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  The Making of Rabbit-Proof Fence JAMES THOMAS: When film-maker Phillip Noyce met Molly Craig and Daisy Kadibil, he discovered an incredible story: 70 years ago they experienced the horrors of the stolen generation. PHILLIP NOYCE: Did you speak English or your own language when you were running away? MOLLY CRAIG: No... PHILLIP NOYCE: So, you couldn't understand what they were saying, those blokes? MOLLY CRAIG: No. JAMES THOMAS: With another girl called Gracie, they were taken from their homes and placed into a white world of missionaries and domestic servitude. They were just children. But their story has a twist. They escaped to embark on an epic journey … a tale of survival which is now to be told on the silver screen. PHILLIP NOYCE: This film represents for me the greatest challenge that I've ever undertaken. JAMES THOMAS: It's not easy to challenge a man who has risen to the heights of film directing. PHILLIP NOYCE: Okay, cut that one, cut that one, cut that one. Come back. Come back. Come back. JAMES THOMAS: Critical success with the Australian film Newsfront has grown into a major Hollywood career for Phillip Noyce. The Bone Collector, Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games have seen Noyce direct the best actors in the world, and herein lies the answer to why the making of Rabbit-Proof Fence is a story as compelling as the film itself. PHILLIP NOYCE: Shoosh. Shoosh. I'll give you a surprise when you concentrate. Here I'm dealing with absolutely raw materials. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! JAMES THOMAS: Trained actors from the city were never going to suit the lead roles of Phillip's film. So he began a search to the far corners of this continent, looking for three young girls who could beguile a modern audience with an ancient charm. PHILLIP NOYCE: Okay. Right now we're travelling by light plane from Broome in WA, inland about 1.5 hours to Fitzroy Crossing, and there we're going to be doing our last day of pre-selection to find the three young Aboriginal girls who will star, we hope, in Rabbit-Proof Fence. How old are you? Seven? Okay. I'm Phillip and I'm 50. JAMES THOMAS: It's early days, and Phillip concentrates mainly on appearance, but in the back of his mind he's always looking for star qualities. PHILLIP NOYCE: If they've got that extra something, if they've got that sort of forwardness, if they have an imagination ... JAMES THOMAS: In a strange irony, the movie director telling the story of stolen children is now looking to take three girls from the outback and put them into the world of movies. With a $10 million budget, it's a big gamble. PHILLIP NOYCE (Talking to young girl): How are you? I'm Phillip. CHRISTINE KING, CASTING DIRECTOR: This is Phillip. Phillip's the director. PHILLIP NOYCE: Do you know what we're looking for here? That we're looking for some people to be in a movie? Yeah. Do you think you'd like to be an actress? JAMES THOMAS: With casting director Christine King, Phillip is making slow progress. PHILLIP NOYCE: We found another girl here. Let me show you. I'll show you. Who was the little girl we were talking to? CHRISTINE KING: Larina. JAMES THOMAS: The chaos of casting like this becomes worthwhile when a rare jewel is found. PHILLIP NOYCE: (To young girl): And what about Ernie Dingo? Do you know him? CAITLYN LAWFORD: Yeah. PHILLIP NOYCE: Ernie Dingo — do you reckon he's a hero? CAITLYN LAWFORD: Yeah. PHILLIP NOYCE: Who do you think's better, Ernie Dingo or Mel Gibson, as an actor? CAITLYN LAWFORD: Mel Gibson. PHILLIP NOYCE: Mel Gibson? Oh, gee. JAMES THOMAS: Whether she knows it or not, Caitlyn Lawford has just become a serious contender. PHILLIP NOYCE: She's very outgoing, and we really need those young ones who can still project and feel comfortable around people, and so she's a real candidate. