Control is a new sci-fi thriller which tells the story of Eileen, (Sara Mitich) who awakens trapped in a strange room with only fragmented memories of her past. Forced to undertake increasingly difficult tasks in order to save her daughter’s life, Eileen comes to discover that she possesses unexplained superhuman powers.
Mitich is best known for Star Trek Discovery, where she initially played cyborg Starfleet officer Airiam, before switching roles in the second season to Lt. Nilsson, and Gia in early episodes of The Expanse. We talked to her about Control, Discovery and her unexpected career in sci-fi..
STARBURST: How did you come to be involved in Control?
Sara Mitich: James (Mark, director) and Bruno (Marino, producer) reached out to my team about it. Bruno and I actually worked together on another project years before, another indie feature. I read the script, immediately fell in love with it and I told my team, “Whatever we have to do, yes!”
You spend a lot of time in this film on your own. What’s it like not having any other actors to play off? Is it harder?
That’s a really great question. Maybe this is a good thing, but I never really thought about what that would be like ahead of time. I created a very specific relationship with that room, with the voice, with the desk, the pencil, the chair, so these other objects, this environment became characters of their own for me, and so it didn’t make it feel like I was alone in that sense.
Of course, I felt a certain amount of loneliness and fear in that, and I think filming in that space for however many days we filmed there, 10, 12, 15, I can’t remember also helps create that feeling of isolation. The beautiful thing is though, this crew was so incredible that I never felt alone or unsupported. James, the director was always there and so I always had a creative partner to play off of.
Your character in the film has telekinetic powers. What was your process for portraying those? Did you watch any specific films or talk to anyone about how you might portray them?
It was actually James. From the beginning James said, “This has been done a lot, and I want to try and find a way to make it look different.” So, James from the beginning was like, “Let’s try to brainstorm. Instead of blood trickling through the nose, maybe it’s blood through the ear?” And he actually came up with the idea of the hands. I didn’t really watch any specific films, because I feel like it had been done, so it was already within my movie database in my head! It was just working with James on figuring out how many twitches is it, how many fingers, what do they do. And thankfully my hands can do weird shit!
That was actually you doing the freaky hand moves was it? I didn’t know if it was effects, or you had a hand double?
That was actually me! I think it’s the ballet background, everything just happens to be double-jointed!
For a lot of it you’re restrained, so it’s a good way of portraying telekinesis.
I think if the audience was just watching me staring at objects for 30 minutes, that could get boring after a while! So, it’s how do we keep it fresh?
Control
Your key relationship in the film is with your daughter, who for plot reasons you only have a few scenes with. What did you draw on to portray that relationship?
I don’t have any kids in real life, so for me to draw on a relationship that is so prominent, that really drives my entire purpose in this movie, it’s a blend of my imagination and substitution. I know where unconditional love lives in me, and where grief lives in me, I know where accomplishment lives in me. So, my process is I blend all of those things together and I imagine what it’s like to have somebody who a) relies on me, b) I would do anything for – that real, true unconditional love, and where that is in my personal life, where I have that. It kind of becomes this beautiful symphony where it’s my imagination, my real life, and the final thing is that suspension of disbelief and that ultimate true commitment to the world of make-believe.
Do you prefer to play roles like this where you’re the lead, or being part of an ensemble like in Discovery, where you don’t have as much responsibility?
There’s pros and cons to both of course. But I love having characters like this with so much meat, and so much where I can just fully dive into the script and fully help create this world. I’ve also never done a movie where it’s literally on my face for 100 pages. That was… it was a gift. Was I nervous? Yes. Did I feel some pressure? Yes, I definitely did. I think that comes with the territory of a lead character like this, and the weight and responsibility of that. But allowing my creative soul to soar in something like this, I’m the kind of actor who loves to push my own boundaries, I love to push the boundaries of humanity, I love to push the boundaries of how we think as a collective, and so as much as it was a big responsibility, it was really a gift.
What are the main differences between making an indie like this to a studio production like Discovery or The Expanse?
The biggest thing is time. On Control I never felt rushed, but again, that’s the crew. The crew was incredible. Maybe there were days where they thought “Oh my gosh, we have to call it,” but I never felt rushed. Especially those emotional scenes, they gave me all the time I needed to do them. That being said, I did so much prep on my own and with James. I was blessed, I think they sent me this script in January, and we didn’t go to camera until March. I had time, and I was shooting season four (of Discovery) at the same time, they actually worked this production around my schedule, so I was so grateful for that as well.
