The Fairy Tale Shoes: Interview With the Cast and Crew of Cuckoo | Interviews

Hunter, your character’s weapon of choice by the film’s end isn’t a gun but a butterfly knife. I love how you play an unconventional “scream queen” in that you have to survive with a lot of restrictions … you really just have your knife, sling, and iPod to fight with. Was there a skill that was most fun to learn? 

HS: Yeah, there were several skills I got to pick up for this movie, which was fun to learn. The first was learning how to use a butterfly knife, which Tilman sent me a dummy of. I got to practice in the two years we waited to film this. I also got to learn bass, which was so much fun and I still play it now. Sign language was another one. I love sign language, and I’m still learning it. It’s popped up in another role I’m currently preparing for. I think I’m just going to go all the way and keep the tutor I have.

You should pick roles based on what skills you want to acquire next.

HS: For real. Because you get to learn for free!

DS: I genuinely do think, though, that if you pick a skill that a character would know and that is outside your wheelhouse, you are, in some way, entering into the character’s mindset because you’re teaching yourself something that character could do that you don’t do. It’s like a module. Like say, a character knows how to windsurf … I don’t know how to, but if a character I play ends up windsurfing … I’d give it a damn good go, and it would teach me something about what my character’s experiences that weren’t my own life experience.

HS: Even with bass, the way there’s a physicality to it … that was something that surprised me as I learned it. There’s an attitude and personality that comes with playing it.

TS: It is very important to me that she is a bassist, not a lead singer, drummer, or guitarist. Gretchen has a relaxed and casual attitude but also has a drive.

This film delves into so many themes: environmental preservation, nature vs. nurture, sibling rivalry, processing grief, reproductive rights, found family, etc. There’s a lot to balance in this. Were there any in reading/developing the script or filming that resonated the most?