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip and Christine are excited by what they have seen, but some locals are disturbed by what they're seeing. JOHN BURKE: John Burke, secretary-deputy from Fitzroy School. I'm just wondering … the duty of care, permission for you to interview, all that sort of stuff ... CAITLYN LAWFORD: Yeah, yeah. Clare. JOHN BURKE: No, Miss Clare's a bit unclear about that. Are you filming now? CHRISTINE KING: Yes. PHILLIP NOYCE: Obviously, with Channel Nine here with us we are a little bit more obvious and less low-profile than we would normally be. CHRISTINE KING: We're not so low-profile. JAMES THOMAS: Being obvious isn't the real problem. Another teacher explains the issue of shaming. Some Aborigines are deeply offended by having their image captured on film. PHILLIP NOYCE: We can stop filming with you guys and just go around quietly and get permissions. That's what we've got to do now. JAMES THOMAS: With the appropriate permission, auditions intensify, with kids selected earlier in the day. PHILLIP NOYCE: Here we go. Luwana. Hello. Hello. Hello, how are you? Do you know what we're doing? Do you know that we're looking for actors for a movie? Do you think you'd like to be in a movie? YOUNG GIRL: Yeah. PHILLIP NOYCE: You would? Why is that? YOUNG GIRL: Because ... PHILLIP NOYCE: And what's your favourite day of the year? YOUNG GIRL: My birthday. PHILLIP NOYCE: Your birthday? YOUNG GIRL: Saturday. PHILLIP NOYCE: Saturday? Why? What happens on Saturdays? YOUNG GIRL: Football. PHILLIP NOYCE: And what's the best day of the year for you? YOUNG GIRL: Um ... JAMES THOMAS: Things are grim, but the sun shines when a surprise package enters. PHILLIP NOYCE: And what's your ambition in life? YOUNG GIRL: What does that mean? PHILLIP NOYCE: It means what do you want to do when you grow up? YOUNG GIRL: Um ... CHRISTINE KING: Do you want to be a dancer, or a teacher, or a fireman? YOUNG GIRL: A dancer. PHILLIP NOYCE: A dancer. Okay. And how about acting — do you think you'd like acting? YOUNG GIRL: Yeah. PHILLIP NOYCE: And why would you like acting? YOUNG GIRL: Because it would be like, I'd be famous. PHILLIP NOYCE: You'd be famous? YOUNG GIRL: Yes. PHILLIP NOYCE: Thank you, darling. She's a winner. She's a needle in a haystack, that little kid. CHRISTINE KING: She's a complete natural, like the confidence, even with you guys here. She's intelligent. She looks great. PHILLIP NOYCE: Outgoing, you know, imaginative. She's on the plane in the morning, let's put it that way. JAMES THOMAS: At the end of a long day, two possibles have been chosen. Jaidine and Caitlyn will be flown to Broome to join 14 others selected from around Australia for the final casting. From the thousands they've seen, only three will become stars, but for now, the stage is anyone's. GIRLS SING: I played with your heart. Got lost in your games. PHILLIP NOYCE: So, if you were walking across that desert, what would you do to find food? YOUNG GIRL: Should have a hole and ... PHILLIP NOYCE: We're looking for someone that we believe has the imagination to transport themselves into another reality and believe that they're in that reality. CHRISTINE KING: (To the girls): Phillip and I, we don't know yet who's going to be the best three girls. So for whatever reason, some of you are not going to be in the movie. PHILLIP NOYCE: What are we practising for? YOUNG GIRL: Movie. PHILLIP NOYCE: Movie! What's the movie? YOUNG GIRL: Rabbit-Proof Fence. PHILLIP NOYCE: Rabbit-Proof Fence, right. What's it about? JAMES THOMAS: In Hollywood, it's the actors on their knees when in the presence of a world-class director. But out here, Phillip is an unknown and he must work hard to find his stars. PHILLIP NOYCE: Yes, walk, keep going, you walk, but what did they find? Remember what they found? They found that fence. We're going to have some fun now. Everyone stand up. Here we go. A leader is someone that can take everyone else to a place, but they always look after everyone. JAMES THOMAS: One girl immediately stands out as a leader. PHILLIP NOYCE: Take us on a journey, leader. JAMES THOMAS: Laura Monaghan from Port Hedland has for now, secured Phillip's eye. PHILLIP NOYCE: Totally beguiling and very, very smart. Quiet, but boy, what a presence. CHRISTINE KING: Very intelligent. