick and choose her projects.

So what was it about Rare Birds that won her over?

"The book; the script; the opportunity to work with Sturla - who I had met the year before and I really liked and turned out to be such a supportive director; the chance to do something with William Hurt who was already attached to the project. The chance to go to Newfoundland…" says Parker, letting the words come out in a jumble. "Everything."

The subject matter was particularly appealing to the Canadian-born actor.

"I had just come off a year of working on really emotionally heavy movies and was looking for something light - not in its depth mind you, but in the emotional journey that one must take as an actor. The story itself is wonderfully amusing and irreverent. Its Newfoundland perspective and Canadian kind of humour made me laugh," she says of Ed Riche's screen adaptation of his critically acclaimed novel. "And I'd never been to the Maritimes - I really, really wanted to go there."

Of Hurt she says: "I'd been an admirer of his work for years. William comes at his work from a place of such integrity. It's amazing to watch him; he's always there. Always making the scene work. He's the hardest working actor I've ever worked with - I have an immense amount of respect for him."

"And Andy Jones, who plays Phonse, is wonderful. I don't even know how to describe him… he's a sweet man who cares deeply about what he's doing and wants so much to get it right - and always does. His intellect is incredible. He's funny without even trying to be - you never see him try." Parker offers.

But ultimately, as it always seems to be with Parker, it was the character Alice that gave her the creative outlet she was looking for.

"I really understand where Alice is coming from - I've been in exactly the same place coming from a small town and knowing that I need to do other things, that I have to leave," Parker relates. "Alice isn't quite where she wants to be, but can see where she wants to be. She's got this strong connection to home but knows that she can't do everything she wants to if she stays there. And then there's this lovely man she wants to help…"

In the preparation for Rare Birds, Parker says she spent a lot of time getting to know the women in St. John's, were the film was shot.

"I met many really wonderful women in Newfoundland who had "been away" - that's the term they used - to big urban centres and had since come home. They talked about their connection to Newfoundland as being more than just a home, but to a special, magical place. I think that connection makes these women really strong, the strength that they show is very unique to their region as far as I can tell."