Disastrous casting of Lorelei Linklater
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Stenian — 10 years ago(July 11, 2015 07:27 PM)
As Samantha transitioned into a teen (when she started wearing braces) she quickly became one of the worst actresses I ever laid my eyes on. She looked incredibly forced, wooden and it was like she was reading the script. I don't blame her though. We all become a bit awkward as teenagers. She was a much better actress as a kid, surprisingly. With that being said, she kinda improved as she hit her late teen years (towards the end of the movie).
Yeah, she did look out of place in the family. Her parents and brother were fair skinned with blue eyes. Maybe Linklater couldn't find anyone else to do that part? Remember, she had to be committed to the role for 12 years -
Prelude-in-C-maj — 10 years ago(September 18, 2015 05:16 AM)
Your last sentence probably explains what was going on there, in my opinion. I think it must have been quite hard to find actors and actresses who could fully commit to being one of the major roles who of necessity really had to be there in key scenes throughout, for the entire 12 years.
Really the only child actors who remained constants were Ellar, the lead as Mason Jr, and Lorelei as his sister, and I guess it was hard enough for Linklater to find a set of parents who were willing to commit their child to something that took place every year for the next 12 years.
So that's one child actor contract, down, one to go and it was just easier all around to draft in one's own child. No new set of parents to negotiate with.
However, I agree she didn't look the part and she turned out not to be a very good actress either, but then, neither did Ellar to be honest. Oddly, both children were very convincing and natural when younger. As teens they brought a genuine teen ennui to the roles yet still managed to make even that seem less like good fodder for "acting" and more like poor performance. -
E_nineteen — 10 years ago(October 30, 2015 10:19 AM)
I heard (I think it was possibly an interview with Linklater?) that Lorelei wanted to drop out halfway through and Richard had to reeeally beg her to stay part of the project. So maybe it was childhood enthusiasm at first that petered into general disinterest and to compromise, Linklater reduced her significance down a bit as they aged so she wouldn't need to be on screen as much (not unlike how a sibling might generally vanish as the kids gain independence, I suppose, especially as teenagers).
I didn't find her appearance to be much of a problem. She may not have looked much like her parents but she looked like a very convincing sister for Mason. You do see some families with unexpectedly varying levels of skin tone and that often goes down to genes that come from way down the line.
Interesting that I've seen critics say 'it's a good thing Ellar remained a good actor' because he was downright terrible in some of the later scenes. A particularly badly acted one was the scene where he was splitting up with his girlfriend, IMO. I thought he was pretty good in most of his teen years but as he started to reach adulthood it all went downhill. -
palisade-1 — 10 years ago(October 30, 2015 11:38 AM)
heard (I think it was possibly an interview with Linklater?) that Lorelei wanted to drop out halfway through and Richard had to reeeally beg her to stay part of the project. So maybe it was childhood enthusiasm at first that petered into general disinterest and to compromise, Linklater reduced her significance down a bit as they aged so she wouldn't need to be on screen as much
Linklater has mentioned several times (in different interviews) that Lorelei at one point wanted to drop out, and asked if her character could be killed off. However, he said he didn't have to do any real persuasion, because she wanted to buy a new iPhone and realized the SAG daily rate was way more than she would earn at Burger King, so she started bugging him, When will we be filming again? I need the money!
Lorelei herself says, however, that though she wanted to drop out at that particular time, she was glad she didn't and afterwards really enjoyed it and looked forward to the filming every year. She has made another film since, though she says she is not sure whether she wants to pursue acting or visual arts. She says she hated watching the film and seeing herself growing up onscreen; apparently, Linklater didn't let the kids see any of the film until it was completed.
I thought both Lorelei and Ellar did a good job with their roles. What many posters have complained about (that they seem to act badly as they get into their teens) is IMO a reflection of the fact that they portray the less attractive aspects of teens quite adeptly. Patricia Arquette says that Lorelei, in real life, is
very
different from Samantha not at all bratty and snarky. Ellar was not like Mason either, Linklater says, but as the years went by more of Ellar was incorporated into the character (his interest in photography, for example).
Here are some short interviews with Lorelei:
http://www.cinephiled.com/interview-lorelei-linklater-grows-fathers-boyhood/
http://www.texasstandard.org/shows/012315/why-lorelei-linklater-has-a-problem-with-boyhood/
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/20708/1/boyhood-was-painful-to-watch-for-lorelei-linklater
http://thewildmagazine.com/blog/growing-up-with-boyhoods-lorelei-linklater/
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/movies/q-and-a/a28312/richard-and-lorelei-linklater-boyhood-interview/ -
chas437 — 10 years ago(December 02, 2015 04:40 PM)
However, I agree she didn't look the part and she turned out not to be a very good actress either, but then, neither did Ellar to be honest. Oddly, both children were very convincing and natural when younger. As teens they brought a genuine teen ennui to the roles yet still managed to make even that seem less like good fodder for "acting" and more like poor performance.
The thing is, a lot of teenagers act that way these days. They mumble their words and don't like to converse with adults. For me, both kids did an adequate job, and their awkwardness actually adds to the realism of the film.
Linklater is a really bright guy, I think he knew what he was doing in casting his daughter. Her having darker skin is pretty much irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned. I've seen sets of siblings that look incredibly different from one another. -
esskayess — 10 years ago(November 21, 2015 10:09 PM)
Nepotism is one of numerous Hollywood vices that are generally given a free pass. She was all right, but here's betting many others would have been better.
My people skills are fine. It's my tolerance of morons that needs work. -
Howlin Wolf — 9 years ago(May 05, 2016 12:03 PM)
I don't care about her appearance. I can suspend my disbelief unless the SCRIPT gives me reason to doubt (and not what I know about her background, outside of the film).
She was good as a kid, less interesting as she grew up - but then, the same could be said of the boy, also.
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!" -
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infracaninophile — 9 years ago(December 27, 2016 01:16 PM)
Theres no way a Mexican can be two white people's child. Not believable and really bad casting in my opinion.
Lorelei Linklater is not a "Mexican." She was born in Mexico while her parents (both white Texans) were working there. She does cultivate an "exotic" look. Linklater is of Scottish-English ancestry and his partner of mixed Irish and European antecedents, looks to me like she might have some Greek or Italian in her background.
Lorelei's younger twin sisters appear in the later scene in the movie where there's a graduation party for Mason. They are represented as Mason's cousins. They look strikingly like Lorelei, though both have lighter brown hair.