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip narrows his focus on two others: eight-year-old Caitlyn Lawford from Fitzroy Crossing and Broome local Everlyn Sampi. PHILLIP NOYCE: When you're playing in a scene, there's no camera. You just keep focused, okay? So, today, I want you to really focus hard, okay? Would you do that? CHRISTINE KING: Okay, ladies, we're ready to start again. Girls? PHILLIP NOYCE: Everyone in. CHRISTINE KING: Come over quickly. JAMES THOMAS: It's the serious end of the day, and there's a problem. Everlyn is missing. PHILLIP NOYCE: Everlyn's coming back but she went to buy a dress for the Miss Teen Ball. CHRISTINE KING: We just said to him he couldn't do it until later. PHILLIP NOYCE: I told him. He said 10 minutes. CHRISTINE KING: I said no, but then she just left. JAMES THOMAS: Everlyn's disappearance is annoying, but Phillip believes it's important to give her a chance. PHILLIP NOYCE: And she's at a crossroads in her life right now, at that critical age as she starts to become a woman. CHRISTINE KING: But, like, really quiet and into it and focused. JAMES THOMAS: Hours later, Everlyn does return, and a pep talk from Christine has her ready for the afternoon session with Caitlyn and Laura. PHILLIP NOYCE: You three all got taken from your homes, okay? JAMES THOMAS: Working from the script for the first time, the pressure on the girls is now intense. PHILLIP NOYCE: Come on, work on them, work on them. They're going to come with you. Work on them. JAMES THOMAS: Everlyn and Laura are doing well, but Caitlyn is looking lost. PHILLIP NOYCE: And you say, "Why do you want to stay here?" Now you've got to act. This is not playing now. I want you to be the stronger one and I want you two to pretend that you're weak. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip tries a more physical approach, but still Caitlyn is struggling. PHILLIP NOYCE: Now focus! Don't laugh. Focus! Pretend there's no camera. Just focus. You're in your own world. JAMES THOMAS: It is the end of a long day, but Phillip needs actors who will cope with the exhausting hours. PHILLIP NOYCE: Focus! This one might find it hard to maintain focus. CHRISTINE KING: You know, I don't think that's what the problem is. She's been up since early morning. She's displaying a typical seven-year-old. She's driven four hours. She just — she was bright when she got here. She's fading. JAMES THOMAS: Tomorrow morning will be Caitlyn's last chance. PHILLIP NOYCE: So, you've probably got to limp. Don't smile — you're very tired. You've been walking. JAMES THOMAS: It's crunch-time for Caitlyn. This morning's limp across the Western Desert will decide her fate. PHILLIP NOYCE: With a kid that age you're always going to have a focus problem. Okay, good. CHRISTINE KING: Very good. PHILLIP NOYCE: But she has a spontaneity that's really good. But you did it great, fantastically. JAMES THOMAS: A good night's sleep has made all the difference. Only days ago, Caitlyn was a carefree seven-year-old in Fitzroy Crossing. Today, she has been chosen as the youngest of three girls to star in Phillip's film. LAURA MONAGHAN: Mum, I got the part for the movie. JAMES THOMAS: Laura, who has just turned 10, is the most conscientious and focused of the three girls. And finally, Broome local Everlyn Sampi will play the lead role. At just 12, she's inherited a huge responsibility. She could be a gamble, but Phillip believes Everlyn has a special quality. PHILLIP NOYCE: I think that she also has, just below the surface, an incredible pride in her Aboriginality that's just waiting to come out. Well, that's the character that she's playing because this story is about a rite of passage. JAMES THOMAS: Choosing kids from the outback, Phillip believes they have a rawness not found in kids from the city. In the weeks ahead, these girls must become movie stars. It's a thrilling journey, but not everyone will survive. Soon, Phillip will make the heart-wrenching decision to replace one of the girls. PHILLIP NOYCE: Hey. How are you? How was the trip? Are you cold? CAITLYN LAWFORD: Yeah! PHILLIP NOYCE: We've got clothes over here for you. Put this on. JAMES THOMAS: It's been three weeks since Phillip Noyce selected his stars in Broome. Now they're in Adelaide where they'll undergo intense training to become actors. PHILLIP NOYCE: None of them know quite what they're getting into and the truth is, none of us do either. The Sampis are in there. Seven is the Lawfords' upstairs. We'll bring your luggage. JAMES THOMAS: To help them feel more comfortable, Phillip has employed members of their family and friends to play extras in the film. They'll live together in this apartment block for the next two weeks. PHILLIP NOYCE: Boy, I'm going to have a lot of steak for breakfast this week. