Meet the Contenders: Katherine Waterston "Inherent Vice"
Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 10:03AM Each weekend abstew profiles a just-opened Oscar contender whether they're sure things or longshots to keep us in the know.
Katherine Waterston as Shasta Fay Hepworth in Inherent Vice
Best Supporting Actress
Born: Katherine Boyer Waterston was born March 3, 1980 in London, England. Her American parents were working in the country at the time.
The Role: Adapted from Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel (and the first film version of the celebrated author's work), Oscar nominated writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson wrangles this twisty, drug-fueled haze of a story involving a weed-smoking, hippie, private detective named Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix). The film's plot begins to unfold when Doc's ex-old lady, Shasta, shows up one night concerned about the safety of her wealthy, married boyfriend. Both Shasta and her paramour go missing and it's up to Doc to make sense of it all. [more...]
Getting back to his Altmanesque roots, Anderson's film is filled with multiple storylines and characters portrayed by an impressive cast of actors (Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Martin Short, Jena Malone, and Eric Roberts, just to name a few). The relative unknown Waterston received a call to audition for the film after Anderson caught her film The Babysitters (2007) on television one night.
Previous Brushes With Oscar: Waterston was lucky enough to appear in an Oscar-winning movie in her film debut. She played a small role as "Third Year" in Michael Clayton (2007) which won Tilda Swinton a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson), and Best Score.
What Critics Are Saying:
Best of all is Waterston (daughter of Law & Order‘s Sam) as Shasta, a beguiling flower child who’s smarter and more cunning than she lets on. In a sex-and-confession scene with Doc, which lasts about six minutes and is shot without a cut, Waterston lends the movie as much human feeling and erotic tension as it’s ever going to bestow.
-Richard Corliss Time
At one point, the seductive Shasta shows up for an extended scene in Doc's beach house and takes about 10 minutes to present herself as the kind of all-American temptress flower who Charles Manson preyed upon. Waterston turns in a sultry piece of acting, but what exactly is this scene doing in the movie? I still have no idea.
-Owen Gleiberman BBC.com
As for Waterston, the tragic, sad-eyed enigma at the heart of the film, she's a true discovery. You understand why a guy like Doc is haunted by her. It's a shame her turn is marred by her long, naked confessional in the film's third act. It's gratuitous and out of place and makes the movie skid to a WTF halt.
-Chris Nashawaty Entertainment Weekly
As great as [Phoenix] is though, there are two other performances that were even more impressive. The first is Katherine Waterston as Doc's elusive ex-girlfriend Shasta Fay Hepworth. Her fleeting presence in the film recalls the allure of Kim Basinger in "L.A. Confidential", except multiple times better. There's a particular long scene she shares with Phoenix that is just breathtaking to watch.
-Shane Slater Film Actually.com
My Take: Inherent Vice is populated with dozens of kooky characters all vying for attention for the short amount of time they pop up into the story. But Waterston's Shasta Fey Hepworth is different - mysterious, alluring, and downright sedate compared to most of the other characters. Shasta is the femme fatale of the piece, designed to drive a man crazy with desire (well, enough to set the story into motion), but never actually supposed to feel like a real person. She functions solely as a catalyst and is nothing more than a fantasy, emphasized by the fact that a good portion of her screen time has her inexplicably naked. Waterston has a natural presence and briefly grounds the film with a seductive sincerity, but she's never able to overcome the film's concept of her as an idea. So her Shasta remains as blurry and unfocused as one of Doc's pot-induced daydreams.
Fun Fact: Even though her father is Sam Waterston, Oscar-nominated actor (The Killing Fields, 1984) and the star of TV's Law & Order for over 15 years as Jack McCoy, Katherine Waterston failed to land the part she went out for when she auditioned for her father's show.
Probability of a Nomination: Longshot. Before her film finally debuted at the New York Film Festival in October to mixed reviews, many were including Waterston as one to watch out for in Best Supporting Actress based on the character in the book and Paul Thomas Anderson's involvement with the film. (His previous 6 films have garnered 7 acting nominations.) Although she makes an impression and scored a Satellite award nomination, it's doubtful that the film is one that Oscar voters will take a liking to. But her involvement with the film should hopefully lead to more opportunities.
Inherent Vice opened in NY and LA yesterday and opens Nationwide on January 9th.
Reader Comments (5)
Saw Inherent Vice last night. This performance was one of the films worst flaws, I thought. Whenever she appeared on screen time would go by so slowly and she would take me right out of the movie (my mind would waaaaander). Even Phoenix seemed bored. She does not have the acting chops to play such a cypher of a character. Her choices were limited to not making any choices or whispering/looking sultry. I don't think she got the style at all. PTA's journey as a director is always a wonder to watch, but I felt here he had not interest in developing strong, interesting female characters, even with the limitations of the style. I did like Newsom's narration, though. Overall, Waterson's debut is a frustrating one.
Am I the only one seriously over the mysterious pretty blonde catalyst trope? I know it's been in film forever (especially in noir and the 1950s) but at this point is just seems so insulting and sexist. They'd never do something like with a pretty blonde GUY. Even the most interesting ones are hardly two dimensional. Maybe it's residue from Wolf of Wall Street last year where this was turned up to 11 and all she had to do was be blazingly hot and stir shit up but ugh.
And the the nepotism angle is bothering me already, I must admit. I really wish Charlize hadn't turned this role down tho, surely someone else could've been on that Mad Max shoot for the chance to work with PTA? Your choices, girl.
But whatever, just hoping the movie isn't a mess.
If the women in this movie are as underwritten and objectified as everyone says, I completely understand why Charlize turned it down.
i had no idea that charlize had been offered the part of shasta! i love charlize, but i don't know if she would have been right for the role. part of why waterston works at all is because we know nothing about her as an actress. she's also a little more earthy and believable as a hippie.
sadly all the woman's roles in this feel underwritten, but i'm guessing that's the way pynchon wrote them initially. and surprisingly the one i liked the best was reese witherspoon. her character had an actual job and intelligence - not just some male fantasy or crazy person.
Yes, PTA needs to direct his own Jackie Brown asap!