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Cinema: Close-Up
Can’t Alison Lohman Act Her Age? By Joey Berlin
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lison Lohman would really love to act her age. The youthful-looking starlet drew raves last year starring as the troubled 15-yearold daughter of Michelle Pfeiffer in “White Oleander.” Now, Lohman shines in “Matchstick Men” as the 14-year-old daughter of con man Nicolas Cage. The surprise is that Lohman is no kid. In fact, she is about to turn 24 and more adult roles are finally coming her way. But for now, the Palm Springs, Calif., native is happy to play up her childlike features and let audiences buzz about that precocious little girl on the big screen, stealing all of her scenes from the seasoned pros. In director Ridley Scott’s “Matchstick Men,” Cage stars as an obsessive-compulsive basket case who happens to be a con artist. Lohman suddenly appears, playing Cage’s long-lost daughter, and she wants in on the action. They make an irresistible father-daughter tag team and Lohman found that, even at her advanced age, she could still learn a lot from her veteran director and Oscar-winning co-star. Q: “Matchstick Men” is about scam artists. Have you ever been conned in real life? A: I have! In London, I bought one of those phone calling cards and I saw that all of the minutes had been erased. It had already been used and I’d been scammed. So I went back and he refused to give me my money back. I realized I could play this two ways: I could just walk away or I could scream and cry. So I yelled, “How could you do this to a young girl?” And he gave me my money back! Q: As an actress, does your youthful appearance sometimes work against you? A: Yeah, but I wanted to look young in this role. It’s a necessity because she’s 14. For this role, I needed to feel and be 14, so I hung out with my 14-year-old cousin for a month. I wore a retainer and pigtails. There’s something in kids’ eyes. It’s optimistic, as if anything is possible. The most beautiful thing you can see is a child’s eyes. I had to make sure I captured that youthful spirit. Q: Being able to disguise yourself as a young teenager like that, are you as much a master manipulator as your character? A: She’s always two steps ahead of everybody else, but I’m not a manipulator. I’m more candid. What you see is what you get. I don’t have an agenda. Q: Was your role in “Matchstick Men” especially demanding, emotionally? A: She’s very high-strung. When she laughs, it’s really loud, big and extreme. And, when she’s crying, it’s the same thing, going from one end of the spectrum to the other. I had fun. Q: What did you expect when you were cast opposite Nicolas Cage? A: I expected him to be a genius, which he is. He’s very subtle. It’s all done with
the eyes, which is how it is in real life. He’s such a great actor and I was amazed to get the chance to work with him. We’d laugh a lot. Nic is so smart, so interesting. He has a dry wit and always had something off-the-wall to say. He made our scenes fun. Q: You also get to go bowling and ride a skateboard in “Matchstick Men.” Do you do either of those very well? A: I had to practice my bowling and they brought in an instructor. It didn’t turn out too great. I had to make the ball roll down the line so it would look believable. And I had also never been on a skateboard before. I’d been snowboarding before, but this was a struggle. Q: The music in the film is quite retro, with artists such as Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin. How did you like it? A: I loved the music. It was perfect for this film. But that’s Ridley Scott. He has a vision and he pieces it together seamlessly. That’s why he’s so great. Q: What was he like to work with? A: Without even saying anything, just using his eyes, he has the power to get you to do something. It’s intangible and magical. His energy lifts you. Any doubt you have is just gone. And it’s really simple and amazing. Q: Do you also try to learn from other actors? A: I do, but not during a scene, because I have to focus as much as anyone. But if there’s anything left over, I wonder how the other actors work, how someone’s so great. Subconsciously, you can do that by just being there, by osmosis. Q: Because of your youthful look, is their any concern about being typecast? A: Well, in my next film, “Big Fish,” which is directed by Tim Burton, I get to play Ewan McGregor’s wife. I like playing young girls, but I don’t think about looking really young. I don’t even think about the age of the character. It doesn’t matter. I can see that I’m getting older when I look in the mirror.
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