But time, definitely. Sometimes on big shows like Star Trek Discovery or The Expanse you’re shooting maybe four or five (script) pages in a 12–13-hour day. Here we’re shooting ten, and so it’s really go-go-go! Also, resources on other indies. I didn’t feel we lacked any resources on Control. They built this entire set like it was Star Trek. It was incredible. I think the luxury of only having mainly one room was a benefit! So, time, resources, and just how many takes you get to do for a scene. I’d say those are the biggest things in my experience between the indies and the big budget shows.
You tend to do a lot of sci-if with this film and the likes of Discovery, The Expanse and Anon. Is it a genre you’re particularly attracted to?
It’s so funny, I never saw my career turning into this little sci-fi niche. I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason, and so I think I just naturally attracted these sci-fi roles. I didn’t really grow up watching sci-fi, I was definitely more into fantasy. But I love it. Honestly, I have only the most wonderful experiences with all the sci-fi fans. Maybe I’m biased, but they’re the best fans in the world. And I really like this niche, because as an actor I get to push certain bits of my own creativity. It’s super cool because my little kid imagination gets to take over!
Without going into spoilers, Control leaves things potentially open for a sequel. Is that something that’s been talked about?
No, I’ve never really thought about where it goes after this. But I feel like it leaves so many doors open. I never thought about a sequel, but now I think I should call James and ask what happens after this!
It sets a lot of things up, but doesn’t necessarily resolve everything by the end, so there’s potential.
I love that some movies leave things open, and I think endings like this can split the audience, but even if there’s frustration, I believe leaving an audience to think and intrigued as to what is next is always a good thing.
I’ve got a couple of questions about Star Trek if that’s ok?
I literally cannot say anything! I cannot even confirm if I’m in it or not!
Ok. Are you in Toronto? (Where Discovery is currently shooting its fifth season.)
I am in Toronto.
Can you tell us anything about Season 5 at all?
No, sorry!
How about a question about earlier in Discovery? You switched characters between Seasons 1 and 2 (from Airiam to Lt. Nilsson). Can you talk about how that came about?
It was so cool to play two roles in the show. In sci-fi you can do that, I’m sure other shows do too, but we have the liberty of prosthetics which opens it up. Before diving into Season 2 they called me and asked, “We have this new character coming up. It’ll be with your own face. Are you interested?”
Star Trek Discovery
Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing Airiam, I loved being able to create her. I love roles where I get to physically transform myself as an actor, being able to push my creativity and boundaries. I’d never done prosthetics before, bless Doug Jones (who plays Saru) for taking me under his wing and being the kind and patient person that he is because it was definitely a learning curve. Acting through a prosthetic too, I had to go back to a lot of my theatre training because suddenly all the stillness of film and cinematic performance doesn’t make it through layers of silicone.
I was so grateful to do that role, to physically create that role, but I was also really grateful when they brought me Nilsson. And I love where Airiam went, bringing in Hannah Cheesman (who took over the role in Season 2) who is so talented and everything she did throughout Season 2. Knowing that I’ve been able to be both these characters, I feel very blessed.
Final question – if you could go back and had the choice of continuing to play Airiam, and getting her one huge episode (Season 2’s Project Daedalus, which ends with Airiam sacrificing herself) but leaving the show, or playing Lt. Nilsson, which would you choose?
I’ve thought about this a lot! I don’t know, I really don’t. It’s hard for me because I also can’t see Airiam’s episode being done any differently than how Hannah played it. A blend would be nice! But I truly don’t know which I would prefer.
That’s all we have time for. Good luck with Control and that other thing that you may or not currently be filming.
*Laughs*
Blink twice if you’re in it…
*Covers face* I can’t!
CONTROL is out now to rent or purchase on all good UK digital platforms courtesy of Signature Entertainment
‘With a fragmented memory and no clear way out, Eileen is forced to complete tasks by an unseen entity whilst trapped in a mysterious room, or else her daughter will be killed. Her only clue is Roger, the man imprisoned alongside her and claiming to be her husband – thrust into a reluctant partnership, the two must work together to save Eileen’s daughter. However, nothing is truly as it seems, and very quickly, a much greater plot is unveiled – with Eileen at the centre.’
