Gail Bean Talks UnexpectedPosted by Wilson Morales
August 5, 2015
Currently playing in theaters, On Demand and on iTunes is the indie film Unexpected, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and where former NBA player Chris Webber is an executive producer on the film.
Directed by Kris Swanberg, from a script by Swanberg & Megan Mercier, the film stars Cobie Smulders, Gail Bean, Anders Holm, Elizabeth McGovern, Adrian Bond, and DuShon Monique Brown.
Samantha Abbott (Smulders) is a dedicated and passionate teacher at an inner-city Chicago high school. Just as she is coming to terms with her school closing, Samantha faces some life-changing and unexpected news: she is pregnant. After breaking the news to her live-in boyfriend John and opinionated mother, Samantha learns that one of her most promising students, Jasmine (Bean), has landed in a similar but very different situation. As the women navigate their ambitions for the future, Samantha and Jasmine forge an unlikely friendship that will challenge their perspectives and leave a lasting impact on one another.
Although she had roles in The Special Project and Duffle, this film represents Bean’s breakout role. This 22-year-old talented actress from Georgia was already chosen as The Hollywood Reporte’s top 10 “Festival Breakout” stars from Sundance this year. Besides films, the Valdosta State University grad has also performed on stage as well.
Blackfilm.com recently spoke to Bean about her role in the film.
How would you describe Jasmine?
Gail Bean: I would describe Jasmine as tough and smart. What’s not clear in the film is that she’s funny. The thing I told the director is that Jasmine is a realist. She’s accepts life and figures out a way to deal with how the cards are dealt.
What was the attraction to going after the role?
GB: I read the script and I just loved it. I felt obligated to tell this story for people in my life whose story I was telling.
How did you dive into the character?
GB: With Jasmine, there are a lot of layers to getting into character. She’s not just a blunt girl from the south side of Chicago. I watched so many people from Chicago and followed people on Twitter and Facebook that are regular. I talked to friends in Atlanta that had moved to Chicago for school. That was my research. In playing a teen mother, I honestly used everything in my life as far as my best friends who are teen moms.
For me and Cobie Smulders’ relationship with Jasmine and Samantha, I shared my life where I’m a student and have good relationships with my teachers who were my cheerleading coaches or my college professor, who was also my advisor. My mom, as well, was a high school teacher, so I looked at her relationships with her students and the things that she’s encountered with them because she’s taught in several schools that has a majority of blacks and Hispanics, and mixed. All of those things came into factor and I just worked the character from those instances.
Can you talk about working with Cobie?
GB: It was so awesome. She’s an amazing person. Not just an amazing actress who’s great when they yell “action,” but she’s awesome on and off camera. She gave me so much advice. We weren’t just artists talking about art 24/7. I feel that art comes from life so you must live. She made me want to be great. It was a natural chemistry off-camera that overlapped on to camera, which is what I loved about her. I remember our first day together and I wouldn’t say I was nervous but over anxious and I wanted to over some lines, but I didn’t want to ask her because she’s a vet in the game. I didn’t want her to think that I didn’t know my lines, but eventually we were near each other in the make-up room and she brought up the part about going over lines. I was like, “Oh my gosh! Thank you! I thought you would never ask.” It was such an amazing moment. It was like we were in this together because it’s our film.
What’s next?
GB: I’m currently in South America in Bogota, Columbia working on a film called The Belco Experiment by James Gunn, who did Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s directed by Greg McLean, who directed Wolf Creek 1 and 2. I’m working alongside Tony Goldwyn from Scandal and John Gallagher, Jr. from Newsroom, and Melanie Diaz from Fruitvale Station. I’m working with some amazing people.
What’s the role in the film?
GB: I play Leota Hynek, who’s worked at the Belko Industries company for two years and we’re Americans in South America. Someone decided to play a trick on us, which is very cool. They obviously don’t like foreigners. They locked us in a building and it’s kill or be killed.
