Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies | Tagged: ben affleck, Bonnie Discepolo, exclusive, Hypnotic, interview, Ketchup Entertainment, robert rodriguez

Hypnotic: Bonnie Discepolo on Rodriguez, Affleck, 'Guardians' & More

Bonnie Discepolo (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3) spoke to Bleeding Cool about her latest sci-fi thriller in Robert Rodriguez's Hypnotic.

Bonnie Discepolo is a Jill-of-All-Trades when it comes to being self-made in Hollywood as an actress, director, and writer who is always looking for an opportunity to improve. While she made her onscreen debut in 2002's C.E.O., she started becoming active in writing and directing since 2013's She Was Quite Like a Daisy. After 50+ projects later, Discepolo is making the best of her opportunities with roles in some of the biggest blockbusters, including Warner Bros' Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The actress spoke to Bleeding Cool about her latest project in Ketchup Entertainment's Hypnotic, working with director Robert Rodriguez and opposite stars Ben Affleck and William Fichtner. The film follows Danny Rourke (Affleck), a detective investigating a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program.

How 'Hypnotic' Offered a Unique Mentoring Opportunity

Bleeding Cool: How did you get involved in 'Hypnotic?'
Discepolo: I got involved in 'Hypnotic' in the craziest way. In 2017, I was one of Robert Rodriguez's five filmmakers he mentored in 'Rebel Without a Crew,' the series. During the pandemic, I found myself without a job, nothing to do, and Robert was making 'Hypnotic.' I am trying to become a better director and learn how to do big-budget movies after doing a feature film for $7,000 in two weeks. I signed up to be an extra in the film.

I emailed Robert, saying, "I signed up to be an extra so that I could watch you shoot." He said, "You didn't have to do that, but okay, great. That's going to be awesome to have you around." While we were shooting one day, one of the actresses tested positive for COVID. Robert came to set, saw me, looked confused, and asked, "What happened? I thought you had COVID. Was it a false positive?" I lowered my mask because it was still COVID time. He said, "Bonnie, I thought you were the other actress, but you're an actress. Do you want to audition?" Right there on the spot, while Ben Affleck is on set shooting, [Robert] hands me a two-page scene to cold read, puts a camera in my face, and he's filming, directing, and auditioning with me while being my reader. It was so intense, and then the next day, I found out I was in the movie in a big role for a five-day shoot.

https://youtu.be/GtFwtJ4WZPE

Being on both ends of the camera, which do you find is easier?
That's a great question. It's interesting. When I'm directing, I'm like, "I can't wait to get back to acting." When I do an acting job, I'm like, "I can't wait to direct again." Directing is a much harder job because you're there from the absolute inception of the project, and you're the last one through the editing, sound mixing, and screening. At the end of the day, the entire movie is on your shoulders, and you're completely responsible for it. At this point now, when I get to act in a film, I'm like, "This is so fun! I get to play with the actors, and I get to show up and have fun. After, I go home and then show up at the premiere. Acting is more fun, and directing is probably a little bit more creatively satisfying.

You got to be a part of some of the year's biggest movies in 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' as well as 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.' How do you compare those experiences to that of something much smaller scale as this?
Going from doing indies, I don't know which one was scarier. For the past six months, I've been like, "Oh my God! Everything is happening! Everything is terrifying!" I said to my friends. I was out with a couple of friends last night, and I'm like, "I am feeling everything." They were like, "Are you okay? What's happening?" They asked, "Is it excitement?" I responded," Yes! It is exciting, but it's also everything everywhere, all at once." Auditioning for 'Hypnotic' and acting in it was probably more terrifying than 'Shazam!' and 'Guardians' because I had more time to think about it and prepare. I got the scene for 'Shazam' and worked with my acting coach before going to set. I was scared and nervous, but I was like, "Okay, it's me, a dragon, and Zachary Levi."

I had time to think about what it meant to act with a dragon. 'Hypnotic,' I had no idea it was coming. I was hanging out and watching the set, then suddenly, Robert had a camera two inches away from my face, and I was like, "This is a huge opportunity. This is the moment, and I must bring all my acting training and coolness and rise to the occasion. I had to do a good job for Robert, knock it out of the park, and stay poised. That felt like the most terrifying. It involves stunts and actions, like taking off clothes and walking into a fire hydrant. There was so much going on, and every day, I didn't know what was going to happen. I get to sit at 4:00 in the morning and then look at the side and be like, "Today it's me and Ben Affleck. I wonder what we're doing?" You get to set, and Robert would say, "This is what's happening." 'Guardians, I was not as scared. That has been an absolute dream come true. 'Guardians of the Galaxy' has been the wildest, most exciting, fun bucket list. It's been incredible.

I wanted to circle back to 'Hypnotic' and working with Robert Rodriguez. I imagine you would poke his brain and shadow him as part of your learning experience. Have you also had the opportunity to learn any pointers from Affleck since he's also directed?
Ben was deep in character, having a difficult role. He's in every scene, and his character deals with a big emotional issue of trying to find his daughter. He stays in character, but he looks at the cameras, and I would see him talking to the DP. I got to observe how he interacted with the crew while thinking about directing, asking what lenses they were shooting on, and how they were setting up shots. My rapport is with Robert, and he was so open and kind. He would take me aside and say, "This is where the four cameras are, and this is how the action will go." He would talk me through editing and why he was setting up shop in certain ways. Even after the fact, he showed me edits and cuts of his actions. I could share a film I was preparing to direct with him. I was like, "On Hypnotic, you did this. I'm considering setting up my camera like this and planning the action this way." He's such a generous mentor.

What was the biggest lesson that Robert imparted to you as a director?
Robert has taught me many invaluable things, but some of the key things are that restriction breeds creativity. If something happens, like it's raining or a piece of equipment breaks, he's like, "Great! What are we going to do?" He immediately pivots and uses his imagination to come up with a solution for it. Teaching me that restriction is an opportunity that when someone says "No," that's when you start being creative. When you don't get a location or when something falls through, that's the exciting moment when something special is going to happen. The don't blink mentality that you keep going. You don't stop to let somebody tell you; you can't do it. That's why I showed up on set in the first place. I was like, "We're going to come watch whatever happens. I'll learn something."

What was the spark that drove you to want to be a director or come to Hollywood? Was there a particular filmmaker, actor, or anyone that set your path?
That's a great question. I saw a couple of Brit Marling films. I saw 'Another Earth' (2011) and then 'Sound of My Voice' (2011), which are two little indie science fiction movies. I felt this burning inside me and wondered, "What is that feeling? I realized it was jealousy." Interesting. What am I jealous of? I was like, "I'm jealous she made that. I'm jealous that they got together with their friends, wrote a story, and made it all themselves." Sitting in a theater watching it, I was like, "Guess that's my guide. Jealousy, like when you feel that burning and you're like, "I want that. I'm supposed to be a filmmaker and be doing this."

Hypnotic, which also stars Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, and Jackie Earle Haley, is currently in theaters.

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