Chop it off

Distinguishing time in “Strange Kindness” was and is something Joseph and I talk about a lot because in the script he wrote, the viewer is going between present day and flashbacks frequently. And not just a single flashback but many different times and places dependent on the which characters POV we are focused on at any given time. 

Each character in “Strange Kindness” has their own formula or style their flashback takes on. Chris- we imagine seeing a color, The Young Man- we imagine seeing an object, James maintains presence and Rose’s flashbacks are emotionally driven. 

Somewhere along the path of getting to know Rose, I asked Joseph what he thought about her having long hair in the flashbacks and short hair in present day. He was sheepish to say how much he liked the idea because he thought it was a lot to ask of an actor. But to me it seemed perfect because not only could that become the formula for understanding that you are in a different time and space with Rose but it also fed into our understanding of her as an emotional being. Also, I am Rose and I loved the idea personally.

I think hair is pretty emotional. I liked the idea of hair being our window into the inner workings of Rose.  It was something that could be seen as her way of controlling something, or regaining her sense of self, or her fresh start. I think there are a million ways of interpreting a big physical shift like that in someone and I wanted people to think about that with Rose. 

With the decision made, the hard part began of trying to find a hair dresser on Cape who I’d trust to cut off all of my hair. A friend suggested Stacey Kuehn so I reached out to tell her what I was looking for. Pretty quickly I realized I was in great hands and I made the appointment. 

If you are working on a big movie, you always have a group of people doing hair and our scenario is exactly why:

I was wrapped for the day at 8pm in Orleans which was the same day my hair was wrapped too. We had captured all of the flashbacks we needed and my next call time would be at 5am the following morning where we would begin filming my present day. So I had to get my hair cut somewhere between 9pm and 5am. Luckily, Stacey speaks the same language and didn’t blink when I told her any of this. 

I arrived at her studio at 9pm after a full day of shooting and proceeded to have 17+ inches chopped off. She made me feel comfortable the entire time and I didn’t even cry when she made the first few cuts of hair which were then placed in a bag, ready to be sent to Locks for Love. 

The most shocking part to me, is that a few months later, I made another appointment to have her cut my hair a bit shorter. She continues to impress me and I’m just grateful that someone like her is working on the Cape.