An Interview With The Talented Actress CYNTHIA PINOT

Dec. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- Heidii McDonald’s questions, Entertainment writer for Yahoo!

1.   So what would you say your process is when preparing for a role:

"Cynthia- “ Ha-ha, I guess I would associate myself with Method acting, but really in the end, we all have a “different method”…. I have intensively studied under a couple of gifted coaches that studied right under Lee Strasberg.  I love finding a song that best connects to my characters “need. Sometimes it’s a classical piece, or a rock ballad,… you just never know! . The film we just wrapped this week, I listened to the theme song of American Beauty, over and over, because it was the doorway into the role I played. The songs are never the same. I do a lot of work on the backstory… just give me enough paper!  By the time I get on set, my characters needs are my needs, her wants are my wants, and so on...…but I “do” disconnect.  I don’t completely become the persona and live in it, until the day the film wraps. I draw from my own life’s experiences, I believe that has more truth, and the camera LOVES to see the lies, its physics!"

2.   What is your training:

            "Well, I started when I was bity bitty, on a childrens after school show called "Villa Alegre", but training, I was in middle school, when one of my friends asked if I wanted to go to the Drama Club after school. A Woody Allen script was handed to me, and I was taught how to break it down. I really didnt understand the comedy, I was 13 years old, I was still very very green in life.  I did understand how to build a character, I had been watching Carol Burnett my whole childhood. I love her!! I studied, a lot of methods through the years, but always found that Lee Strasberg’s “Method” was the best doorway in, sure, Ive added a few twist of my own, to "make it my own' method  throught the years, but its always been, at least for me, the safest way in. I can go far, and deep, and get into the characters need, long enough to bring her to life. I read "Mystic In the Theatre, while in high school. My teacher Mrs. Evans, gave it to me as a gift one year, I was..16 I think, and she said, learn her, understand her story, hold on to your femininity, use it, and be an empowered woman. Ha-ha-ha, I was 16,  in a small town, I didnt really get it then, but through the years, Ive come to understand what she ment. She filled me full of wisdom, and taught me a lot, some I will never share, I consider those my "secrets". A girl has to have her tricks!. I was also President of the Drama Club in High school one year, ha-ha-ha! Yes a drama nerd! I studied at a University before I moved to LA. Once here, Anne Bancroft mentored me for a very short time. We met at the Daily Grill in Brentwood and we talked about my auditions. She taught me to just be myself. She said, if I got old and fat and full or wrinkles, to just “own it!” I wish I would have spent more time with her. Susan Batson, I love her to pieces! She can really get into your instrument, and won’t take anything other than the truth from you. She is a gift!! Amy Lyndon, she has also been a gift in my life. She is wonderful,brilliant, and strong, and has encouraged me to "“Dream Big!"” I would have to say, I have had wonderful and amazing strong woman in my life who demanded I bring my A game, and I am so grateful to them.
Those 4 woman I consider to be, my 4 pillars in my foundation. I want to make them proud, they invested their time in me, I want to do them right. Ha-ha-ha, maybe one day, by thanking them with a little gold man in my hand? ha-h-ha, did I say that? shhhhh. But Im still learning, I have so much to learn!"

3.   Who are your favorite actors:

I love this question! How much time to do you have! Oh without question, Judy Dench, Helen Mirren, and of course, Anne Bancroft. But, there are so many, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Annette Bening, and those are just the woman, truly, I could go on! To me, these are all woman, who didn’t hold back, no boundaries, and all have told stories that have impacted so many in very powerful ways.

4.   What is the hardest role you’ve ever played:

" Wow, that a tough one. I have fallen in love with all the roles I have played to date. I would have to say, the role of Elvira, from Jornada Al Norte.The film went on to a lot of film festivals that year. It had a very powerful message. She was a real person, so I wanted to bring it as much truth. She escaped from El Salvador during the communist invasion in the 80’s. She crossed the US border without documentation, and she gets caught with her family by Homeland. Stakes were high, they stood to loose everything and face death if returned to their homeland. It was the hardest role to disconnect from, I felt her in my soul. When I see clips from that film, I still get chills and my eyes well up."

5.What is the most fun role they've ever played, and why:

"My first big Film production was Rush Hour 2. There were a lot of cameos, or uncredited actors on this project. Maybe because it was in Vegas with Brett Ratner, for weeks! It was fun, even if we were filming what seemed like 14-16 hour days, it was a non stop rollercoster of fun! We were in Vegas for weeks! It was the film that wouldn’t wrap! We were shooting out of sequence, so they would fax us the script daily, so there were days where it was a lot of improvisation. The city never sleeps, so it was lots of fun, nightlife, and lots of sushi!! Ha-ha-ha, our craft service, would set out the most amazing spread daily of some awesome sushi!! Did I say sushi? Ha-ha-ha!"

6.What is your dream role and what do you feel you would bring to it:

"Gosh, that’s like telling a little kid, you are going to Toys Are US, and you can have whatever you want! My dream role, hmm, I would love to do eventually do a bio-pic, a story about someone, who overcame some kind of adversity. We all have adversities to overcome, like Felicity Huffman in Transamerica, she was beyond brilliant!!! Its the stories about people, that we dont really hear about but you know happens in life. Its the human struggle. We are all beings trying to create happiness for our selves as best we know it. Some of us have it easier than others, but at the end of the day, take away food,shelter, health, strip social class, and we are the same, absolutely the same. I love the challenge of discovering all the many emotional layers a character has, and then surrender to the truth of who they are in the story.I know I can go deep, you know, fall into the Rabbit Hole without hesitation, and I know how to get back home safe. Give me a story most are afraid to play, to me thats when the fun starts! The higher the stakes, the more thrilled I get. We all stand to learn from each other, I would love to work on a project that had a solid message, that could impact many.  I would of course pull out my dream list, and dream director, and production team.… This is my passion, I will be doing this when I’m 70, trust me! Hahahaha!"

7.   What is your advice to aspiring actors:

"I would ask them, how bad do you want this and why? Know what your answer is, because like everything else, it isn’t always easy. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth having.  Stay in school, finish your education. Trust me, you will use it. I will give you the same advice Dr. Marian Monta   gave me my first year at the university. ‘ If you want to be a serious story teller, go, go live your life, when you have lived, truly lived, then you are ready to bring truth to what you bring to the screen.’ Study your craft, ask question, and have a strong sense of self.  Work hard, and finally, as Amy Lyndon would say, "“You are enough just as you are."” Don’t let anyone try to change your sense of self or integrity."