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip has organised a barbecue so the girls can meet cast and crew. Everlyn clearly loves the limelight. And for a 12 year old, she has some grown-up habits. PHILLIP NOYCE: Everlyn is at that difficult age for any prepubescent kid. She's a child and yet she's an adult. JAMES THOMAS: For the next two weeks, this hall will become a place of learning for Caitlyn, Laura and Everlyn. PHILLIP NOYCE: (To the girls): Do you believe it? No, tell the truth. You don't have to be nice. Ah, she took it away, but she can. Now you look like a little girl. JAMES THOMAS: As well as acting, the girls must look the part. PHILLIP NOYCE: (To the girls): Let me see. Okay, now you can pretend you're a desert girl. Hey, hey, little fella. WOMAN: This is Ruth, Everlyn. JAMES THOMAS: But Everlyn is in no mood for dress-ups. WOMAN: Do you want to take your jacket off to put that one on? Do you want to put it over the top? Just pop the camera down for a sec. We'll put that on. PHILLIP NOYCE: Come on, Ev, try it on. Having to wear these strange things is just a little hard adjustment for her. JAMES THOMAS: Does it make you nervous being the director when you see this or did you expect these sorts of things? PHILLIP NOYCE: In this movie, you know, you expect the unexpected. And action! Marching ... JAMES THOMAS: Phillip pushes on without Everlyn, but there's more to worry about. PHILLIP NOYCE: And now run back and sit down. Run, Caitlyn! And run over to the other red mark. Run, run, run! Is that running? JAMES THOMAS: Caitlyn's lack of concentration is becoming a real problem for Noyce. PHILLIP NOYCE: It suddenly hit me that Caitlyn just wasn't going to make it. The other kids were dragging her and not because of her ability, but simply because she's only seven, and adjusting to everything was just difficult for her. JAMES THOMAS: How did she react? PHILLIP NOYCE: She was disappointed and relieved because, you know, she felt the pressure that she was under every day as all of these crew members were trying to will her to regain her focus, regain her energy. She could feel that. JAMES THOMAS: Noyce is in a desperate situation. With less than a week before shooting, he's lost one of his lead actors and must now search earlier audition tapes in the hope of finding a replacement. PHILLIP NOYCE: A week earlier we had held a series of tests here for extras to play in the Moore River native settlements scenes. And 60 kids from Adelaide and surrounding areas came in and there were so many of them that I could only really give them group instructions. So I said to them, "Look, kids, here's what you've got to do. I want to you come in one by one. I'm going to be at the other side of the room and I want you to pretend that there's some kids outside there who are in trouble. They've run away and they're lost and you're very afraid for them, and I want you to convince me that I've got to help you." YOUNG GIRL: Can't you help me at least find them because no-one else will help me find them and I don't believe that they're lost. PHILLIP NOYCE: Who ran away? YOUNG BOY: Some kids. PHILLIP NOYCE: What do you want me to do? YOUNG BOY: Some kids gone missing. There's some kids gone missing. PHILLIP NOYCE: Really? Where did they go? Some of them would get to the door, open the door, burst out laughing. Others would come halfway then burst out laughing. YOUNG BOY: Help me, help me, there's some children lost. Help me find them. PHILLIP NOYCE: Yes, but what's happened, is there some problem? YOUNG BOY: No. PHILLIP NOYCE: Some kids? What happened to some kids out there? YOUNG BOY: Nothing. PHILLIP NOYCE: Nothing? No? Then one kid came in. TIANNA SANSBURY: They're lost! PHILLIP NOYCE: What? TIANNA SANSBURY: There's some children lost! PHILLIP NOYCE: You're kidding? Where are they? TIANNA SANSBURY: They're gone! PHILLIP NOYCE: What do you want me to do? TIANNA SANSBURY: They was ... they was playing then they was lost. PHILLIP NOYCE: I actually forgot it was a game. I thought there was some trouble outside amongst the other kids. She really got me going. You're kidding? TIANNA SANSBURY: No, I'm not. It's true. PHILLIP NOYCE: But listen, I'm an old fellow, I've got white hair, I've got sore leg, I've got sore back. What am I going to do? TIANNA SANSBURY: You have to get up. PHILLIP NOYCE: You reckon? TIANNA SANSBURY: Yes. PHILLIP NOYCE: Oh, look I'm an old bloke. I mean, I'm just old. Why should I worry about them? TIANNA SANSBURY: But you have to. It's ... it' s... it's ... it's dangerous out there. PHILLIP NOYCE: Really? TIANNA SANSBURY: Yes. PHILLIP NOYCE: Oh. How old are you, Tianna? TIANNA SANSBURY: Seven. PHILLIP NOYCE: Seven? You're a top actress. So, I looked up my notes and there I saw some kid called Tianna who I gave a nine to and I thought, "Nine, nine out of 10, she must be okay!" So, I got her in even that afternoon and tested her again. WOMAN: When I said, "Bring your blanket" she went like this and picked up the blanket. PHILLIP NOYCE: She's incredible. WOMAN: Yeah, she's amazing. She's so focused. She's listening to everything. PHILLIP NOYCE: Have we done a contract with her? Because that was incredible, I've never seen anything like that in my life. WOMAN: No. