All Grown Up
Dominique Swain
Starting her passage into this world in the back of a Datsun on a Los Angeles freeway, the life of actress Dominique Swain has always been unorthodox. First capturing Hollywood’s attention with her eye-catching and challenging role in Lolita opposite Jeremy Irons, her penchant for controversy has never been far behind.
You were rumoured to have won the role of Delores in Lolita from a group of 2,500 aspiring actresses. What attracted you to the script, and why do you think that Adrian Lyne (director) picked you for the part?
I submitted myself on tape to Ellen Chenoweth (Casting Director) and she ended up flying me to New York and then four days later. She had Jeremy Irons come from Italy and Adrian Lyne fly in from North Carolina. Almost immediately, Adrian and I were totally simpatico; he completely put me at ease when I was in the room with him. I think he was attracted to me – well, not attracted to me – because of my spontaneity and the fact that I sent in a paper called “I Know Who Lolita Is”, which basically said that because the book Lolita was written third-person, I felt that I could give Lolita a voice.
What were you impressions of the film after you saw it?
I loved it. I thought it was great. The hardest part was watching it in Italian with a shrill, high-pitched 30-year-old Italian women’s voice dubbed over the top of it. I thought. “Come on. this is not what we were trying to do”.
In the years following Lolita, what doors opened up for you as a young actress in Hollywood?
After I completed Lolita, it was about three years until any of my major films opened, so I was able to go through high school in complete obscurity. In the interim, I still had the opportunity meet cool directors like John Woo who, were it not for my role in Lolita, may not have cast me in Face/Off – not that I wasn’t absolutely brilliant, mind you (laughs).
Did you feel like a ‘celebrity’ after Face/Off?
Oh god, I think the celebrity aspect is hideous. I find myself quoting ‘there’s no such thing as bad press’ all the time because I seem to be targeted for it all the time. I can’t do anything right. Whenever I’m in one of those magazines it’s purely to say how ugly I am and how I look fatter in some dress than Rachel McAdams – it’s ridiculous.
So how do you cope with the pressure and criticism?
I just laugh and take it with a grain of salt. You know, the photos these magazines print are always hideous; it’s so funny because they’ll just find one where you’re talking to a friend on the street and somehow your tongue snakes up your nostril. Funnily enough, it’s actually sort of a compliment that these people are spending their time and money putting you in some editorial just to say how ugly you are. The only thing about press – good or bad – is that it does help you get you the jobs you want. So you need to be pragmatic about all the press stuff, but frankly it’s a load of crap.
But there must be an upside...
Definitely! The upside is that once every couple of days, someone will stop me and say. “Wow! You’re that girl.” Sometimes they’ll even know my name, which is even cooler. Even more so, it’s the fact these same people who are stopping to talk with me are travelling the same path as I would have if not for Lolita.
Can you remember a particular incident when you were blown away by someone recognising you?
I met Molly Ringwald, who is my favourite character in one of my favourite all-time films, 16 Candles. When I met her I was almost speechless, it was like the heaven’s had opened up. At the time, Molly just gave birth to a new baby girl so I congratulated her and I was prepared to leave it at that, even though I was screaming inside. ‘I love you!’ In any case, she walked me back to my car and said. ‘I remember reading about you...’ Just the very idea that Molly knew my work, the same actress who was one the main reasons I entered into this industry, was just mind boggling.
What do you think your path would have been otherwise?
I always question my position in Hollywood if things aren’t going exactly as I planned or if I miss out on a role that I really sunk my teeth into. I always think about what I could be doing otherwise – I think that’s healthy in this business. I was really excited about going to college last year, but then I landed a role and I thought to myself. ‘Well a girl’s gotta eat... this is the life I picked’. As a result, I’m on academic probation at Santa Monica College, which is really humiliating. I always try to think about what I would be doing otherwise and I know that if I changed my mind. I’m not an idiot and I can do something else, it’s just that I don’t have the reassurance of a degree.
Before we talk about your new poker film All-In, you recently finished working on a star-studded new film called Alpha Dog. Tell me about your experiences in that role...
It was terrific. Nick Cassavetes (writer of Blow, Director of The Notebook and John Q) is a master. The way that he works with actors is second to none; he’s a master manipulator. The way that he directs one person is completely different from the way he directs another person, because he realises that some people need to be coddled, and some need to be beaten down. He controls the dynamic of the group like a master puppeteer.
One of your fellow cast members is likely to steal the limelight in Alpha Dog. I speak of course of singer/dancer/Britney’s first love Justin Timberlake. Can he actually act?
He is terrific; he’s going to knock your socks off. He’s great, you’re going to be shocked.
Did you ever have a crush on him? Absolutely not.
I don’t have a TV at home so I was probably less impressed than other people. Obviously, I know that he’s on the cover of magazines, but it was his personality that people fell in love with. He would probably want me killed if he knew that he’s not the hottest, sexiest thing in my book, but... Now that’s a scoop! Oh my god, if you quote that out of context I’ll never speak to him again! What I’m saying is ‘No. I did not have a crush on him before!’
So who did you have a crush on in your tender years?
Jonathan Brandis, rest his soul. And I’ve always had a thing for Johnny Depp.
You also worked with some brilliant actors in All-In. How was the experience of working with Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill) and Academy Award winner, Louis Gossett Jr (An Officer and a Gentlemen)?
It was terrific. I love them; they are amazing. My scenes with Michael Madsen were definitely the most rewarding in the film.
