Abigail Breslin describes being kidnapped in The Call
By Alexandra Heilbron on March 12, 2013 | 3 Comments
Abigail Breslin may be only 16 but she’s been working since age three, first in commercials and then making her movie debut as Mel Gibson’s daughter in Signs (2002). She was nominated for an Oscar at 10 for her performance in Little Miss Sunshine. Three years ago, she made her Broadway debut playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker.
Starting this Friday you can see Abigail trying to escape her kidnapper in the big-screen thriller The Call. Tribute spoke with Abigail about working on the film and some of her upcoming projects.
Kidnapping has to be one of the scariest premises for a teenage girl.
Yeah, it is. When I first read the script before I met with [director] Brad Anderson, it was such a page turner and my heart was pounding. I couldn’t put it down and my initial feeling was if this gets made into a movie, it will be a pretty crazy ride to see on the big screen.
What can you tell us about the movie?
I play Casey, a teenage girl who’s at the mall with her best friend and she gets kidnapped in the parking lot and is put into the trunk of this guy’s car. She wakes up completely disoriented and has no idea where she is. She finds her friend’s pre-paid cell phone in her pocket and dials 911. The first operator who answers is a trainee and doesn’t know what to do because the prepaid phone has no GPS and you can’t track where the call is coming from. That’s when Halle Berry’s character steps in. She’s a former 911 operator who is now training people and takes over the call.
How did you manage to stay calm being in that trunk?
They said we’re going to put you in and we’re going to be driving for about two minutes and then we will stop and let you out. I don’t have claustrophobia so I wasn’t worried about it. But when they closed the trunk, it was scary. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see anything. It totally throws you off and it is terrifying. The other thing was, I started thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong, like what if I suffocate? What if they forget I’m in here?
Did you get to spend much time with Halle Berry?
No, Halle and I are barely in the same scenes together other than just being on the phone. They had it set up when I was in the trunk so I could listen to Halle talking. She would talk to me through a microphone so it was as if we really were communicating back and forth with each other. She was very sweet and so amazing to work with.
The kidnapper is played by Canadian actor Michael Eklund. Did he treat you well when you weren’t acting?
Yes, he did. He is such a nice guy I think he found it hard to be mean to me. Some of the scenes I had to do with him were insane, but he was amazing and made me as comfortable as he could to get through some of the rough stuff.
What’s your secret for crying in films?
For this film it wasn’t that hard because I would just think, what if this actually happened to me? There were a lot of scenes when I was first reading the script, I’d start crying because the circumstances were so terrifying.
You have several movies coming up, but one big one is Ender’s Game.
It was really fun working on that movie. I loved working with Asa Butterfield. It’s fun to meet people and when they ask, “What have you been working on?” and when I say Ender’s Game, they freak out. A lot of people love my character Valentine and they say, “I wish I had a sister like her.” She’s a much-loved character from the book so I hope that I did her justice to the fans out there.
I can’t let you go without asking you about your band, CABB.
I’m still doing some music but I have been so busy with movies that it’s kind of had to go on the back burner for a bit. It’s something my friend Cassidy and I love doing so it’s always going to be there. Hopefully we’ll have some new stuff for you soon. ~Bonnie Laufer Krebs
Comments & Discussion
Similar Articles
Jennifer Lawrence recalls Bryan Singer’s hissy fits
January 4, 2023 | 7 Comments
Jennifer Lawrence spoke about her experiences with toxic male directors, notably Bryan Singer, at The Hollywood Reporter’s Actress Roundtable this year.
Stillwater review: Matt Damon stars in slow-burn thriller
July 28, 2021 | 2 Comments
Stillwater starring Matt Damon as an American father who goes to try to get his daughter out of prison in France is a thriller that will keep you entertained.
Check out all the films Netflix has announced for 2021!
January 13, 2021 | 1 Comment
Netflix’s 2021 film slate has been announced and it’s stacked with A-list stars and big films. Check out Netflix’s movie slate for 2021!
Yikes, that sounds like a scary movie. Should do well with kids during March break.
She is so grown up now! I could barely recognize her as a blonde. I loved her in Little Miss Sunshine – jumping into a movie vehicle is now part of my bucket list.
I just watched the movie but I did not understand how she determined it was the same guy that kidnapped both girls