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip's decision is made. Eight-year-old Tianna Sansbury will replace Caitlyn. PHILLIP NOYCE: But that's going to mean that you're going to have to work every day except Saturdays and Sundays for the next eight weeks. Do you think you can do that? TIANNA SANSBURY: Yes. PHILLIP NOYCE: Yeah? And you don't think you'll get sick of it? TIANNA SANSBURY: No. JAMES THOMAS: With that, Tianna embraces the life as a movie star — a role Everlyn is becoming very comfortable with. MALE PHOTOGRAPHER: That's good for movies, huh? JAMES THOMAS: But tomorrow the music stops. No matter how talented, occasionally lead actors must do as they're told. For Everlyn, this is a difficult concept. PHILLIP NOYCE: Everlyn is at a crossroads. She's so talented but she can go up to the greatest heights. She's so strong and so strong-willed that she can go down almost as far as you can go. PART 2 JAMES THOMAS: Phillip watches as Everlyn makes the final transition to a desert girl from the 1930s. MALE PHOTOGRAPHER: I think if I was you I would be a little bit shocked about this. PHILLIP NOYCE: She's very nonchalant. MALE PHOTOGRAPHER: Yeah, exactly. JAMES THOMAS: At 12 years old, image is everything. No-one knows how Everlyn will react as locks of her identity hit the floor. YOUNG GIRL: Wow! CHRISTINE KING: You look gorgeous. YOUNG GIRL: Oh, my God! YOUNG GIRL: Can I have a look? YOUNG GIRL: It's not straight. YOUNG GIRL: It's not straight. YOUNG GIRL: Don't cut your hair, any kind. YOUNG GIRL: Yeah. JAMES THOMAS: With every finishing touch, Everlyn's mood grows darker. YOUNG GIRL: Oh, Everlyn you look pretty. YOUNG GIRL: Oh my God! YOUNG GIRL: She does, she does. YOUNG GIRL: You look pretty. YOUNG GIRL: I can't believe my sister cut her hair. YOUNG GIRL: I'm getting my hair cut. YOUNG GIRL: Now I've got the longest hair. YOUNG GIRL: That looks so gorgeous! YOUNG GIRL: She looks pretty! JAMES THOMAS: Onlookers placate a brooding storm. YOUNG GIRL: Makes you look a bit older. WOMAN: It is, it's that really trendy look, what do they call it? YOUNG GIRL: A bob. JAMES THOMAS: Reinforcements are sent in, but the more attention she gets, the worse the behaviour. PHILLIP NOYCE: I've worked in this business now for 30 years. I've worked with some of the best and some of the worst in terms of attitude. The worst-behaved actors are those who take advantage of the power that they have over you, particularly once you start shooting, and we haven't started shooting yet, but I was already seeing signs of the worst behaviour that I've observed. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip believes Everlyn is exploiting her star status, but her behaviour is not only the result of being spoilt. Before joining the movie, she lived a life which was far from perfect. PHILLIP NOYCE: You know, she hasn't had a stable life. She is at just the wrong point of her life for stability because she's now just changing daily from a child to a woman. She's just at that age when you start to think about your appearance, what other people think of you and so on. You know, I realise that for her it's just someone who is actually very, very insecure, and that behaviour, which I believe is true in Everlyn's case, comes from fear. JAMES THOMAS: Picture this: a white man enters a remote Aboriginal community with the best intentions, takes three girls out of their community and promises them fame and fortune. Does it sound familiar? PHILLIP NOYCE: Mmm-hmm. JAMES THOMAS: Are you aware of the irony that exists in what you're doing with this film and the actual topic of the film itself? PHILLIP NOYCE: Well, I suppose in one way you could say that in a different context, in a different time, I'm AO Neville promising