“Touched With Fire” and Stigmas Behind Bipolar Disorder
For your thesis film, you’d probably rank up a couple friends of yours and film your script that you slaved over for months and then submit it to be heavily critiqued by your professor. But when it comes to Paul Dalio, he had the help of Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby, Christine Lahti, Griffin Dunne, and Bruce Altman to make sure his film reached worldwide audiences.
In a poignant story of two bipolar poets who meet in a hospital, Dalio is sure to use his experience being bipolar as a reference point in moving the film along. With the help of executive producer Spike Lee, Dalio wrote the script based off of the book of the same name by Kay Jamison. Starring Holmes and Kirby as the main characters of Carla and Marco respectively, the film follows the two as they fall in love from a chance meeting in a hospital for bipolar people. Through hardships and stigmas, the two try to overcome anything that comes at them as the whole is basically trying to set them apart.
In talking with the cast, plenty of them spoke of the stigma that accompanies saying one is bipolar or suffers from any kind of mental illness. As Dalio announced before the film’s premiere, he wanted to make a film about living with the illness but didn’t want to call it one, that it was an adjective and nothing more. You can read our exclusive cast interviews below from the film’s New York premiere and catch Touched With Fire on February 12.
Katie Holmes:
How was it like working with Paul and playing a bipolar person?
It was wonderful working on the film and it was really inspiring working with Paul. He shared his experience and he went through so much and for him to tell this story and to be a part of it was very inspiring.
Did you have any hesitation working with Paul since he is a first time director and writer?
He’s not the first first-time director that I worked with so I was more inspired than I was afraid.
How did you prepare for the role?
I did a lot of research, I read Kay Jamison’s book along with some others. I worked with my acting teacher and then we all went for it.
Christine Lahti:
How did you prepare to be the mother of someone with bipolar disorder?
Yeah I had a lot of experience with bipolar, my sister was. And so I really understood a lot about it. And Katie was incredible- she’s the real deal as an actress. I really enjoyed working with her, because we did a lot of improv, we did a lot of rehearsals. And I think she really captures this person in a really real way, and with a lot of complexity.
Did your sister prepare you for the role?
I didn’t have to do any homework. What I like about this movie is that it really de-stigmatizes mental illness in a way that puts a very human face on an illness many people have. I’m hoping that it can really take the shame out of it because there’s no reason to be ashamed of something. It’s like being a diabetic—are people ashamed of being a diabetic? There’s really no difference, yes mental illness is something more challenging in certain ways but you’re not defined by your illness.
You were at the ERA Coalition this past Sunday. What are your thoughts on the candidates and women’s rights with the election?
My opinion about Bernie is that he’s fantastic. I love everything that he says. I wonder if he can win on national election and I’m so concerned about beating whoever the Republican candidate is. I also love Hillary, I think she’s the most qualified, I think she has a better chance of beating whoever that Republican person is, but I think they’re two very exciting candidates. I’m really excited about both of them and we’ll see what happens. Maybe Bernie can get the black vote and get the young people vote and get the young women—I think he’s already got that. And I think what he’s saying is very exciting but I also love Hillary’s experience and her qualifications and her electability. So I don’t know, still deciding every day.
And the passing of women’s rights?
Well a lot of young people don’t think it’s necessary, they think we already have it but it really does guarantee certain things. If we have it in the constitution, there is no more unequal pay for example. It just so defines that women are second class citizens because the constitution was written without women in mind, we were left out of the constitution. 100 years later, we got the right to vote. 100 years after that, we still don’t have the guarantee of equality in our constitution, there are hundreds of other countries that have it, we don’t. I’m all for getting the ERA passed once and for all. And we have a lot of other issues but that’s the fundamental one that we should have.
Bruce Altman:
You star as a rigid father.
I play Katie Holmes’ father in this film, a father who does not suffer from bipolar disease but his daughter does.
Have you had any past experience with bipolar?
I have relatives who have the disease. I understand now that there are some new medications which are wonderful but I think the conceit of the film, there is seeing your child distance from you and not being able to help them, but always loving them, and always wanting to help them.
Do you think it’s portrayed correctly in the film?
I do, one of the reasons I think it is portrayed correctly is because the writer suffers from bipolar disease so if there’s going to be a sense of authenticity, where else from him? So I had a lot of faith in him.
How did you prepare for the role?
Well first of all Katie is such a wonderful person, so it’s really easy to feel a lot of compassion for her—she’s a wonderful human being. As a parent, loving your child, no I don’t think you need a lot of preparation for that.
Was there any hesitation signing on with a new writer/director?
That’s an interesting question. You know, in case I did which would have been unconscious, I came on board after I heard Katie and Christine and Griffin Dunne and Luke Kirby were there. Once I saw that these luminaries were there, no not at all. I was very happy to jump on board.
Luke Kirby:
What was it like playing with Katie?
Very enjoyable. She’s a great scene partner. She’s very curious, very driven, brought a lot of information and substance to the role and she was kind and ready to lock in, and that’s all you can ask for in this situation.
How did you prepare for the role?
There’s a lot of reading to be done on the subject, a lot of good writing on bipolar and then aside from that, getting to know Paul very well and his story is so personal. And him sharing the very detailed intricacies of going through highs and lows and mania and depression and sourcing a lot of things he found inspiring from his manic states and just learning as much as I could from that. I mean he’s sort of an infinite well spring for the role.
What were some things he would tell you?
Even if it was a question—it sounds so weird to say but like “What does it taste like in your mouth when you’re going through this?” or you know, “How do you feel in your body when you need to get drugged?”
Was there any hesitation signing on with a first time director and writer?
No. for one thing Katie was already on board, Spike was already on board as a producer so there’s a lot of credentials. I’d be damned if anything is wrong with that. So no I was very encouraged. And Paul’s very detailed and had an incredible crew surrounding us
Catherine Combs:
Tell me about character.
My character, she’s a patient in the mental hospital. She carries around a deck of cards that she’s drawn her own tarot designs on and she gives readings to her fellow patients in the hospital. I think her way of communicating with her illness and connecting with others.
How was it like working with the cast?
It was pretty fantastic- we shot over the first couple of weeks and the majority of it was improvised which was so interesting so the environment was very positive, very encouraging, great wisdom. Because it’s a horrible thing to present on camera but they really created a lovely environment to portray it.
How did you prepare for the role?
I think most people are touched by mental illness whether its someone that they know or something that they’ve gone through, so yeah. I think it’s a very moving personal story that people are going to be able to look to.
Following the screening at Walter Reade Theater, guests wined and dined at Lincoln Ristorante.
