Addison Timlin: Yes, I do try to be an angel
I remember Addison Timlin from Derailed, a 2005 drama thriller recommended to me by Jose Mari Chan about a family man (Clive Owen) who falls victim to an extortion/blackmail gang to which belongs a pretty woman (played by Jennifer Aniston) whom he meets by chance on the train. Joe Mari was right: the story bears a chilling parallelism to an incident involving a popular local actor (check out YouTube if the movie is in there). Addison plays the diabetic daughter of Owen and Melissa George.
I reviewed the film before I did a 15-minute exclusive interview with Addison a few minutes before she and Harrison Gilbertson, together with New York Times #1 best-selling novelist Lauren Kate, appeared on It’s Showtime to promote Fallen, set for release nationwide tomorrow, Nov. 10, by Pioneer Films. The trio was having late breakfast at Moms and Tina’s Café right across from the ABS-CBN where they also guested on Umagang Kay Ganda (UKG) earlier that morning.
I asked Addison, who was 14 years old when she did Derailed, her movie debut, how she felt playing a diabetic who has to monitor her blood sugar before every meal and at the same time inject herself with Insulin.
“I have a friend who is diabetic and she gave me a lot of input in playing the character,” recalled Addison. “Having the disease is a day-to-day struggle. I felt sorry for children who have to live that way. Playing the role made me understand the disease better and I hope people with diabetes learned a thing or two from the movie.”
Since then, Addison has worked with other bigwigs like Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin in the action-comedy Stand Up Guys (she was also in TV shows like Cashmere Mafia, Day One and Californication).
Was it intimidating for a newbie acting side by side with those big actors?
“Initially, it was scary,” admitted Addison, “and that was before I got to the set. Working with them was a dream come true, really. I grew up watching their films. Pacino is the epitome of what a good actor is. I was so nervous on the first day of the shoot but after the first take, they made me feel comfortable. They are truly actors who love actors and who love what they do. I love what I do and in that way I felt that we have a lot in common. They made me feel so welcomed. And, yeah, they valued my ideas; they were so nurturing. We actually developed a lovely friendship.”
The first of Kate’s five-part series, Fallen is seen through the eyes of Lucinda “Luce” Price (Addison), a strong-willed 17-year-old living a seemingly ordinary life until she is accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Sent off to the imposing Sword & Cross reform school, Luce finds herself being courted by two young men, Cam (played by Harrison) and Daniel (by Jeremy Irvine who didn’t join the Philippine promo tour) to whom she feels oddly connected. Isolated and haunted by strange visions, Luce begins to unravel the secrets of her past and discovers the two men are fallen angels, competing for her love for centuries. Luce must choose where her feelings lie, pitting Heaven against Hell, in an epic battle over true love.
The four others in the Fallen series are Torment, Passion, Rapture and Fallen in Love.
“It’s another dream come true to be working with Jeremy and Harrison,” continued Addison. We got along so beautifully. We knew that this is a big undertaking and a big journey and we felt like we are starting in the same place. It was nice to have each other to look to during the shoot. We had each other’s backs. We truly care for each other and I think we are all so very grounded in our friendship. We have developed a most beautiful friendship.”
Do they look forward to working on the other Fallen stories?
“We hope so…we really hope so,” Addison said, presumably keeping her fingers crossed.
The same team behind the hit Twilight Saga is also producing Fallen. Asked the same question I asked Harrison, did Addison feel any pressure in living up to the Twilight Saga, and maybe equal or even surpass it?
“I think that definitely it will be silly to say that there aren’t similarities between the two,” said Addison. “I’m only hopeful that the fan base of Twilight will find something new in Fallen. Twilight is a very beautiful film. But the story and the characters of the two films are quite different from each other.”
Addison grew up watching movies. Among her favorites are Julianne Moore (who is magnificent in Still Alice for which she won Oscar Best Actress), Kathryn Hunt and Natalie Portman. And what movie made her realize that she wanted to be an actress?
“Yes,” she broke into a girlish smile, “Titanic! Kate Winslet is another favorite. She’s so easy and so wonderful to watch. Titanic is a beautiful love story and I was moved by it.”
The selection for the cast of Fallen was a long process, starting from reading with aspirants during the audition, meeting with the director (Scott Hicks) and the writer, so on and so forth.
“When I got the role,” said Addison, “I was jumping up and down. I was absolutely thrilled.”
Kate wasn’t at the auditions but she saw the videos.
Related Kate, “Scott came in with a very clear vision. I met him early on and related to me what he wanted to do. When I saw the video, I knew that we found what we were looking for. When I saw the movie, I knew that it exceeded my expectations. I’m happy with the product.”
Because she has read the books and has fallen in love with them, Addison easily identified with the character Luce.
“I am touched by her unwavering belief in love,” gushed Addison. “I love reading the whole series. Fallen is a compelling love story that lasts through centuries and centuries, from one lifetime to another, and even through reincarnation.”
Does she believe in angels?
“Of course, I do, absolutely! I believe that I have a Guardian Angel.” (Addison was born on June 29, 1991. According to Veronique Jarry’s book Who Is Your Guardian Angel?, the Guardian Angel of those born between June 27 and July 1 is Pahaliah who governs theology and morals; he fights to establish the truth, to have people live with morals.)
By the way, is Addison an angel in real life?
“Uhm,” she smiled. “I certainly try to be angelic as much as I can. In general, it’s important to be kind.”
In the movie, Jeremy and Harrison fight for Addison’s love. You wonder, has Addison ever found herself being fought over by two guys in real life?
“You know,” she replied suppressing a laugh, “I’ve never seen two people get into a physical fight like the two guys in the movie. I think a lot of people go through the experience…when they have a past love and get into the next one. I guess the thing is you just have to keep your heart in the right place.”
Her family will definitely watch the movie…including somebody special to her?
Addison blushed, “Uhm, yes, there certainly is.”
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