“I grew up doing theatre in New York when I was a kid,” recalls Addison Timlin who is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “I did a musical called Gypsy which Sam Mendes [American Beauty] directed and that’s when I fell in love with playing a character who was quite a departure from me. It was something I felt a lot more passionate about and attachment to creatively.” The Oscar winning British director consistently travels between the worlds of theatre and film. “I had great understanding of how Sam worked and had a great relationship with him; he guided me into playing a young and vulnerable Gypsy pushed aside. Sam held my hand through that in way which was nurturing and kind. It was such a rewarding experience for me to pull off.” Timlin was limited by her age when auditioning for roles. “I did TV shows here and there playing a rebellious teenage daughter. My first feature film was Derailed [2005] which was right after I did Gypsy and had a good experience doing that. The second one was called Afterschool [2008] which was directed by a young guy [Antonio Campos] and his film company; they went on to become quite successful with Martha Marcy May Marlene [2011] and Simon Killer [2012]. It opened my mind to independent filmmaking and that was what I wanted to gear towards. Right after high school I got a TV show shooting out in L.A.. It was a show for NBC that never made it to the airwaves; however, after that I got Californication [2007 to present, Showtime] which opened a door into a wider platform to be recognized and then shortly after came Odd Thomas [2013].”
Odd Thomas is a cinematic adaptation of the book by Dean R. Koontz about a short-order cook (Anton Yelchin) in a small town with ability to see the dead and evil creatures who shares a strong spiritual bond with his childhood sweetheart Stormy Llewellyn (Addison Timlin). “I auditioned for the role and then auditioned again with Stephen Sommers [The Mummy] and Anton. There were a few girls in contention for the role who were all talented actresses. I can’t exactly pinpoint what it was but would have to chalk it up to the chemistry that was in room between Anton and me. Stephen had already cast Anton as Odd; he is such an incredible actor. The two of us had a real understanding the relationship between Stormy and Odd, and the all encompassing love between them.” Critical to the supernatural mystery was to make the pivotal romance believable. “For the movie to work and to honour the book that relationship had to really work between these two people. You have to care about the town being saved because that’s where they exist. It’s the driving element behind the whole thing.”
The source material was invaluable when researching the roles. “After I got the part I read the book and so did Anton to get more information about these characters to develop their relationship and to have an understanding of it,” states Addison Timlin. “What doesn’t make into the screenplay is very much there between the lines. I had my copy with me all the time and underlined things. A lot of it was how her apartment looked. It was all of these eclectic little features that create this safe space for her; that was a big thing for me. I’d spend some time collecting things, little mementos from my life and weird things I had around or would see to make that space come alive as it was in the book. My mom is an artist and she had made some hand-painted sculptures, little figurines and candlesticks as things that I had in Stormy’s apartment. Then also there’s a line in the book that says she has a moral anchor of a ship which was something I had myself saying all the time to think about the people in my life and things.” Timlin believes, “She’s the kind of character that people want to know and have in their life. I fell in love with Stormy because her whole being is to be good and to always be doing the right thing. Stormy is a selfless and strong willed young woman with a powerful presence; she’s the one who grounds Odd from all of the chaos that is in his mind.”
As a director Stephen Sommer is known for making movies which are hybrid of action and comedy. “My part of the story was to try to keep it as true as possible and also to show up and carry the relationship of the two of them,” remarks Addison Timlin. “Stephen had Anton and I watch a couple of old movies together, like the fast talking films of the 1940s where they’re overlapping each other and finishing each other’s sentences. Anton and I got to spend a lot of time together before we started shooting. I was focused on making the relationship feel like it had been there for a long time and have that element of the movie come intermediately through all of the comedy and action. The rest of it as actor you have to walk away from with your hands up and let it all go to the masterminds behind the movie to bring it all together.” Unlike his usual roles Willem Dafoe (Mississippi Burning) gets to have some comedic moments as the Police Chief Wyatt Porter. “Willem is an incredible actor and his body of work is mind-blowing. We were excited to have him. He was a lovely guy to have around and had a calming presence. Willem would come to set often on days he wasn’t shooting to watch us; it was helpful for him as the character because these were two people who the Chief knows well and cares for deeply. Also Willem said he enjoyed watching young actors working. We were shooting in Mexico so there wasn’t a whole lot to do.”
While Odd Thomas courts danger his cellphone often rings resulting in some witty exchanges with a petrified Stormy Llewellyn. “Those were tricky sometimes,” explains Addison Timlin. “Anton and I would try as much as possible to be on the other end of those phone calls. Often because of the tight schedule I would be shooting in the ice cream parlour and he would be with the second unit shooting some driving or scooter stuff. We tried to get a rhythm going by reading the scenes in a room together over and over again to understand the timing so when we were shooting separately and someone was reading off-camera it would serve as a reference point of how the two would be interacting.” The title character is unique. He’s not exactly what you think of to be the action hero guy who is at the centre of the film. The fact that Odd is so rooted in his love for another person, his compassion for people, and the desire to protect the people he cares about, it’s a hard thing not to like. I found Anton to be an incredible actor and he’s easy to love and to root for; a lot of people will watch the movie and feel like they know him.”
Addison Timlin is not finished starring in otherworldly projects as she will be appearing in The Town That Dreaded Sundown [2014] and Fallen[2014]. “I’ve had a lucky couple of years and I’m excited that those movies are going to be out in the world soon. I’m leaving to start shooting Fallen next week and the baseline of all of these films, despite the fact that there is a supernatural element in all of them, is that they’re all emotionally driven stories with relatable strong characters. In that sense the genre might be following a little bit but I’m also finding a lot of new challenges and exciting things as an actor and person to bring into these stories.” A $35 million lawsuit involving the producers of Odd Thomas delayed the release of the picture back in 2013. “I’m happy to see that the movie is finally getting its feet in the world. It’s a special experience that I had. I have a great affinity for all of those involved as well for Odd and Stormy. I love that movie so much. It’s a big part of who I am and am excited to share it with people.”
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