Tania Nolan answers our questions
Tania Nolan will be familiar to many as Angelina from Go Girls - and for her debut in The Hothouse. But in This Is Not My Life she plays Dr Collins, who could be a threat or a friend to Alec Ross...
Tell us a little about how you got involved in this
project
Dr Collins was actually the first role I was invited to
audition for. I'd had the pleasure of working with
Gavin Strawhan
and
Rachel Lang
while filming season 1 of
Go Girls
and
This Is Not My Life
was their next exciting
venture. Casting began early 2009, and I ended up having to
send a taped audition from LA, as I was there sussing the place out
at the time. Thankfully it was still enough to seal the deal!
I flew back a few months later to begin pre-production, and it was
then that I truly realised what a blessing it was to be a part of
such an innovative and brilliant show.
Tell us about your character - and how did you get into
their mindset?
Dr Collins. The face of Wellness. Firm but
fair. She manages the physical, mental and emotional health
and happiness of her client's entire family unit. Natasha is
inquisitive, calculating, dedicated, extremely ambitious as well
as, well, kinda spooky, right? This "other worldly" quality
was a strong vision for Dr Collins right from the beginning.
We wanted her to be cool yet disarming, un-readable. Using
silence and stillness to control. Early on in rehearsals with
Rob Sarkies and Peter Salmon we came up the ''xray eyes''
idea. As if she's physically scanning one's every
thought. However, it was important to marry her omonous
presence with a strong psychological intent. Throughout the
filming period I did a lot of detailed writing from her
perspective, to find her thoughts. She has very different
instincts to my own. There is much more than meets the eye to Dr
Collins. But is her mission in aid of the greater good or for
her own personal gain? You'll just have to wait and
see...
What was it about this show which attracted you to get
involved?
This role was a great opportunity for me. Any
chance to work being a gift, but especially one that challenges me
as an actress. Dr Collins is a complex little cookie, with a
very different personality to my own.
This Is Not My Life
is such a well written story. NZ
viewers have not seen a show of their own quite like this
before. It was a dream gig which I feel very proud to be a
part of.
What was the shooting of this show like?
There was such a great atmosphere on set, and all
throughout the production team. I've never experienced an
entire cast and crew loving the scripts like this. Excitedly
chatting about each new episode as scripts were published. It
created such a rich environment to work within. It felt like
a passion piece for all involved. This is why the show looks
and feels so slick and styley! Most of my filming was within
the very cool Wellness set. I mean literally cold, I
often carried around a little hottie with me, to keep me from
shaking. Oh to suffer for one's art...My scenes where
scheduled and shot over two or three days within each three
week block. I had a lot of prep time in between my shooting
days, where I'd then film all my scenes back to back. Such a
tease, it always left me wanting more.
What were the challenges of this show?
Our budget. Most of the cash needed to be injected
in to post production, to achieve the fancy futuristic look and
quality of show. This meant tightening the belt on all other
departments of the actual shoot. There was a lot of kiwi
ingenuity going on. And it paid off!
With a production like this and the filming schedule,
was there any room for fun? Were they a good crew to be part
of?
Fantastic cast and crew, who were all very talented and
dedicated to their work. And I'm sure there was fun going on
after hours, but sady I have to say I wasn't part of it. Not
until the wrap party that is. I went a bit 'method' on it
during filming and kept to myself a lot. Dr Collins is a solo
soul and I found myself hibernating both on and off set. It
wasn't a deliberate or planned strategy, it just surfaced and
felt right at the time. A bit of total immersion if you
will!
What was it like being part of a different kind of NZ
show like this?
I felt and still feel genuinely stoked to be a part of
this show. Now all I can ask for is that
This Is Not My Life
gets the viewers it so
deserves. Then we can keep telling the story!
Many of us will recognise you from
Go Girls - but Dr Collins is
a totally different role - do you relish the variety of roles
you're being offered
?
I love it! Playing a variety of characters is what gets me
going as an actress. With Dr Collins I made a conscious
decision to create a contrasting energy to that of Angelina from
Go
Girls
. Angie is firey, direct, emotional and
explosive. Whereas Dr C is centered, calming and
calculating. Mysterious. Their similarities lie in the
fact that they are both contained and conflicted in ways.
This is shown in their poise and posture, as well the structured
style of their hair and clothing. For me the joy comes from
taking a script and expanding on that. Creating their
history, discovering what makes them tick. Then playing with
it, feeding off the other actors within this make believe
land. Transforming myself completely is very satifying.
However next on my wish list, oddly enough, is to play a character
who's more like myself. I haven't really had the chance
yet. Someone silly, excitable and well, just a tad
quirky. This is me.
Is there any part of Waimoana that you would like to have
as part of your own life?
The green lifestyle. No more plastic bags or
excessive packaging. And bring back glass bottles!! Oh
and a PeC would be pretty damn funky.
Was there anything from the Waimoana world that you
tried (or succeeded) to take home from the set?
I was gifted one of Dr C's dresses. And her blue
bra. Yes, even that was blue!
What's next for you?
Next for me... I'm filming in NZ until mid Dec 2010, then
back to LA for me. Chasing the dream, auditioning, networking
and the like. Doing my very best to create oportunites for
myself. Hey, I'd rather die trying, than never
knowing!
Don't
forget you can watch episodes of This Is Not My Life free
here!
