Katerina Eichenberger is an up-and-coming actor currently starring in the independent film Just Say Goodbye. We recently caught up with her to talk about the project and herself. Here’s what she had to say.
Hello Katerina. Nice to have the chance to ask some questions. I’d like to start with a little bit of fun. Could you tell our readers something about you and how you got started as an actor?
Katerina Eichenberger: As a child, I was a ballet dancer and rhythmic gymnast. When I was about 11, my flexibility was at the level of that of a contortionist, so though I was naturally able to do well in rhythmic gymnastics, I was not willing to commit the time and energy that was asked of me for it was not a true passion of mine. Around 12, my friends convinced me to do a play with them and that led me into the theatre world. I began to audition for every show, and by high school, I joined the acapela group and performed in every show I could possibly be in. Between my Junior and Senior year in high school, I went to a 7-week intensive musical theatre-training program at Circle in the Square in New York City over that summer to see if I wanted to pursue this as a career, and obviously, I adored it. I got accepted into NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts program the following year and have continued from there.
Give me three words to describe yourself.
KE: Hardworking, Passionate, Curious
Nice. If you could watch any movie with its star, which movie would it be and who would be sitting with you?
KE: Tough question. I think this would change tomorrow but right now I would love to watch The Wife with Glenn Close.
Yeah. Good choice. What is your favorite movie genre and why?
KE: I enjoy many different genres; however, I do tend to lean towards indie drama/ surrealist very much (if that is even considered a genre). Think Pan’s Labyrinth, The Lobster, Mulholland Drive, Being John Malkovich, The Babadook, etc. I think these movies are incredibly creative and reach these moments of absurdity that still makes sense to the viewer. Whether it’s at its core about grief, or war, or identity, these movies take a universal human experience and transform it into a wild, inventive journey that still manages to resonate with their audience. I’m also impressed they don’t get lost in their own universe.
So what are your Top 5 movies you recommend right now.
KE: These are the first that popped in my head. I know I am missing so many.
You can currently be seen in an independent film called Just Say Goodbye. How did you get involved with this project?
KE: I was in my senior year at NYU and had technically graduated early that previous December 2015 and was TA-ing for one of my teachers, Ellen Parks, while I waited to walk at my graduation in May. I wanted to begin working on more projects for experience and found the audition opportunity for Just Say Goodbye on Backstage, a site for artists to cast films, audition, etc, and applied and ended up getting cast.
You play a high school student named Sarah, friends with a boy named Jesse, played by Max MacKenzie, who is considering suicide. How much freedom were you given in creating Sarah as a character?
KE: I was given quite a lot of freedom, which was lovely. I started with the script because that is where you get the writer’s intention behind who this character is and you learn from the story how that specific character acts in different situations. So I learned the basics about Sarah that way. She is fiery, protective of those she loves, carefree, light, late, etc. From there I took those qualities and found aspects that were inherently similar to myself and those that were different and worked from there. As we filmed, I would get notes here and there but they were supportive and if something didn’t make sense to me about an action, they were always open to talk it through and figure out a way to make it make sense. It was a really wonderful experience.
Most films in this genre spend a lot of time on romance in setting up the story, yet Just Say Goodbye is much more about friendship. I really liked the dynamic between the two characters. What was it like playing opposite MacKenzie and how did you two build that closeness on screen?
KE: Performing with Max was wonderful. I always think how serendipitous it was that we met through this project. He is both incredibly talented and kind. We connected easily. We got luckily that we were naturally geared for friendship, but we also understood our characters deeply and that only helped our relationship build naturally. In ways he reminded me of my little brother and myself. We had an incredibly intimate scene on one of our first days on set, but we both were willing to give our whole selves to the moment that we didn’t succumb to any awkwardness. Ultimately, we focused on the story we were telling and were honest. Acting is being truthful in imaginary circumstances and that’s, at the end of the day, what we did and our relationship grew from there. We also spent a lot of time together!
I wrote in my review how impactful I felt your performance is, how natural you appeared even in some difficult moments. How did you prepare for the role and what was your approach for making Sarah such a believable person?
KE: Thank you for those kind words. It means a lot. As I mentioned before, I learned from Meisner that the core of acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances. When I work on a project, I start intellectually, meaning I go through what my character is literally doing, what my character wants, and the action to get it. An approach I learned while in school at the Atlantic Theatre Company. This way, I understand the motivations of my character at her core. It is easy for me to get lost in my head, so once I’ve done that, I have to let it all go and trust I know all of that information and have to then act impulsively and with my gut, my heart in the moment to keep it truthful. So in every scene, I listen. I listen to my scene partner, work off of him/her, stay in the moment, and react honestly and truthfully. I follow my heart and my gut.
What is your favorite moment in the film?
KE: One of my favorite moments was the bedroom scene when I tried to convince him to stay alive (when we kissed) because we barely knew each other in real life at the time but Sarah and Jesse had a history that we conjured up and it reminded me how beautiful acting is.
It’s a great moment. One of my favorite’s as well. So, what’s next for you?
KE: I am currently working on a play called Spirits to Enforce with the theatre company Vernal & Sere. We open May 2nd. It’s a brilliantly meta wacky show that has challenged me in a variety of ways.
I look forward to hearing more about that and how it goes. Katerina, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me. I wish you the best of luck and hope our paths cross again.
KE: Thank you! It was an honor and a privilege. I wish you well with all you do and feel free to keep an eye out for Brief Candle, which is in post-production. I play the principle, Lindsey, in this drama thriller. I hope to talk again soon.