Jonathan Soroff
Photo Credit: Andrew Stiles
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Actor and filmmaker Katie Aselton, 34, was born and raised in Maine and attended Boston University. She stars in the fourth season of The League, the FX comedy about a fantasy football league, along with her husband and frequent collaborator, Mark Duplass. Aselton made her directorial debut with The Freebie, about a couple who give each other the chance to have a one-night-stand. She has also appeared in Our Idiot Brother, The Intervention, Cyrus and Easier With Practice. Her thriller Black Rock, in which she both stars and directs, is scheduled for a 2013 release, and also stars Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell. She and Duplass live with their two daughters in Los Angeles.
Jonathan Soroff: Is The League the best show on television?
Katie Aselton: Is it Boardwalk Empire? No. Is it the funniest, snarkiest show that is painfully honest about friendships? Yes.
Do you belong to a fantasy football league?
Yes. The cast and creators all play in one together. And I’d like to point out that although my character on the show has never won, in real life, I have.
No. 1 draft pick?
I had the worst, s***tiest draft in history this year. I didn’t do great research. I ended up with Cam Newton and Tony Romo as my two quarterbacks, who are so s***ting the bed this year. I don’t want to talk about it. But the year I won, boy, it was beautiful.
How much of the show is improvised?
Probably about 90 percent. We’re given outlines. Scenes are broken down into paragraphs that have a lot of information that has to be brought in to the scene. There are incredibly funny lines written for us, and if we choose to use them, great. Or we can use our own. Or they’ll throw us lines while we’re shooting.
That’s a lot different than memorizing lines.
Yeah. It’s not The Big Bang Theory, for sure.
Worst blooper you’ve had on the show?
I can’t seem to stand on my feet. All of my bloopers are of me falling over. I’m not the world’s most graceful human being.
How close are you to your character?
Disturbingly close. [Laughs.] Besides our smart-ass mouths, we both have a very competitive spirit, which can rub people the wrong way sometimes.
Do things ever bleed from work life into private, or vice versa?
Sure. But working on The League is literally like going to the park and playing.
Is Kate Bosworth the prettiest human being you’ve ever seen?
She is an alien. She’s so stunningly beautiful it’s not possible that she’s human. And she’s a nice person, to boot.
In Black Rock, you got to huddle naked with her and Lake Bell. How many men have expressed their jealousy over that?
[Laughs.] I can’t wait for this movie to come out to broad audiences. I think that it’s going to start a whole new wave on Mr. Skin. Right before we shot that scene, I stopped and said, “What the f*** am I thinking? I’m going to be naked on film next to Lake Bell? Have you seen her body? This is ridiculous!” It was total panic.
How do you direct a scene when you’re naked?
You do a lot of the work in advance, so you don’t have to get up a lot.
Growing up in Maine, did you take time off from school to pick potatoes?|
Blueberries. We lived in Blueberry Land. But we didn’t take time off. School just started a little later.
Which is your favorite film festival?
Sundance, by far. There’s an energy to it, a buzz that I’ve never felt at another film festival. It’s also very supportive. Everyone wants to love the movies at Sundance.
Would you ever give Mark a hall pass, like in The Freebie?
No.
If he gave you one, who would you cheat with?
If Mark ever really messes up, then maybe I’ll track down Ryan Gosling.
What’s your best feature?
In terms of my character, the fact that more than anything I love to laugh. In terms of physically, I like my shoulders.
Film you wish more than anything that you had acted in or directed?
Tootsie. I would’ve loved to play Teri Garr’s part or to have directed that film.
Do you prefer directing to acting?
It’s apples and oranges. Directing is a collaboration, working with a whole bunch of people, and as an actor, you get a character and then dig your teeth in. Both are amazing.
Do you think you could outwit a bunch of homicidal veterans, like in Black Rock?
I think that what comes out in that movie is the ferociousness that is born out of loyalty and love. I feel that way as a mom. I feel that way as a friend. If anyone f***ed with anyone I love, I’d kill them. Yes. I’d turn into a lioness.
Did Deliverance influence Black Rock?
It was a direct influence. It stemmed from me watching that movie three years ago. I was like, “Why don’t they make thrillers like this anymore?” It’s just so simple and real and honest. It could happen. It’s crazy and f***ed up, but it could happen. I’m not terrified that an albino is going to attack me while I’m spelunking. I just really don’t see that happening. But this? It’s within the realm of possibility, which is what makes it so scary.
How did you and Mark decide who was going to direct, etc.?
I had this idea of making a thriller, and I was really taking my time with it. We shaped the story together over a Christmas vacation in Maine. He had to fly back early for work, and got stuck in Colorado for 19 hours in a blizzard, so he wrote a rough first draft, and that was it.
How long before you score an Oscar?
Oh, jeez Louise! I don’t know, but I want it to happen. I don’t care if it takes 60 years but I want it. I held an Emmy the other day, and I was like, “Yeah, I like this.”