What is it about Madsen that is so endearing for you?
Michael comes to work ready to play. He doesn’t seem to have a set decision on how he’s going to read lines; he’s always right in there in the scene with you. It seems that with a lot of actors, even some well-known ones, come at you with their game, which they’ve prepared, thinking that they’re going to be great no matter how you react to it. With Michael, you can read a scene fifty different ways, and he’ll come at you with fifty different things.
How were your poker skills before you started shooting All- In?
Basically, I didn’t like to gamble before this film. I think I know what I’m doing playing poker now, but it didn’t stop me from losing all my money in one hand at a recent game. The annoying thing is that in All-In my character somehow manages to win every hand, and in real life I lose with really good hands...
Exactly how did you manage to lose all you money?
I was playing in what was supposed to be an all-boys poker tournament and I was allowed in only because I wanted to practise for the role. The game was only for $100, and I bet it all in one hand, then lost, then got to sit around and watch everybody get drunk. I was like, ‘This is fantastic’ (sarcastic laugh).
So, what happened in that hand?
I was dealt originally a full house, and I got beaten with a flush (Editor’s Note: Looks like the boys taught Dominique a valuable lesson... learn the rules before playing – a flush always loses to a full house!).
Did anyone help you to learn the game?
Not really, but a bunch of my friends tried to help out.
How do you consider yourself now?
I’m certainly no Ace Anderson (the name of Dominique’s character in the film).
Since finishing filming, have you thought about giving up the acting game to try and usurp Jennifer Tilly as Hollywood’s best female player?
I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, but I gamble enough in my career anyway...
What is the biggest gamble you’ve taken?
Probably playing Lolita; that was very controversial.
Since Lolita, have you taken any gambles that didn’t pay off?
Probably some of the movies that are not visible in your neighbourhood theatre are examples of gambles that didn’t pay off (laughs). However. I always enter into a film thinking that it’s going to be great.
What are your expectations for All-In?
I don’t know. I think we’re just going to have to wait and see. I’m hoping that it will do well. Even though I’m a little more experienced and older now. I still have no idea what’s going to happen with my films. These days. I think of a movie as making a play in a lot of ways – when it’s done, it’s done, and there’s nothing that you can really do about it
.The tagline of the film states, “It’s amazing how many ways you can be All-In” How does this relate to your character in the film? And, do you agree with this as a philosophy for life?
I absolutely agree with the statement as a philosophy for life. I think that you have to be as involved in anything that you set your heart on. Whether it’s a relationship or a life goal. I think that you just have to have a single-minded motivation towards reaching that goal. I think as Ace Anderson, she needs to go all-in to confront her past, and in my opinion that is the most interesting theme of the film – the father/daughter dynamic. There are a lot of bigger themes than just poker in this film, but its does show poker as a metaphor for everything.
What does the future hold for you?
I’ve written a screenplay, which I want to have made this year. I wrote myself the starring role, of course (laughs). Hopefully, if I have any luck with that project, I’ll write another one and direct it. The more I learn about the film industry, the more I want to be involved. In an artistic capacity, when I’m working with a director, I always do what is required, but I’m starting to be able to second guess them. I always think of my vision for it on the side, and I want to bring that to the forefront. Otherwise, I would love to join the Peace Corps. In the end, I’m probably not going to, but I just wish that there were more of me to run around – one to study paediatrics and deliver babies, one to join the Peace Corps and save babies, and the other to act and direct and probably lead the life that I’m going to lead.
Dominique Swain Filmography
- All In (2006)
- White Air (2006)
- Alpha Dog (2006)
- Devour (2005)
- Out of Season (2004)
- The Freediver (2004)
- Mean People Suck (2003)
- The Job (2003)
- As Virgins Fall (2003)
- Briar Patch (2003)
- New Best Friend (2002)
- Dead in the Water (2002)
- Pumpkin (2002)
- Tart (2001)
- Happy Campers (2001)
- The Smokers (2000)
- The Intern (2000)
- Girl (1998)
- Face/Off (1997)
- Lolita (1997)
In 2001, Dominique became the youngest person to pose nude for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) at the age of 21. I asked Dominique about her naked humanitarian experience and it wasn’t long until my head was back in a complete spin. Here is just a selection of quotes from the effervescent, endearing and multifaceted starlet ...
Dominique the Humanitarian
- “I don’t think that people should wear fur.”
- “Hopefully, being the youngest person to ever do the campaign, I could perhaps influence people who don’t have fur coats yet.”
- “I don’t think that it’s out of the question that I could become a humanitarian.”
Dominique the ‘Hypocrite’
- “I eat meat and wear leather, and as such people think that I am intensely a hypocrite.”
- “I don’t stand behind everything that PETA does.”
- “I think being a vegan on my website (a factual inaccuracy on her fan site) was probably good in terms of any backlash because people believed that I was as crazy as Pamela Anderson.”
Dominique the Debauched
- “Stripping off was hard. Wait, what am I saying? Striping off my clothes is not hard; it’s a piece of cake.”
- “I recently ran across a busy highway naked.”
Dominique the Wise
- “Stripping down to your most naked soul is a lot harder. I think that if I wasn’t for my relationship with Adrian Lyne, I would never have reached that ‘raw place’ of hopelessness for the character of Lolita. Adrian incorporated a lot of things in my own life to the fictional character, which made her plight real for me – having sex with older gentlemen aside (laughs).”
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