Interview with Keisha Castle-Hughes

RUSSELL BAILLIE talks with Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes in Los Angeles three days before the Academy Awards.

How's your time here been so far?

It's really hectic and it's crazy. Like at home -- I went home for a week last week -- with the awards season they know the Oscars are coming up and they are all happy about Lord of the Rings and stuff like that. But here it's all based on these awards and these awards and these awards and if your life doesn't revolve around it then what are you doing in Los Angeles?


What happens for you on Monday [the day after the Oscars]?

It kind of depends on what happens on Sunday [deep sigh] it's untouched ground at the moment (giggles) I'm supposed to be heading home on the third so I get home on the fifth at the latest -- otherwise I just think I'm going to die. I'm so homesick at the moment. It's driving me crazy.


How is the homesickness manifesting itself?

Every night I ring my friends and they are all: "Keisha you rang me last night for an hour" and I'm like "yeah but I miss everyone" and they're like "Keisha get a life" and I'm like "I don't have one without you". I text them non-stop and they are like: "We're in school can you leave us alone now?"


So getting an Oscar nomination out of the blue -- is it like winning Lotto?

I guess when you win Lotto you know you've got physical things to show and stuff but this for me is more of an emotional thing. I not saying I don't have anything to show for it. But physically and materially I can't pull out a cheque and go "wow cool I just got nominated for an Oscar" and even now it still hasn't sunk in. When I think about it, for the last 13 years of my life I grew up in Auckland in New Zealand where, when I was little I thought "I want to be an actress". But really I knew I was going to grow up and be a teacher or something like this. And then like we're right at the bottom of world and no one ever hears of us and all of a sudden it's all happening. It just seems too surreal.


It must be odd being in a position where you have to explain what New Zealand is like to a lot of Americans.

It is. They all I hear it's beautiful. I've heard Los Angeles is always so hot and is very superficial and if they came to my hometown and asked them that they would be "no there's more to it… .". It's kind of hard when they ask about New Zealand because it's my home. What am I supposed to say about it? I mean as far as I am concerned it's home. I take it for granted, that's for sure. It's just New Zealand and I don't know why people always say it's so great and then I left home and then I went on holiday and I came back and I was "ohmigod". I don't know what it was but the first time I came to Los Angeles, which was about three years ago, and I was like "ohmigod". I got here and I was like "Mum, I know this sounds really weird, but I am craving for grass." And she said "what?". "I want to sit on some grass" and she goes "there's some there" and I'm like "no that's too green, it's too fake it doesn't look real and it doesn't feel real."

We were driving along the freeway the other day and you know how it will say on the signs on the side, it will say "Tuakau 3 km", here it will say "Fred's Cosmetic Surgery 40 miles" and this is like on the side of the freeway? It's crazy.


Basically you're still in the spotlight now for stuff you did two years ago, which for someone your age is a very long time. That must be weird.

It is weird especially for my age, as well especially for a girl between 11 and 13. It's a big growing up stage and it feels like -- I'm not turning 14 for another month -- I can't stand this any longer. I've been 13 for ages, as far as I can see I feel like I've been 13 for years and years because so much has happened. I can't even remember being 12 ... I guess it is hard especially when I have to talk about the making of the film. It was two years ago now.

I have an agent here in the US and when I look at other parts and then I go in for auditions they give me scripts for like 10-year-old girls and I'm like "I don't look 10". And when I tell them that, they are like "just come in for the audition it's all right" and I go in and it's "she looks like she's 15". Because here I look so old, at home I'm a baby I could pass for 10. Here they are like "she's so old...". So then they start sending me scripts for like 17-year-olds. If I choose to carry on acting right at this stage it's so hard to find roles that aren't of girls coming into their sexuality. Because I think that what was special about Whale Rider was it was about a girl coming into her spirituality. I've been sent scripts and some of them are terrible -- about girls who run around the house naked and want to go out with their stepfathers. It's crazy, it's crazy.


So how is your American accent?

It's terrible actually. They are like "your Kiwi accent is so thick" and I'm like "no it's not". I always thought I had a very neutral accent. And then I heard myself on TV and because I had been in America for three weeks I was like "I don't sound like that do I?" Whoa hello?"


