I always wanted to make a film.
Im a little obsessed.
I watch one film Monday to Friday, he says.
Zoe Saldana in “The Absence of Eden.“Roadside Attractions/Everett Collection
Sunday, actually, corrects his wifeZoe Saldana, with a laugh.
The idea was to approach it from a sculpture perspective, he says.
There are so many mysteries inside the picture to discover, if people pay attention.
Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego at last year’s Taormina Film FestivalDaniele Venturelli/Getty Images
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MARCO PEREGO-SALDANA: Im an artist.
I collected 714 pairs of shoes and filled them with concrete.
Zoe and I, its part of our core values from an artist perspective to create conversations about humanity.
DEADLINE:Zoe, how does the refugee crisis resonate with you?
Like Marco said, [its about] reminding ourselves and others that were talking about people.
Im a daughter of immigrants.
My grandmother arrived in New York in 1961.
She was born and raised under a dictatorship in Dominican Republic.
My grandmother really felt freedom in New York.
You discover all the layers of this complex conversation.
DEADLINE:Marco, how do you feel your career so far prepared you for this moment?
PEREGO-SALDANA: I love cinema, I really do.
I spend so much time watching film.
I have a lot of conversations with Zoe.
We really love this form of art and I think this film is an accumulation of experience.
Im very grateful thats the impact on you.
SALDANA: And its not so black and white.
Does this conflict with their core values?
And the answer is yes.
Weve met agents that choose to be anonymous, obviously, but they feel terrible.
Theyre witnessing things that are just horrible and unimaginable and they have to live with this.
Its very difficult for them as well.
DEADLINE:Zoe, how did you come to play lead character?
SALDANA: My husbands the director.
Its really as simple as that (laughs).
I was very grateful.
Its a difficult role.
It demands work and commitment.
You cant just phone this in.
Just because he was my husband, it didnt mean that everything was going to be easier to me.
This was a very difficult character to get into.
It was also during a very difficult time in our lives, because our children were so young.
This is in 2019.
It took Marco two years to put this movie together.
A month before we began to shoot Marco was already in pre-production my grandmother unfortunately passed away.
DEADLINE:What attracted you to the role, other than being able to work with your husband?
If shes been offered to be a part of a crime, she says no.
Im like, Oh God, this is the kind of woman that I am.
These are the kind of choices that I would make for the betterment of my life.
I didnt see her as an illegal immigrant.
I didnt see her as a victim.
I just saw her as a decent person.
DEADLINE:I imagine its a very raw experience.
This character, shes almost wearing her skin inside out.
Is it easier or more difficult to do that with a spouse?
There is no anxiety.
I dont have to impress him.
Marco also knows how to be straightforward with me, because he knows how I am.
He knows how, one, I can take it.
Im a big girl.
He knows my endurance, my level of determination.
But, also, he knows how sensitive I am.
Theres nothing easy about playing a character like this.
Youre getting to witness a lot of pain.
And the challenge about that is, what do you do without making it melodramatic?
DEADLINE:How was the experience for you?
I felt incredible about what Zoe pulled off.
This vulnerability, I never see this raw Zoe, this naked character.
I also think Garrett did an incredible job.
DEADLINE:What does Garrett bring to a role like this?
But what happens when that person lives in complete turmoil and conflict?
DEADLINE:There are some beautiful scenes in this film that are juxtaposed with some real brutality.
What did you want to achieve by that?
Thats what I tried to achieve.
