She is also brought to a point of zero in the beginning of the story, and I think you can say that about a lot of my films in that they are often about people who are brought to the point of zero in the beginning of the film.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Before I started to make films, I didn't give much thought to the way the characters were physically positioned in the story world.
A lot of writers want everything put on screen, but it doesn't work like that. The screenwriter brings her own imaginative interpretation, just as the director and actors do.
I've found in the past that the more closely I identify with the heroine, the less completely she emerges as a person. So from the first novel I've been learning techniques to distance myself from the characters so that they are not me and I don't try to protect them in ways that aren't good for the story.
A part of being an actress that is sort of frustrating is that the writers get to tell you about your character.
It was always about the story rather than the character.
I've had some great times with actresses, but that's in a movie.
In fact, some reviewers have said that as they got into the story they forgot that the protagonist is a black woman. They were moved by the story - by the people as a whole - and not by the little things.
When you have a movie, you know who they start out as and where they go. But this is constantly changing, and you're growing with the character.
It's just lovely to be involved in a movie that does go back to the basics - characters and great writing.
I never feel like there's any one point to the film, to anything, to any of the movies I've made.