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Anna Paquin (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com )
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HBO:
How does it feel to depict a person who actually existed?
Anna Paquin:
When you are playing a historical character, obviously there is a great responsibility to get it
right. But, it's not just playing a character that really existed, but also depicting this particular
period of history in this country. It's incredibly important to get it right and to do justice to the
people whose lives we are trying to tell the story of - and to do that in a dignified, respectful
and accurate manner, which I think, hopefully, we are doing.
HBO:
Could you tell us a little bit about who Elaine was?
Anna Paquin:
Elaine was a published poetess as a child. She continued to publish works of fiction and
journalistic materials throughout her life. And, she was a teacher and had the position of being
supervisor of the schools on the Sioux reservation during her early twenties. So, she traveled
from the different agencies to sort of oversee things, and she ends up married to Dr. Charles
Eastman, who is played by Adam Beach.
HBO:
You've had to learn the Lakota language - how difficult was that?
Anna Paquin:
I don't think any of us had to really learn the language as a whole, so much as learn
phonetically the sentences, paragraphs and proverbs that I have to say. I feel somewhat foolish
because I don't really know exactly what I am saying. But, it's been really interesting. And, I
think it's great including it in the film because Elaine did speak Lakota. Her husband was
Sioux, and they would have been able to converse. I think that's a really important part of
their bond and their connection. She is not just another person from the other culture who
doesn't understand and doesn't want to understand.
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Anna Paquin (Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic.com
)
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HBO:
What sources did you draw on to better understand Elaine?
Anna Paquin:
I have read the book, 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.' I read Elaine's memoir, "Sister to
the Sioux." I found lots of various scholars that have written extensively about her. It's hard
to actually get her poetry, as most of them are out of print, but I have been able to find lots of
her poetry online. Interestingly enough, even though the film focuses primarily on her
marriage to Dr. Eastman, that's one of the more minor things she talks about in her book. She
doesn't really talk so much about her private life. So, that was interesting, to try to essentially
look up gossip on someone who lived 100 years ago to find out other people's takes on her
situation and her marriage. I mean, when you are playing someone that really existed and have
all this material available to you, I just think you'd be crazy not to take advantage of it.
HBO:
How's the experience shooting in Calgary?
Anna Paquin:
It's freezing cold. But then, I am sure it's freezing cold for our characters living on
reservations in the Dakotas in 1890. So, I guess that's just part of getting into character. Like
the corsets. And that brings us to corsets and petticoats and bustles and all the other great stuff
that Victorian women wear that means you can't breathe or eat. But, I think it does a lot of
your work for you, as far as feeling like you are really inhabiting the person, when you are
wearing something that's compressing your insides. Just the way you move, the way you talk
and the way you breathe and sit. All that sort of stuff is affected - in a good way. It's kind of
like a little "cheat" to get into character in the morning. Once the corset's on, I certainly am
Elaine.
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