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Printed first at www.movingpicturesnetwork.com

By Elliot V. Kotek
(from Moving Pictures, spring issue, 2011)

Vera Farmiga’s career is anything but up in the air. With three films out this year — including her directorial debut, the Sundance sensation “Higher Ground” — the sky’s the limit for the Ukranian-American actress who picked up an Oscar nomination in 2010 for “Up in the Air.” Farmiga has a central role in Duncan Jones’ “Moon” follow-up “Source Code,” as well as Malcolm Venville’s rom com “Henry’s Crime,” in which she plays an actress and the love interest of star Keanu Reeves. In part three of this wide-ranging interview, Farmiga discusses directing her sister in “Higher Ground,” the blueprint for her ideal career and the causes she throws her celebrity behind.

MP: What was it like being able to include your sister in your work world?

Farmiga: It seems the snowball I threw is escalating into an avalanche. My 16-year-old sister Taissa Farmiga plays the adolescent version of my adult character in “Higher Ground.” In short, she is a revelation. She wasn’t heading down this path of her own ambitions — I noogied her into doing it for obvious genetic reasons. She has a face that is transparent and capable of conveying deep emotion exquisitely. I’m extremely proud of the little squirt. I look forward to receiving her red-carpet hand-me-downs.

MP: Obviously, your relationship with Debra Granik has been key to your career. Does “Down to the Bone” feel like a recent memory or a forever-ago experience? You’ve both now worked with John Hawkes, who received an Oscar nomination this year for Granik’s “Winter’s Bone.” Did Debra make that introduction? Why is John still a secret?

Farmiga: “Down to the Bone” will always be vivid to me as it was such a formative and transforming experience. Ever since seeing him in “The Perfect Storm,” I’ve suggested John Hawkes for most male characters in scripts I’ve been attached to. He was spot-on for any of the male characters in “Higher Ground.” However, I needed a guy who could play 30 to 60 years old without prosthetics capabilities and pack a punch within small vignettes — a tall order. I did send an e-mail to Debra to prepare for persuasive backup, but she never had to make the call as John responded to the material. John is no longer classified information. [He’s] truly one of the finest actors I’ve worked with.

MP: In a battle of nice guys — Keanu vs. John Hawkes — who wins?

Farmiga: John Hawkes might be nice enough to insist Keanu win.

MP: It seems that actors struggle with faith (in the religious sense) so much more than directors. Directors seem to belong to the Abrahamic faiths, and actors seem to go where the wind blows and then back again. Have you always been attracted to issues of spirituality? Where/when was that curiosity sparked that led to you making a film on the subject?

Farmiga: Call it faith, call it religion — we are all searching for authenticity and meaning. We yearn for an understanding and virtuosity over our own souls. “Higher Ground” is a story about yearning on so many levels — yearning to know your true self and the desire to come from an honest place. It’s a portrait of a woman on a quest for intellectual, emotional and spiritual insight and wisdom. The film examines her struggles within the love relationships of her life: in her marriage, with her parents, her children, her friends, her community, her relationship to God and her relationship to self. The examination proves how porous a spiritual path can be at times. The film embraces the gray of black-and-white religion. It explores a notion I’ve experienced my whole life — great faith requires great striving. To me the subject matter of the film is not religion. Religion is the setting of the film; it’s the location. The film for me is about a woman fumbling through life, tripping up and reaching for higher ground — struggling to find her highest self.

MP: What would the perfect 12 months of work for you be comprised of: a studio film, an indie film and directing a project?

Farmiga: Studio film or indie, [it] doesn’t matter. Good films matter. Inspiration matters. Post-“Higher Ground,” there’s a surge of two-for-one deals, starring in and directing myself. I’m considering several projects [and] also developing my own. We’ll see. Open to it all.

MP: You refused him in “Henry’s Crime.” But if Peter Stormare asked you again, nicely, to give him a hug, would you?

Farmiga: Peter Stormare is supremely huggable. He doesn’t have to ask. I was contractually obligated to deny him a hug in “Henry’s Crime.” I will suffocate him with hugs next time I see him.

MP: Celebrities are often now voices for the less heard, the less represented; with your public voice, for whom or what do you/would you want to provide awareness?

Farmiga: Providing awareness for Save the Children’s newborn and infant survival campaigns is dear to me. Nine million children in the developing world die from diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and newborn complications. Simple care and low-cost treatments can prevent or cure most of these problems. Such simple solutions. I have a sister born with spina bifida, and I also support the Spina Bifida Association, whose mission it is to promote prevention and enhance the lives of people who are affected. The Peace First organization is also a wonderful program designed to gird schoolchildren with critical conflict-resolution skills and teach them to be peacemakers focusing on friendship and communication as essential tools. Peace is a learned behavior.

MP: What would you do/where would you go if you were commanded to take a month off and relax? Hawaii and read? Nepal and hike?

Farmiga: I’d camel through Mongolia, motorcycle through Corsica, shop through Paris, eat through Tuscany, then sail home and host dinner parties every night with best friends and family.

MP: Ice cream or potato chips?

Farmiga: Sea-salt-and-vinegar potato chips.

MP: Single-malt scotch or a pomegranate mojito?

Farmiga: Single-malt scotch.

MP: Pac-Man or Wii?

Farmiga: Pac-Man.

Photo by Scott McDermott