Schön! Exclusive Interview with West Duchovny: Unveiling the Layers of Acting
Schön!: You obviously grew up with acting as a very prevalent career—did you feel pressure to pursue acting, or is it something that you were excited about and came naturally to you?
West Duchovny: No, the opposite! I was discouraged and also I never had any interest in it. I guess because I grew up around it, everyone was always asking me if I wanted to do it, and I initially thought it wasn’t my thing, so I stayed away from it and rebelled as opposed to it a bit. And then in high school, I was about to graduate and had gotten into college and was going to go for pre-med and just did a play for fun because my friend was directing it, and I was like, “Oh, no.” I had never felt that method about anything I’d ever done. The love for it came so effortlessly in a way that hadn’t happened with any other endeavors I had done in the past. And so then it was just kind of like, if I don’t give this a shot, I’m never going to be able to stop thinking about it.
Schön!: You partially answered my questions already, but was there any character in a film or moment in your life in particular that made you want to pursue acting professionally? What made you want to do the play?
West Duchovny: Well, with that play specifically, the big reason why I wanted to do it is because of the topic– it’s this play called “Slut.” And it was put on in a small theater in New York and she had picked that for her senior project. It’s about sexual assault, and I just really hade a fancy for my high school to see it. And because it’s a senior project– you know, it’s not a school production, it was really a ragtag group of people trying to get enough of it off the ground so that we could do it. And I was trying to figure out lighting, sound, and other bizarre jobs in the production and I’ve never done any of it! Then my friend approached me and said, “Actually, we need more actors,” and that’s how it happened! I definitely fell into it. That’s amazing!
Schön!: Yes! And my parents were shocked. They were like, “Oh my God. That came out of left field – what’s happening?”
Schön!: Do you think they were nervous for you at all, or just excited?
West Duchovny: My dad has now admitted that before, he was so nervous for me, and then he saw the play, and he was like, “Oh, thank God, she’s good.” So I believe that’s kind of where he was at, at least.
Schön!: That’s great news! Also, I just finished watching Saint X– what a great show with the most shocking ending! What initially drew you to audition for the role of Alison?
West Duchovny: Thank you! It was the confrontation with of a character who could so easily be unlikable. I guess someone who presents a certain way and then is so clearly someone different on the inside, that’s such a fun kind of exploration of what it means to be a young girl and growing up and struggling and rebelling– that was fun. I got to make her weird; I got to show the human in her because I think so often she presents as this, like, “I’ve got it all figured out, I’m so tough,” perfect kind of girl. So it was that, and then also just the topics that it tackles were beautiful to me. You know, like putting something on that I think deals really well because it shows all the complexities of the themes of like race and like colonialism and white privilege and the economic disparity. I thought it did that in such an intelligent way. I would love to be a part of telling this story.
Schön!: That actually leads me to my next question– the premise of the series is the reaction to the loss of your character. Going in knowing this, did that put pressure on you to make sure Alison was likable enough to make sure the audience was involved?
West Duchovny: It was definitely scary because throughout the whole show, you need to feel for her, and you need to root for her to some degree. And again, at the same time, she’s very problematic in a lot of ways. So how can I balance that out with some fun little while or some quirkiness or some self-consciousness and fear, and how do I show that? And I think what added to the challenge is I only had eight days. Like, you only see Alison for eight days. For these other characters, you’re getting different timelines and more context, but all you get is vacation Alison for eight days. So I had to approach the role, asking myself the question, “How can I do her justice in those eight days?” It was a fun challenge. I have a minimal window to showcase who she is and all of her complexities. So that was also kind of pleasure for me. It was scary. It was definitely frightening.
Schön!: Had you read the book prior to auditioning?
West Duchovny: No, I hadn’t read it. It was a long, drawn-out process of auditioning. It happened over about six months so that I would come back to it, and then I wouldn’t hear anything, often thinking that it wasn’t happening. Throughout that time, I only had access to the pilot, so when I booked the role, I immediately went and bought the book and started reading. And I was like, “My God, that’s how it ends?!” I had no idea what I was getting into and I was reading the book, but I loved the story, and so that just made me more excited. I think it’s really talented and really relevant, and so well done.
Schön! Something beautiful about this show is it explores so many relatable and current controversial topics—from racism to homophobia. Many of the characters, in some way or another, have to hide a part of themselves. How does it feel to be a part of a show that wasn’t afraid to be a little controversial and brought these relevant struggles to light?
West Duchovny: I think it’s just how the show handles these topics– I don’t think that it’s force-feeding you an agenda so much as just forcing you to sit through observing the complexities of these issues. I think it’s incredibly uncomfortable at times, which is what I love. And there’s one part in the first episode that I always hung onto– when Alison’s on the bus and she’s taking in the fact that we’re taking a vacation in a place where people don’t even have roofs over their heads, and the bus driver says, “you know, I can tell you people are cheerful on our island.” And I think that’s the tension throughout. What’s so absorbing about these themes is it’s so much more complicated than you might think, and the show doesn’t shy away from showing those complications. It makes you uncomfortable, it makes you think, and I think that that’s what good art is supposed to do.
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