Grace Lisa Vandenburg (Teresa Palmer) counts everything – the letters in her name, the poppy seeds on her orange cake. She counts because numbers hold the world together. But when a chance encounter with Seamus (Joe Dempsie) turns her world upside down, Grace’s meticulously ordered life starts to unravel. Addition is about accepting who you are and celebrating the things in life that really count.
As the new Aussie rom-dramedy Addition prepares to release in Australian cinemas on January 29 (courtesy of Roadshow Films), Nick L’Barrow sat down face-to-face with the films director, Marcelle Luman, to chat about the visual process of adapting a book to film, and the importance of creating a character that connects with the audience.
Nick: It’s a pleasure to meet you both! I know that we have a Warm Bodies reunion happening here!
Teresa and Bruna laugh
Nick: I worked at a Blockbuster, and that was one of the trailers that played on repeat when it was coming out on DVD! I am very fond of that film!
Teresa Palmer: Blockbuster! So iconic!
Nick: It was the best job ever! And congratulations to both of you on the film. Teresa, I’d love to start with how you found the nuance and complexities within Grace. Obviously, she is a character that was created in the novel by Toni Jordan, then adapted by Becca Johnstone. But, I’m curious to know if you remember a specific point where you found an “in” with Grace?
TP: I did a lot of work and researching on YouTube! There was a particular woman who was very open and very vulnerable about her experience with OCD tendencies. And her anxiety manifested itself in counting. She was very specific about how it can take her out without warning, and then what the spiral felt like. In particular for me, that was the most important part.
I knew that I could do the chemistry with Joe Dempsie. He’s a super charming and awesome guy. That was all fine. But it was the spiral. I wanted to make sure that we did service to this aspect because it’s been done on screen before, but it can be very overt. I wanted it to be subtle and played in a way that felt grounded.
So, this woman on YouTube, her work, her journals, it was just gorgeous. It was like a bible for me. I could go back and look at it all and find the things I really wanted to nail. I would say though that my performance changed throughout the course of the movie. Even during the first week, I was a bit more restrained and trying to do everything by the book. It was a bit more calculated. Then when I fell into her a bit more, and brought some of my own mannerisms and quirks to the role, I felt like it just flowed more.
Nick: Finding real life examples of people who are going through what Grace is going through in this story is amazing because it speaks to the fact that Addition will absolutely resonate with audiences who feel seen by Grace. For yourself Bruna, the de-stigmitisation of mental health in media is on an upward trajectory, and I think when it’s portrayed in such an accessible genre like the rom-com, it makes exploring these themes a bit more palatable without losing its sincerity. Is that something that is important to you when it comes to finding the right stories to tell?
Bruna Papandrea: I think that’s a bit part of, honestly, how this story found its way. It took 14 years, so it wasn’t fast. But I think you’re on to something, because I think the timing is always right when you make movies. I think that there is a new generation now where everything feels normalised in a way that… I don’t know. Young people are just great!
For me, I obviously make a lot of stuff with complicated women at the centre. But I also don’t like movies to be boxed in to ‘just for women’. I think of a movie like Wild, where in some ways, everyone is broken. And with this, there’s so many touch points for people to relate to Grace. I think with the lens of a romantic dramedy, you can kind of be hopeful, and have people come out of it with the hope that they can find their own way. Sometimes, leaning into who you are is a great thing.
Nick: I think that complexity and resonance is something audiences crave, for sure. And what I really appreciated about Addition is that it explores an adult romance in a mature way. Adults are complicated, adults swear, and adults have sex. And the PG rated romance films still have their place when it serves the story, but as a performer, Teresa, is there a freedom in being able to explore a mature romance in a mature way?
TP: Oh, definitely! The best part of it is when you have a scene partner who is sort of a, “Yes. And?” person, and Joe Dempsie was that. We both had this tapestry, these amazing characters, and this underlying attraction between these two people. There is so much there to work with. And when I’m in a partnership with him as a performer, it gives me this soft, safe place to land. Which meant I could be wild and liberated as a performer.
Like, some of the dance scenes were so mortifying. It was hard to be like, “Just go for it!” But I needed to feel uninhibited, and it was so refreshing and intoxicating to have that dynamic. It’s all about your scene partner. And that is props to casting, making sure that they pick two people who you can just put into a room, and they’re going to figure out a way to do the scene in a way that’s interesting and breathing life into these characters. And that’s what Bruna and Marcelle [Luman, director] did. And I just felt so grateful to have Joe, because it meant the performance came so much easier because it was a dance together.
Thank you so much to Teresa and Bruna for their time, and to Roadshow Films for organising the interview. Addition is in Australian cinemas January 29.
