Natalia Tena wants more interesting roles for women. The British-born actress may be well-known among the fantasy franchise fanbases as Osha on Game of Thrones or Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter movies, but her role in the new indie film 10,000 Km (written and directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet) is both understated and emotionally hard-hitting, and one that's different from the traditional tropes of women in romantic films. The movie focuses on a long-distance relationship between a man and woman—10,000 km apart—after one of them (Natalia's character, Alex) leaves the couple's shared apartment in Barcelona for a job in Los Angeles.
The film is one of the realest portrayals of a relationship growing apart—literally—and uses clever technological methods to showcase how the lovers try to bridge the gap (including video chat, Google Maps, and hesitant emails). Alex is a woman who prioritizes her career while her boyfriend Sergi (David Verdaguer)—the one left behind in the relationship—begs her to come home so they can start a family. Tena says she was drawn to that dynamic, which is less represented in film. She also talks about acting in a foreign language (this is the first Spanish-speaking role for the British actress), filming that Skype sex scene, her band Molotov Jukebox, and the roles she wants for women in film. As for Game of Thrones gossip? Well... Find out.
'10,000 Km' is out July 10.
Your performance in this movie was so good. I was like crying with you while you were crying. How hard is it to act with a computer—which you do for most of the movie—instead of with an actual human being?
Thank you! Oh, it’s actually easier… I mean, it’s interesting. Sometimes people give you lines, like behind camera, sometimes it's incredibly useful that they stare at you. Sometimes it actually distracts you or flusters you or something, and that took away all that, but there are moments where it is a bit harder… But the actual acting, I think, it was very fun. It was easier.
Is it similar to practicing acting in the mirror?
No, it wasn’t really practicing in the mirror 'cause [the director] was there, so I was looking at him the whole time.
What about the sex scenes?
I didn’t really feel any awkwardness with [David Verdaguer] doing sex scenes. All of them are different but it depends on who you’re doing it with.
Oh, I mean doing Skype sex in front the computer—was that more awkward than actually acting it out?
I don’t remember feeling awkward really… I mean, by that point they’d all seen me naked, and it was a small, kind of closed set and I didn’t care.
I think this is one of the more real portrayals of long distance relationships. It’s different from, you know, the typical rom-com. And the use of technology was really interesting as well… What drew you to this project?
Well, I got sent the script in English, but it was like American English, and something about the way it was written, it was a bit kind of heavy and I was like Jesus… But something about the Latin language lifts it up from being like a relationship movie. I don't know, something about it adds a bit more vitality and character, which I can sense from knowing both languages. I loved it because it breaks away from the stereotype of the woman being the one that’s having to have babies, and I really loved the fact that it's very true to life. There is this version, which is, in fact, loads of women are the ones going away and having careers, and there’s loads of men I know that want to stay home and have kids and be home-y, you know?
Yeah, I really love that sort of gender dynamic there. Also, this project is a little bit different for you, especially in using foreign language.
Yeah, that is the first time using Spanish, yeah.
Was that difficult?
That was hard, because… well, I mean I’m Spanish but I never learned anything by memory in Spanish. I never went to school in Spain, so my brain has never had to memorize the Spanish language, and so having to do that was really hard—like it was much, much, harder and took me like four times longer for it sink and process and to remember, and to think about how to say it. It was just a harder thing to do.
Yeah, I’m bi-lingual too, so I like totally understand…
Yeah, do you know what I mean? Even when I go to Spain now, then suddenly my brain makes a change, but it takes me a while. If I’m exasperated or in a rush and I want to get a point across, I have to stop, I have to find the words.
Is it harder to carry out emotions because of that?
Weirdly, emotions are easier, I think, because my emotive language growing up was Spanish. My parents only spoke to me in Spanish; emotively, I understand.
Right, it’s also a very passionate language.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So you must have an interesting fanbase, right? From having done Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter, and sort of more fantasy work?
I’ve done so many things. I’ve done so much theater and Shakespeare and small independent films, so this was just a kind of another… The main thing for me was that this was gonna be in Spanish, that was like the biggest difference from anything else I’ve done. I like working on independent ones, 'cause it’s like family… It becomes a really small family and you all know each other’s names, and it’s a different way of working.
Right.
There’s less time, that’s the bad thing. Like you literally don’t have time to fuck up and there’s a lot more pressure because of that.
I heard that George R. R. Martin was so captivated by your performance on Game of Thrones that he wanted to bring you back?
Awesome. Well let’s see what happens.
Oh, you don’t know anything about that yet?
I can’t say anything. I'm sorry!
Have you been watching the show…
I’ve watched all of them, I think it’s absolutely amazing, I love the books as well. I can’t wait for the sixth one to come out, it’s literally eating me up.
Do you feel that in real life, the saying, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" is more true? Or "Out of sight out of mind?"
Well, that’s a good question… It varies, I think. I mean, I’m not someone that uses any sort of technology. I mean I suppose I do. I email my boyfriend or use WhatsApp, you know, but I don’t speak to him. I don’t want to see him 'cause it makes it worse, but I suppose it depends on how long you’re talking, and also how new or old the relationship is. Or like sometimes even with one relationship you can feel both things, you know in the same week. What do you think?
Yeah, it’s definitely both, it’s very hard… It depends on the person or like what kind of relationship you have with them.
Exactly, yeah.
So WhatsApp is your go-to for keeping in touch?
I mean actually it’s nothing, really. Usually I’ll just email. I never video chat ever, unless it’s for a job and this was the first time I’ll use it, when I did this film.
Have you ever been a letter-writer?
I love writing letters, but now it is all email, and that’s all on your phone. The best thing about flying for me is you can’t do that kind of work—you can’t be bombarded by emails, so it’s like this moment of calm in the air, and you’re like I can watch a film, I can learn my script. I love that, and that’s why I love flying, at the moment.
You live in England currently, right?
In London.
Do you miss it?
No, I don’t really get homesick. I think the only time I’ve been homesick was when I went to L.A. I don’t really like L.A. It’s growing on me, though. It’s definitely a grower. Some places you’re immediately in love with, like New York. But, yeah, that’s the only time I’ve felt homesick, I think.
Your character, Alex, moves to L.A. in the movie. Did you actually film there?
No, it was filmed in Barcelona. Because I’ve got a band called Molotov Jukebox and basically I was doing shows 'cause it’s festival season. We filmed in August and I still had loads of festivals to go to, so on the weekend I would fly back. Also L.A. would be much more expensive. They had to find a location in Barcelona that looked like it and I think it does.
Awesome. What do you play in your band?
I play the accordion and sing. It’s a six-piece tropical gypsy band. We’re crowd-funding at the moment for our next album, and a percentage of all that that gets pledged to Womankind, which is an awesome charity that basically tries to fight for the freedom and quality and rights of women.
So you’re interested in women’s rights.
Yeah, definitely! I just don’t really understand why it hasn’t changed. Women still don’t have rights for their bodies… What? I mean it’s just... It actually baffles me.
Right. Even, you know, Hollywood, I feel like there’s always these problems with sexism, and ageism... What kind of role do you want to see women doing more of in movies?
What I’d really love is a big age bracket. I'm 30. Why are you trying to cast younger women for older roles? Why? It’s fucking unacceptable because obviously then, society thinks that’s what a 35-year-old looks like, and so women in real life feel like shit about themselves. And, basically there needs to be more writing written by ethnic minorities and by women, so we get a broader spectrum of stories. We need more stories that aren’t just by white men.
