Jess Weixler at Sundance 2007
(Credit: Barry Brecheisen/WireImage.com)
Consider Jess Weixler lucky that way. Her breakthrough starring role in “Teeth” nabbed a Sundance film festival special jury prize for her “juicy and jaw-dropping performance” last year, and now audiences have a chance to see what the fuss is about when the movie opens in limited release beginning Jan. 18.
Mixing elements of horror, comedy, romance and teen movies, “Teeth” is a satirical riff on the “vagina dentata” myth, which has appeared in numerous cultures throughout history as a metaphor for castration anxiety.
Weixler puts a fresh face on the ancient legend as Dawn, an abstinence spokesgirl with a built-in biological defense against the unwelcome advances of men seeking to violate her purity (and no, the film doesn’t shy away from the graphic consequences of Dawn’s unique ability).
Metromix talked with Weixler about how she overcame her initial fears in playing the role, the impact of the character on her romantic life and what it’s like to work with severed…well…“members”…
When you first got this script did anyone warn you ahead of time what it was about?
No! I did not know what I was going to read. I got it through my agents. I opened it up, got halfway through it and closed it because I was laughing at it, but I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be... And I was also like, “these are the creepiest sex scenes I’ve ever read. I am no way prepared to act this out.”
Did you ask your agents why they sent it to you?
I think I asked “What is this?” and they just said “We don’t know, the casting director is very reputable.” They seemed to believe in it. So I ended up auditioning for the best friend.
But they wanted you for the lead.
They said “We see you as more of a Dawn.” And I was like “Really!? Why??” But [writer-director] Mitchell Lichtenstein was so sweet. He’s very shy and smart. I realized he was making a dark comedy, not a bad B-horror movie. It seemed, suddenly, like a smart movie and it was just going to take some courage to throw myself into it.
More than a little…
Yeah, more than a little. But it’s a great acting role, she goes from A to Z.
Even that sort of acting challenge has to be scary on some level. And then you have to take a leap of faith that the director will find the right tone. This easily could’ve been a cheesy horror movie or softcore porn or something else really bad.
Yeah. I trusted that Mitchell had his head in the right place. I don’t think it’s a perfect movie, by any means, but I thought we could make enough of it work that it would be cool. Whether we did or not is for somebody else to decide.
Well the Sundance jury certainly thought you did a good job. Did you ever imagine winning an award for this role?
Not at all. When we got into Sundance I was like “Are you kidding? This is awesome!” Then…it just blew my mind that they were going to give me an award for acting. I couldn’t even imagine it. I wasn’t even in town [when they announced it].
How did your friends react when you told them you’d be playing a girl who has teeth in her vagina?
Half of them were like “Don’t!”
“You are going to ruin your career.”
Yeah. [laughs] But the other half were very supportive and said “That sounds cool, and really hard. Good luck.” I had to tell people not to be too worried, I was having a good time making a movie. Whether it turned out good or not, I couldn’t live in fear of judgment.
What was it like being on a set with severed penises?
They were gross. I had to throw one down a tube, down my dress, so it would splat on the floor. There was a moment where I was standing there with this prosthetic in my hand, about to throw it down my dress, when they called action and I thought to myself “What am I doing?” I shocked myself a few times.
Obviously this material will make some people very uncomfortable. Do you think that’s a good or bad thing?
I’ve noticed that the film works best in a crowd. I think it’s a good film to see in a theater just because it helps having lots of people around having lots of different reactions. It’s fun to hear people scream and laugh. You see that it’s OK to think lots of different things about it. Alone, I could imagine it makes people even more uncomfortable.
There’s a level of camp to the movie but your performance is very genuine. Were you tempted to play it broader at any point?
It was a struggle. So much of it was so ridiculous that I wanted to push into camp, but I knew if I did that people weren’t going to care about [Dawn]. And if people don’t care about her then the movie is lost. I was aware of some parts where I could play the humor more, but on the whole I had to make her relatable.
How much research did you do into the vagina dentata myth?
I looked into it just to see what people had to say. I found out what Freud’s deal was with castration anxiety and men being afraid of dying in the place they were born. And that it was used by men originally to demonize women. Mitchell really flips it over.
Which side of Dawn did you relate to more: her initial innocence or her later more confident side?
Ooh… [pause] I mean, I like to think of myself as a sexual person. I’m not an 18-year-old girl who doesn’t want to have sex until marriage. I believe that people should be having sex. [laughs]
Has the role had any impact on your dating life—are guys scared to ask you out?
Well, I’ve had a boyfriend and he’s very supportive, which is nice. But I also don’t plan on dating anybody who can’t distinguish reality from fantasy.
Yeah that’s probably a good rule to live by.
It rules out the people who have issues that I don’t know how to deal with.
