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| Abbey Thickson, 13, is one of the stars of the movie The Divide, which was shot in Winnipeg. Photo taken Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (CHRIS PROCAYLO/Winnipeg Sun) |
Written by, Doug Lunney - Winnipeg Sun
Abbey Thickson, 13, was looking for a movie role to expand her acting resume, and she certainly found it.
Abbey Thickson, 13, was looking for a movie role to expand her acting resume, and she certainly found it.
The amiable girl from Selkirk has gone from playing Gretl in the delightful musical The Sound of Music at Rainbow Stage to starring in the Winnipeg-produced movie The Divide, which has the Manitoba rating 18A (brutal violence, sexual violence, coarse language, adverse psychological impact).
While The Divide won’t be the “feel-good movie of the year,” escaping a nuclear attack was a blast for the Grade 8 student from Lockport Junior High.
“It was a great experience,” said Thickson, who joined the cast and producers on Thursday at the Hotel Fort Garry to celebrate the premiere. “Getting to know everybody, since I was the only kid, was very easy and they were all really nice to me.
“When we were practicing, (co-star) Milo (Ventimiglia) looked at me every time somebody swore and made the gesture to put money in the swear jar.”
The Divide is directed by Xavier Gens and stars Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss), Ventimiglia (Heroes), Michael Eklund (The Day) and Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction). Thickson plays Arquette’s daughter in the post-apocalyptic thriller where nine strangers — all tenants of a New York apartment — escape a nuclear attack by hiding out in the building’s basement.
Trapped for days underground, with only unspeakable horrors awaiting them on the other side of the door, the group descends into madness, each turning on one another.
Filming was done over a couple of months in 2010, mostly at the Manitoba Production Centre on Pacific Avenue, and the Millennium Centre.
“Whenever they thought something was too scary or graphic they’d show my mom the script, and if she thought it was too graphic we would (leave the set),” said Thickson.
A scene where Thickson was “abducted” was a little tough on her mom, Diane, but not so for her brother, Morgan, 15.
“In the scene I’m crying and screaming, yelling ‘Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!’” she described. “My mom started crying, but my brother was laughing. I got a lot of people on set crying, like the hairdresser and makeup artist.
“The people on set were trying not to hurt me but trying to make it look as real as possible.”
Thickson especially enjoyed working with Arquette.
“She is so sweet and so loving,” Thickson said. “She truly treated me like one of her kids on set.
“She would give me lots of hugs and when we had to do scenes when a lot of dust was falling, she’d make sure I had my mask on and was really taking care of me when everybody else was busy.”
Thickson’s father Stuart was going through cancer treatments during filming. His recovery continues, Thickson said, adding the work provided her with a release.
“It was a good way for me to get all of my stress out,” she said. “If my dad was going through a hard day, it made it easier for me to be the little kid I needed to be on the set.”
That little kid still isn’t old enough to see The Divide at the theatre.
“Maybe once it’s released I’ll get it and we can watch it (as a family) and get through some of the scary parts,” she said. “I’m not very good with scary movies. This is the type of movie my brother would like to watch.”
Producer Darryn Welch had high praise for Thickson as well as Winnipeg.
“I’m actually looking at bringing two other films to Winnipeg myself at the moment,” he said. “I’d happily go back there again.
Reposted from the Winnipeg Sun on January 19, 2012
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| From the left - Abbey Thickson, Eron Sheean, Darryn Welch and Jennifer Biehn; seated are - Michael Eklund (left) and Michael Biehn. They are the stars of the movie The Divide. The movie was shot in Winnipeg and had a premiere at the Silver City Polo Park theatre on Jan. 19, 2012. (Chris Procaylo, Winnipeg Sun) |
