Jacqueline Fernandez is a bundle of energy, the kind that can spread through the entire room within minutes of her having entered it. In an interview, she talks about the experience of working in her first English film, Definition of Fear, how she has come to see India as her comfort zone and more...
NERVE BLUES
“I was extremely nervous when I went to shoot for Definition of Fear in Canada last year,” she says as she begins to talk about the James Simpson-directed thriller. “I’m very used to being in India now and to working with actors and directors I’m comfortable with because I know them already. When I went for this movie, I told myself that as an actor, you need to keep taking risks. So, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and give this my best shot. It turned out to be an amazing experience. I’m playing a student of psychology in the film and this is the first time that I’m doing a thriller. Also, I was working with people completely unknown to me,” she says.
Jacqueline adds that one struggle that surprised her was with the language. “This may sound funny, but I’m so used to shooting in Hindi that shooting in English took a while to get used to. English is my first language but when I started shooting for Definition of Fear, I actually had trouble with my lines. It was so weird, because I never have trouble with my lines in Hindi. I started getting really worried at one point… but then I got used to it and realised that even this helped me as an actor.”
DIRECTOR’S ACTRESS
Definition of Fear will have Jacky donning shades of gray for the first time, something the actress is also excited about. “A lot of people have reference points for roles like this, but I just went into it completely blank, thinking that my director will tell me what to do and how to do it. I just focused on imagining what I’d be feeling at that time, in those situations, if I were in her place. I let my director guide me. I am a director’s actor in general — I depend a lot on them. They tell me what to do and like a robot, I can do it.”
For indian audience
Ask the actress how she responds to the fact that a lot of India’s interest in Definition of Fear rests primarily on her shoulders and she says, “It is a bit daunting that it rests on me. This is an independent film, and film festivals are able to give films like it some kind of platform to be seen, noticed and watched. I’m excited to be on board also because I know that I can help in some way to get this film the kind of release and attention it deserves in India. It’s truly different from what I’m used to doing and from what people are used to seeing me do, so I really hope it gets a good response.”
Going INTERNATIONAL
While Jacqueline clarifies that there are no more Hollywood projects in the pipeline at the moment, she views this film as a great means to showcase her talent to international filmmakers. “This film is a great platform for me to showcase my work to the international audience. And I do definitely want to be a part of international films, not even necessarily just Hollywood. I’d absolutely love to do anything from French cinema to even Chinese cinema. I want to see how filmmaking is carried out differently in different countries.” She adds, “Right now, the world is becoming so small — in terms of cinema too, we have people from India being jury members at Cannes, we have people from Hollywood coming to India and casting people for their projects…and within such a scenario, I want to keep my horizons open.”
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
