Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 31 May 2018
Shailene Woodley finds her way by going 'Adrift'

By LINDSEY BAHR
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In
October 2016, Shailene
Woodley was not paying
much attention to work
emails. The devoted
environmentalist had gone
to protest the Dakota
Access Pipeline and gotten
arrested in the process. It's
no wonder that the actress
missed an email from a
few old Hawaii friends
with a project based on
the incredible survival at
sea story of a 23-year-old
woman in 1983. It's not that
she wasn't interested — she
was just a little busy.
It would take about a
month for the script to get
into Woodley's hands, and
she remembers being at
her mother's house and This image released by STXfilms shows Shailene Woodley, right, and Sam Claflin in a scene from "Adrift."
just sobbing while reading Associated Press
about the story of Tami
Oldham and Richard 'Whatever I have to do Kormakur, would become there's often a feeling that soap acting you sometimes
Sharp, a young couple to do this movie, please, one of her wildest movie- it's a game." see in American acting
who endeavored to sail please let me be part of it,'" making experiences. And on "Adrift," everyone style."
from Tahiti to San Diego Woodley said recently. Kormakur insisted that they was keenly aware that this For Woodley, it's even
and endured a hurricane It was exactly the kind shoot on the open ocean was not a game, or even simpler. "Truth is my jam," she
that nearly destroyed the of project the then-24- off the coast of Fiji, much just a story, but the real life said. "It would be impossible
ship and put it irrevocably year-old was looking for. to the very strong and very experience of a woman, to not be authentic given
off-course. The film based It was about love, survival, understandable objections now Tami Oldham Ashcraft, the circumstances."
on their story, "Adrift," hits working with nature, from the studio and who survived something Plus, she had both
theaters Friday. and, under the ambitious financiers. But it was non- few can fathom. Ashcraft's memoir and
"I called my friends direction of the Icelandic negotiable for the director, She wrote a memoir soon the woman herself for any
immediately and I was like, filmmaker Baltasar who's a lifelong sailor. after her experience and questions, big and small,
"The first day of shooting says that the film "Adrift" and a subject that she felt
on water it was sunny and is something she's been strongly connected to.
like, 'Oh it's the best day awaiting for 34 years. There "The beautiful thing about
ever,' taking selfies, 'I can't had been a lot of promises this movie to me is that
believe people pay us for over the years, and a lot of it is a woman's survival
this.' And I go, 'This is not potential "Tamis" along the story but it's not a man
the movie we're making,'" way, including Jodie Foster or woman versus nature
Kormakur said. "But cut and Kate Hudson, but no story," Woodley said. "It's
to two hours later we're movie until screenwriter a woman learning how to
carrying buckets of puke. brothers Aaron and Jordan work with nature to survive."
I thought, 'This is the movie Kandell approached her Indeed, Woodley's passion
we're making! Now we're about six years ago and for the project ran so deep
talking! Roll the camera!'" — much to her surprise and she found herself doing
For Kormakur, who also — things actually started so much, she eventually
directed the film "Everest," happening. even got her own producer
shooting in real locations Woodley boarded to play credit.
lends an invaluable Tami ("she's a West Coast "It became more than me
authenticity to the final girl," said Ashcraft, "I just feel fighting for my character
product, and he had her vibe") and Sam Claflin as an actor, it was about
cinematographer Robert as Richard, whose casting fighting for the integrity of
Richardson ("The Aviator"), Ashcraft said is "uncanny... the whole project from start
a three-time Oscar winner, from his accent to his to finish," Woodley said. "It
behind the camera to help. playfulness to his humor." was a once in a lifetime
"I strongly believe in this: Kormakur agreed that opportunity. It's something
People come and watch Woodley had that kind of that as hard as I try to
a movie and pay money "free spirit, nature loving" articulate the experience
for it and they want to be energy that is difficult to I will never be able to fully
taken through something. fake, but also praised her encapsulate the emotion
They want to experience emotional truthfulness. and the feelings that we
something and they "There is something had while we were out
experience through it the authentic about when there. There's just something
experience of the actor," she goes to a place," he that happens when you
Kormakur said. "And if you said. "She doesn't fake it in spend that much time with
create reality from nothing a soapy way, the kind of Mother Nature."q