LOS ANGELES, June 3 (UPI) -- Samara Weaving says her bank robber character in "Caroline Caroline," which opens Friday, is influenced by romance. She plays Caroline, a Texas woman who, along with drifter Oliver (Kyle Garner), commits a series of petty crimes.
It is Caroline who suggests moving on to bank robberies.
In a recent UPI Zoom interview, Weaving, 34, said Caroline was so caught up in their affair that the consequences of their crimes came as a shock to her.
«"They just fall in love and are carried away by it, with little thought to the consequences of their actions," Weaving said. "Caroline is in a lot of pain, and when you're in a lot of pain, sometimes you want to destroy yourself.".
The Australian actress, known for her role as Caroline, mastered a Southern accent. She worked with dialect coach Liz Himelstein and attributes much of Caroline's success in criminal cases to her Southern accent.
Samara Weaving, pictured at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, stars in "Carolina Carolina." Photo by Chris Chew/UPI.
«"I think that's why she gets away with so much, that singsong accent," Weaving said. "Caroline—that was the name of the costume assistant—she was from West Texas and she kept giving me the thumbs-up.".
Gallner, 39, said he believed Oliver understood there was only one way their criminal activities could end.
Kyra Sedgwick, pictured with Kevin Bacon at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, in January, stars in the film "Carolina Carolina." Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI.
«"I also think Oliver was genuinely in love with Caroline and would do anything for her," he said. "So when she said she wanted to up the ante, he was willing to do it for her.".
Along the way, Caroline also searches for her biological mother, who abandoned her father and went to raise her in Texas. In one scene, when Caroline finds her, she is played by Kyra Sedgwick.
Kyra Sedgwick stars in "Caroline Caroline," which opens in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Sedgwick filmed her role in two days, but said the preparation took several weeks. Sedgwick was drawn to the impression the character made on the character.
«"It really changes the trajectory of the protagonist's development," Sedgwick said. "So being in that position is really important.".
Caroline (Samara Weaving) changes clothes while Oliver (Kyle Gallner) drives the getaway car in "Caroline Caroline," which opens in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
According to Sedgwick, this preparatory work involved recreating her character's memories. Tom Dean's script helped her with this, explaining what happened before Caroline met her.
«"She talks about what it was like to live in that small town and how they wanted her to be, but she couldn't be," Sedgwick said. "You just soak up the good memories, and they stay with you that day.".
Sedgwick, the mother of Sosie and Travis Bacon, who raises them with her husband, Kevin Bacon, could even understand why a mother in such a situation might abandon her child.
«"Everyone has a limit, and I think she's reached it," Sedgwick said. "What she's doing is appalling, but she's an alcoholic, so we all know that happens.".
Director Adam Rehmeier said Dean's script gave him the opportunity to work in a different genre than his comedy "Dinner in America" and the teen film "Diner." He cited films like "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry," "The Great Texas Dynamite Run," and "Badlands" as abstract, rather than direct, sources of inspiration.
«"There's a hot guy, a hot girl, a gun, and a performance car," Rehmeier said. "I focused on emulating the '70s films, where the main characters are male and female.".
Both Gallner and Weaving admired the 1993 film True Romance, starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as lovers on the run with a suitcase full of cocaine.
«"Patricia Arquette is my favorite actress," Weaving said.
The acting duo said they also empathized with their characters' restlessness. For the actors themselves, it was their desire to graduate from high school and become actors.
«"I remember feeling kind of like I really wanted to graduate and figure out who I was," Weaving said. "Going to Los Angeles was a real shock to me. So I can relate to that feeling.".
Gallner said his anxiety often got him into trouble, so finding a job worked in his favor.
«"I was constantly running around, getting into trouble, looking for something new, and finally I got to Los Angeles," Glaelner said.