Sundance 2016 Exclusive: Wyatt Cenac Talks Jacqueline (Argentine)Posted by Wilson Morales
January 29, 2016
Recently played at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was “Jacqueline (Argentine)” by writer-director Bernardo Britto and starring Wyatt Cenac and Camille Rutherford.
A filmmaker (Cenac) introduces us to the subject of his documentary—the beautiful Jacqueline Dumont, a young Frenchwoman who claims to have uncovered a covert assassination conspiracy.
While unsure of the eccentric Jacqueline’s veracity, the filmmaker nonetheless enlists a couple of interns and heads to the holistic retreat in Argentina where she’s hiding out, to explore her claims and film her story. Upon arrival, the filmmaker begins to doubt the worthwhileness of his venture, but finds reasons to hope that he might actually be capturing something big, something real, with his increasingly makeshift film.
For Cenac, a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer best known for his work as a writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, this is first big acting role since he co-starred in Barry Jenkins’ 2008 indie film Medicine for Melancholy.
Blackfilm.com recently spoke with Cenac on his role in this film.
How did you get involved with the project?
Wyatt Cenac: Mainly because Bernardo (Britto) and producer Ben Cohen had reached out about doing the film. They tracked me down and came to me after a show I was performing. They came and said they really liked me and we went to have a drink as they about the project. They sent me Bernardo’s script and his previous short. Hearing them talk about the project so passionately and what they wanted to do with the film. It felt like a fun thing to be a part of.
How would you describe the film when asked?
WC: That’s a very good question. To me, it’s like a nesting doll as far as there is this story within the story. If you look at it a quasi-documentary thing, there’s another thing underneath that. To me, it feels like it’s a few different things but all living together. On the surface, you can’t really take it for what it feels like. There a few other elements to it.
How was shooting the film and not being on screen so often?
WC: That was interesting. That was really bizarre because, for me, all the stuff in Argentina I didn’t see until I came in for the voiceover. So there was this whole element of the movie where I shot in New York and I shot in Miami and they went to Argentina without me. There was a part of me where I was like, “I missed out on a free trip to Argentina.”
Is this your first big role at Sundance since you did “Medicine for Melacholy” a long time ago?
WC: Big role? Yes. I produced a film that went to Sundance and I had a smaller role in a David Cross film that played there; but this is the first time where I was in the film.
Have you considered going back to the world of acting?
WC: For me, when I do movies, it always feels like a treat. I never had a big push to do a ton of them but if the right thing comes along like this where Bernardo is an interesting and creating guy. To do something different is what will draw me in first. I don’t go looking for it and wind up getting lucky. As I said earlier, the director tracks me after the show and asks me to work with him.
How was working with Camille?
WC: Sundance will be the first time we meet. I didn’t get to meet her when production started and even when they went to Argentina. While doing voiceover for the film and I’m there while edits are being done, I still hadn’t seen her. As I was watching the scenes, I was getting caught up in her story and her performance as it goes through the movie.
What else is going with you?
WC: Well, I left “The Daily Show” so my days are a lot looser. It’s nice now to be off the road. I was on the road most of last year and recorded an album that will come out next month. Right now things are good and it’s nice to catch my breather a bit before things start to kick back up.
