Why She Couldn't Turn Away From 'Looking For Grace'

The script was the initial attraction for Mitchell. “I thought it was a unique piece. It was coming at the story from multiple perspectives, it was exploring what the concept of narrative could be, or even what a story is. It explores how characters effect each others lives. Then it's got surprising elements that sold me on it, I like it when I don't know what is going to happen.”

For Mitchell, her character of Denise is a housewife with surprising depth to her. “I think there is a cartoon element to what Denise brings. She's sort of a cardboard cut-out of a suburban housewife. She brings in this element of mystery. She doesn't understand what is happening. There's almost this whispering of darkness about her. There is also this very obtuse comedic woman that is trying to keep it under control, and it's not all under control.”

Looking For Grace has an interesting take on tale telling. It uses an almost Rashomon-like approach by fragmenting the perspective amongst the various characters. Hence the story is carefully revealed from different characters' points of view as the film goes on. “The catalyst for the journey is their daughter's escape, and the question becomes – what happened to us as a family? They are encouraged to explain themselves to each other. Audiences identify with the story of character, they understand in that way. Some people may think it's a Denise-skewed story, others think its a Richard-skewed story. There's space for all the perspectives.”

Filmed around the WA wheat belt, it gave Mitchell a chance to shed her acquired American accent. “It was fun using my accent again. In the dialogue there is this sense of fun with words like 'jiffy.' You could tell Sue was having fun with the sense of mundane colloquialism we were all exposed to.” It was her co-star Richard Roxburgh that she ended up looking to as a yard stick. “Richard for me was a barometer on how far we could take a performance. He opened the door further than one might expect, which was what it was about for me. He's comfortable, as he has done a lot of Australian cinema and pushes this sense of Australian-ness in a way.”

Mitchell certainly hasn't pigeon-holed herself during her career. Sci-fi, horror, thrillers, dramas, romances: she has played a wide variety of situations and characters. “I'm drawn to stuff that is emotionally complicated. You look for different shades in a character... and a career, I guess.” With a spy thriller, a horror and a faith movie already in the works for this year, it seems a trend that will likely continue. 

Originally published in X-Press Magazine