Gifted (2017)

Q: How did you like playing a teacher in “Gifted?”

Slate: I really liked it. I like being an actress because I sort of like being obedient. As a child, I was so frenetic. Because it was hard for me to pay attention, I never really felt proud of that part of myself. So being an actress, where someone is like, “Stand here,” I feel like I can follow directions. Playing a teacher is a chance for me to kind of replay the memories of good teachers that I’ve had but also to create an adult who is gentle but firm, and just curious—kind of a dream adult. Someone who is in control maybe more than I am as a creative person.

Q: How was it working with the kids in your class?

Slate: It was different from making a movie in L.A., where the kids are actors. Mckenna is a professional actor and she was doing her thing but the rest of them were children from Savannah (where the film was shot). They were aware we were making a movie but they also were children; they don’t do this professionally every day. They have respect for things like freedom, snacks and adults who are nice. In between takes, our director Mark was like, “Don’t stop. Don’t let them see you as Jenny. You are the teacher,” so I was the teacher all day long. In between takes, I remember doing things that I remember my dad doing with me when we were in the car. He would quiz my sisters and I. And it was really fun because the answers were kind of easy for the kids but they got into the energy of learning. They do start to see you as somebody they need to listen to. After a while, I was like, “These kids don’t know that I’m actually just a clown.”

Q: What did you think of the chemistry between Chris Evans and Mckenna Grace in this film?

Slate: It’s darling. It really is. Mckenna is a young creature on this earth but she is, for sure, made to do this. This same for Chris. He’s been a performer since he was little. He was younger than I was when he got to it but he had been in school plays forever so I think you can see that energy between them. They have a real synergy as actors, even though one is so big and one is so little. They’re a really good match.

Q: What surprised you most about Chris?

Slate: One of the most beautiful things about making this film, and we all talked about it on set, was Marc Webb, our director, managed to gather a group of actors who are all really in love with performance. That was a really wonderful thing to see in Chris. He’s dedicated to it and he’s so in control of his skill set. And he’s dedicated without fetishizing the art of performance. He just does it. I learned a lot from being on this movie because everyone else was a more seasoned performer than me. I felt very green. There were moments when I felt, “Oh, I’m the new one,” but I had to accept that and realize there were a lot of opportunities to learn.

Q: Who did you learn from?

Slate: One thing that sticks in my mind was something that Marc said to me: “You always do 70 percent of what you’re asked to do and 30 percent of what you want to do.” I took it as a compliment but it’s something I have to keep my eye on because in my nature I am wild but I want to be part of a community. I want to be in my family without being sent to my room even though I’m 35. I want to be on this film and be fully creative without being indulgent. What he said really rang true to me as a person and who I am as an artist. But a do take it as a compliment—that there is a part of me that will always have my own True North, and that’s what makes me unique as a performer. I’m proud of it but you can’t just do what you want all the time so it was a very interesting thing to hear—one that I’m both proud of and also something I’ll be sensitive to.

Q: You and Chris played your characters’ relationship pretty low key. Was that intentional?

Slate: Yes, I thought it was important to endow this woman with a wholeness, with a steady energy and with a humble sense of purpose. I don’t think Bonnie sees herself as someone who has discovered a gem. She’s not looking to gain from this. She sees herself as a facilitator. Once she gets to know Frank, she sees herself as someone who can nudge both of them towards a good life and yet she’s really aware of overstepping her boundaries, and sometimes she does. She knows she might lose him as someone to be romantic with but in the end, it’s very important to set this child and to set this man, who’s also vulnerable in a different way.

Q: Did you spend a lot of time with Chris preparing for this role?

Slate: We spent a lot of time together as a group. There were a lot of game nights and there weren’t that many people on this film but our characters don’t really know each other that well, at least initially, so I felt pretty enclosed as far as getting to know these people in order to make the work better. But I truly loved hanging out with them. I’ve had a few film experiences like this where it felt like I was at camp.