The other four nominees: Do you think of them as competition?

Yeah, they are. It's weird seeing my name next to them. You know what? My name looks really out of place. It shouldn't be there. Like Charlize Theron has done like 25 films and has only been acting for like 8 years it took her this long and it took her this much hard work to get to where she is. She was never like a top actor until now I guess, until she took a big risk. And I'm like, I was discovered in the classroom, I never ever dreamt about being an actor, I never did anything about it and all of a sudden everything is happening at once.

They say once you have got an Oscar nomination, you've reached the peak of your career. I haven't even decided if I want to be an actor. How could I reach the peak of my career if I don't even know what I want to do? As far as I'm concerned I would rather just go back to school and spend time with my friends. I know it sounds crazy but when I go back home they are like "you must be having such a great time". I'm like "it's great" but I can't explain how much I just want to be normal. It has its toll like everything does, but it's such an amazing experience.

Right now everything is such a whirlwind that nothing makes sense to me. It doesn't seem right the fact that I'm here and everything is happening, but I've only done one film. I don't even know if I can act or if that was just a fluke.


How about the pressure of carrying all that support and expectations from New Zealand?

I'm really proud to be out here and proud to say yeah I'm from New Zealand. It is really hard especially because Americans rely on you to tell them about your country. You have to portray it as it is and you can't make it better, you can't make it worse, but because we take it for granted what am I supposed to say? It is kind of pressure, I know that the whole country has been really supportive but it's kind of crazy though about who we are. Such a small country and then big things like this happen.


You and the Lord of the Rings in one year…

I think that's helped a lot. It takes a lot of focus off me with the whole New Zealand thing as well because it's the last one, it is all about the Lord of the Rings. I mean in the Oscar baskets they are giving away trips to New Zealand. I'm like "what am I going to do with a return trip from LA to New Zealand?". I wonder if I can swap it, but I don't want to leave home. And I get all this free stuff and I'm like what am I going to do with acid peel and wrinkle remover? And you get all these gift certificates for places in Beverly Hills -- I'm like "I live 12 hours away from here. They expect me to come back?"


So your big day on Sunday. What happens?

I think on Sunday I'm supposed to go into a salon at nine in the morning and stay in there all day - to beautify me. It's crazy -- as much as every girl loves it. When I'm at home my friends and I will go once a month to the salon and get our hair done and we'll do it for fun. All of my friends go "you're so lucky going to these spas and all these beauty salons". But it doesn't feel like it's a treat when you are doing it every single day and you are doing it for a job and, fun as the job is, it's still work. Work can be fun but …


You spent what , eight weeks on the movie, but then it's dominated your life since…

Eight weeks and then for the past 2 and half years. It's taken a large chunk out of my life but it's been absolutely amazing, It's an experience that no one could ever replace. It's beyond worlds really.

And how is school?

I went back to school the day before nomination day. The day of nomination day it was a teacher-only day. My school, they give you a six-week holiday and you go back to it and then they give you another holiday. So I went back for the next two days. One of them was athletics day where I did no work. Two of them were just prep days so I did no work. But my school is so supportive. I went in to my principal and I was like "I need some work. I'm going to be away for 5 days, then 14 days," and he said "you really don't have to take any" but I did and I've been doing it every day… well I've been trying. You're up at ridiculous hours. It's like you are on the go all the time. Berocca really helps.


Getting back to Sunday, after getting beautified, what then?

Jump in the car and go on the red carpet for a block. I knew it was big but I didn't know it was a block until yesterday. I saw it. Ohmigod. I'm not a big heels walker - I'm so from New Zealand, So then they expect me to walk in heels for a whole block and I'm "no I can't do it".


And afterwards?

You're supposed to go to all those parties. But you've got parties you've got to go. But there's the Governor's Ball, Elton John party, Vanity Fair … I don't really know about that. That consists of a whole other dress and more shoes. I don't know if I can handle any more dresses or shoes. I hate wearing dresses. It drives me crazy, When I go home my friends are like "Keisha you were dressed like a girl" ... and I'm like "no I wasn't, you were seeing things. Don't talk about it."

I mean I've got all these dresses and after this what am I going to do with them? Oh well you can wear them to the ball for the next four years.