Qwhen Jessica Hausner saw the series In Treatment, in 2009, she was totally fascinated by Mia Wasikowska. «She must have been 16 or 17 at the time, she was so interesting, so magnetic and very, very special: she exuded power as a performer. Since then I have seen all of her films, but I would never have dared to ask her to be in one of mine. She then she appeared in On Bergman Island and I asked Mia Hansen-Løve, who directed it, to put in a good word for me” says the Austrian director. Her dream came true, but the credit doesn’t go to Hansen-Løve. It’s only hers and hers Club Zero (in theaters from November 9th), which revolves around a strong idea: the conscious eatingconscious nutrition. Another facet of body positivity.
Mia Wasikowska in “Club Zero”.
Alice in Wonderland
«I read the screenplay and I immediately loved it: so intelligent, it lends itself to many levels of reading, it broadens the gaze» he explains to I Woman Wasikowska. Consecrated on a planetary level in 2010 by Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton, has long favored significant projects. And, coincidentally, they do not coincide with those proposed by Hollywood which he never loved (“The impact with Los Angeles was shocking, what a contrast between the glamor and the squalor, the poverty on the streets”) and which he also abandoned physically, returning in my native Australia: «My ambitions have changed: after spending 15 years working continuously and changing places every three months, the priority is to have a community, to be close to friends».
Oxford college
For Club Zero he made an exception, moving to Austria for filming And in Oxford, at St Catherine’s College designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1964. «It was important that it wasn’t one of those very distinctive English Gothic buildings, but a modernist structure: a similar episode could happen in any elite high school in the world» he says, almost embarrassingly fixing a lock of hair (if there was an Oscar for the shyest and least talkative star would be right for her). «Oh God, let’s hope not exactly in the same way (he hints at a smile): the story is quite disturbing, and the humor – which is not lacking – also makes you uncomfortable.”
Mia Wasikowska, less is more
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 23: Mia Wasikowska attends the “Club Zero” photocall at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
“Disturbing” is her character, Miss Novak, the newly arrived “conscious eating” teacher. In the opening scene, she questions the students – sitting in a circle – about the reasons why they signed up for her course, which is an optional course. «To protect the planet» says someone (he must have read We can save the world before dinner. Because we are the climate by Jonathan Safran Foer); «to fight the industry that offers us junk food»; «to oppose consumerism», «to lose weight» (long live sincerity!). To them, who are already hanging on his lips, he illustrates the guidelines for future lessons, explaining that learning to feed themselves requires rigor and conscience. «You have to be sure that every bite is the right thing for you: we all eat too much, less is moreless is more.”
“Pied Piper”
Mia Wasikowska in “Club Zero”.
So far, so good: «The premise is very realistic and interesting, the mindful eating it’s an important topic” Mia underlines. And how can you blame her? It’s a shame that the final goal – which will be revealed little by little – is to join the “Club Zero”, the club of those who consume nothing, with the teacher becoming a sort of sect leader, an irresistible siren (the starting point was The Pied Piper of the Brothers Grimm, confirms Hausner, as well as highlighting the political significance of abstinence (just think of the hunger strikes).
«Well, this is the only point on which Jessica and I found ourselves in disagreement: from the beginning I found it obvious that Miss Novak was a manipulator, while according to her she is someone who truly believes it (which, in a way, is more dangerous and scary). Little by little our positions have become closer: there is no black and white, there is grey. Miss Novak gives a lot to these teenagers, she pushes them to become autonomous and form personal opinions, to understand food – in some way – as nourishment for the soul. She sees things that her distracted parents don’t see.”
The excessive power of social media
Given this heartfelt participation, the doubt arises that the problem was with Wasikowska herself, a classical dancer (with the sacrifices and discipline that entails) until the age of 15, when she opted for acting.
«No, I have always had a balanced relationship with nutrition» she assures, «and I probably wouldn’t have accepted the role if I had had to starve myself, like Christian Bale in The sleepless man. However, my adolescence is not comparable: twenty years ago there wasn’t the excessive power of social media, which subjects teenagers to even greater pressure at an age when the body changes, bringing with it many insecurities. And the only club I attended was the chess club…”.
But aren’t you afraid that young people might find Miss Novak’s teachings too seductive? «It would be a great misunderstanding! What convinced me about the film is precisely the ability to go further, to broaden the lens and to show that eating disorders are the symptom of profound discomforts, which must be investigated. Parents end up “under accusation”, delegating the responsibility of training their children to the school. Kids, after all, are idealists. If I were a teenager today, with the climate crisis, I would be really filled with anxiety about the world that is being left behind. Seeing them participate in the nutrition course with that intensity breaks my heart, it breaks my heart that they really want to make a difference – and reduce consumption, reduce their impact on the planet – with actions, not with words like many adults.”
Mia Wasikowska and Kieślowski
Mia Wasikowska with the cast of “Alice Through the Looking Glass” in 2016: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anne Hathaway and Johnny Depp (Getty Images).
However, she did not lack parental support. «My mother, who is a photographer (like her father, ed) also took care of our cultural education. You showed us a lot of European independent films: all those by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish like you (Veronica’s double life it was a must), and I’m very grateful to them because they are the only ones to explore issues that Hollywood doesn’t allow itself since they don’t earn enough. Deep down, I think she actually would have been interested in cinematography, but she didn’t pursue that path.”
Mia, on the other hand, has never hidden that she wants to make the leap into directing, although so far she has only attempted two episodes for collective feature films.
Search for self-esteem
Mia Wasikowska at the time of her debut, in 2010 (Getty Images).
«In the meantime I try to absorb from everyone who directs me, every director is different. Jessica, for example, is extremely precise, so the challenge for an actor is to be as natural as possible within the limitations he places: he has already decided where the camera will be placed, you have to adapt to his vision. I know that my job as an actress is to facilitate the director’s vision, and I totally accept it.”
Do you prefer to be directed by male or female directors?
«I’m happy to see a woman tell a story and be free to express herself. I don’t know – frankly – how much the gender difference matters since there are so many differences even among women… I just wish we were more sure of ourselves – and here I’m speaking for myself, in truth: it’s always a bit of a struggle. Self-esteem comes easier for men.”
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