these young Aboriginal children a better life, asking them to do things that are against their instincts, perhaps because it's for their own good. But we do live in a slightly different world. These children are not being taken away from their culture, from their families — their families came with them to make the movie, and their families are going with them as they promote the movie. So it is a slightly different context. I think the only one of the kids who may be swayed by the whole process is Everlyn Sampi, but she's also the one who has the most potential. RACHEL MAZA, ACTING TUTOR: Everlyn! Come on, you just had an hour. Come on. I just told you 15 minutes ago that you've got 15 minutes. That means 15 minutes to finish your food. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip wants Everlyn to succeed, but at rehearsals things are only getting worse. RACHEL MAZA: Okay. Well, Everlyn, how long are you going to be? Come on, what are you doing? JAMES THOMAS: Acting tutor Rachel MAZA is at her wit's end. RACHEL MAZA: You have to spend every five minutes going, "Just put that down, stop talking, be quiet, come back here, sit down, no you can't have a drink. You should have gone to the toilet in your break." It's just unbelievable, the amount of energy you waste doing all that crap. Okay, okay, come on. Everlyn, come on. Oh, Everlyn! Just when I thought I had them. JAMES THOMAS: David Gulpilil was just 15 when he was plucked from a mission school to star in the 1970 classic Walkabout — perhaps the first serious Australian movie about the collision of black and white culture. After the early fame of Walkabout, Gulpilil's life descended into an all-too-familiar spiral of poverty and alcoholism. RACHEL MAZA: Hey mob, here's the star. DAVID GULPILIL: Hello. RACHEL MAZA: This is David. DAVID GULPILIL: Hello everyone. RACHEL MAZA: This is Tianna. She's playing the youngest one. DAVID GULPILIL: Hello Tianna. TIANNA SAINSBURY: Hello. RACHEL MAZA: This is Laura who's playing Gracie. Laura. This is David Gulpilil. You watched him last night. LAURA MONAGHAN: Yeah. DAVID GULPILIL: Yeah. Long time ago. Did you see Walkabout? LAURA MONAGHAN: Yeah. RACHEL MAZA: Yes, we watched it last night. DAVID GULPILIL: That was me when I was a young one, see, young fellow. That was me. RACHEL MAZA: And this is Everlyn, who is playing Molly, the eldest. She's the smart one who... DAVID GULPILIL: Yeah, you know how to shake this one. Yeah, good one. Good one buddy. JAMES THOMAS: Now in his late 40s, Noyce has cast him as the black tracker who pursues the girls along the rabbit-proof fence. DAVID GULPILIL: Good one, mate. I know he's directing it, but we're going to be playing in this movie. We're going to be playing, eh. This is your chance now and your turn. JAMES THOMAS: If anyone knows the perils ahead, if anyone can offer a guiding hand to the three girls, it's this man. PHILLIP NOYCE: David Gulpilil, who was taken by Nicolas Roeg, to star in Walkabout, over what, almost 40 years ago now, came from a very, very remote community that had had little contact with the outside world. He'd lived a very traditional lifestyle that had not embraced white man's ways to the extent that Everlyn Sampi and her family have. I mean, Everlyn comes from a remote community, but she spends a lot of time in Broome. She's able to move freely between two worlds and two cultures. So, I don't think that disruption, based on cultural disruption, is going to be quite as great as it may have been for David. RACHEL MAZA: Oh, come on. Look the little performer. See, see what I mean? She's ready for this film. She's got the ability going already. YOUNG GIRL: Get up! PHILLIP NOYCE: We have to give her every opportunity and every encouragement to make it. It would not be responsible to her to just jettison her. So, it's behold on us to try and get her through, but we have a double responsibility which is also to shoot the film. We hope that she can miraculously pull herself together, and maybe she will, maybe she won't. JAMES THOMAS: Phillip calls a crisis meeting to discuss Everlyn. PHILLIP NOYCE: She could be sensational or she might have us all committed, or both. EVERLYN SAMPI: Sometimes you hate the director. Sometimes you don't. But I don't hate him. PHILLIP NOYCE: No, because we're going to take your shot next. JAMES THOMAS: In fact, you get the feeling that hidden under a tough exterior, Everlyn has great respect for the man who decided to keep her in his film. PHILLIP NOYCE: Hello darling, what's wrong? From the moment she walked in to casting, my eyes were drawn to her. We'll get you out of the sun. Go and have a sit under the verandah. There's just some quality about her which I've recognised over the years as a movie star quality. She's got it. CREW MEMBER: Camera B and rolling! PHILLIP NOYCE: Hide, hide, hide behind her. Come back! Come back, come back! Come on! Come on! Come back, come back! Come back, come back. Come back. Come back here! Come on. PHILLIP NOYCE: 636, take two. JAMES THOMAS: Phil Noyce's hands-on approach has earned him a reputation as one of the most driven and enigmatic directors in the world. CREW MEMBER: It's all pre-planned. He's got the whole film edited in his head before he even starts. He knows exactly what to do and how to get it. PHILLIP NOYCE: The only way, mate. And then I can blame myself for everything. See, if I put the wrong number on, I can just get upset at myself. If I don't work the viewer here, you know, I've only got myself to blame and for once, the sound can kick my arse! LAURA MONAGHAN: MC, you're mid-close up. JAMES THOMAS: Yes. LAURA MONAGHAN: And ECU … extreme close up, and I know more but... JAMES THOMAS: What else? What about POV? LAURA MONAGHAN: POV? Point of view. JAMES THOMAS: It's been a steep learning curve for the girls, and, at times, Everlyn admits to feeling the pressure. EVERLYN SAMPI: Sometimes I get wild. JAMES THOMAS: Do you? EVERLYN SAMPI: I get sick of it. And then after I go for a walk by myself and come back and quiet down. RACHEL MAZA: Ev, hop in there and help Ningly out. She'll be there for you. EVERLYN SAMPI: The sun's burning me. PHILLIP NOYCE: Come on. It will be over with in a moment. Come on darling — quick. We can shoot it. EVERLYN SAMPI: I'm not getting into a movie again. I'm sick of it. When I get back to Broome I'm going to sleep every weekend and every day. JAMES THOMAS: The novelty of living on a movie set is also wearing thin for Laura. LAURA MONAGHAN: And I miss everyone there, especially my best friend, my teacher and my dad and all my cousins and sister. JAMES THOMAS: The girls may be tired but the show must go on. Tomorrow they'll face their biggest challenge yet. Today is a special day — cast and crew prepare for a crucial scene. PHILLIP NOYCE: It's not only sort of a defining moment in the story, but also a defining moment in the hidden history of Australia. JAMES THOMAS: For Laura, Tianna and Everlyn, now is the moment of truth. They must prove Phillip's instincts, in choosing them, were right. You could forgive him for being a little nervous. PHILLIP NOYCE: This document certifies that the above named Aboriginal half-caste child, Daisy Cutabull, that the aforementioned child be put in a situation of decent employment and care. JAMES THOMAS: As he sets the scene, the girls must assume their characters. It's 1931 and they're about to be stolen from their families by the Australian Government. This scene is a tough ask for even the most experienced of actors. PHILLIP NOYCE: And action! WOMAN: Run! No! They're my kids! Go away! POLICE OFFICER: It's the law. You've got to do what it says. WOMAN: No! POLICE OFFICER: Come on! Come on! POLICE OFFICER: They'll be going to school. It's according to the law. I've got the paper. PHILLIP NOYCE: Cut it! EVERLYN SAMPI: Everybody was crying and I'm like, "Oh, it's hurting me inside" and it was like "mmmm", so I started — tears started rolling from my eyes. CREW MEMBER: It's full on. So, you know, the whole crew's emotional. You see the whole crew has tears in their eyes. I've done a lot of films. You don't see that this often. That's what's going to make this film special. I think this is good because you've got the whole story there, you know? JAMES THOMAS: In two months, their faces will be on billboards around the country, and yet just a short time ago Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan and Everlyn Sampi had never acted in their lives. Today, they proved to Phillip what he had always suspected — just below the surface of their fragile skin lies a talent. But they're not too fussed. Like the characters they play in the film, they just want to go home. Click here for a printer-friendly version. |
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