EXCLUSIVE | Sasha Alexander of 'Amazing Stories' says she is sad about scenes deleted from 'The Cellar'
A brunette with twinkling eyes, Sasha Alexander spells magic with her roles on television and movies. With films like 'He's Just Not That Into You', 'The Last Lullaby', and 'Yes Man', she has made a mark, and she was recently seen in Apple TV+'s 'Amazing Stories'.
Shedding light on her character Paula Porter from the first episode 'The Cellar', Sasha spoke at length to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) in an exclusive interview. She delved deeper into the story that sparked a conversation about feminism and shared behind-the-scene snippets. Excerpts:
The show is based on the 1985 anthology of the same name by Steven Spielberg. Have you watched it? How does this one compare to that?
I remember watching 'Amazing Stories' growing up and it had stories filled with curiosity and wonder, science fiction and things that the whole family could watch. I remember, as a kid, I loved watching stories from Steven Spielberg. Being able to do that now, in the 21st century, with all the technology... television is like a movie now. So, this was a perfect mix and I thought that would be interesting.
How were you approached for the role in 'The Cellar' and what was the one thing that attracted you to the role?
I was approached for the role of Paula and I was attracted to it for many reasons. I read this particular story, 'The Cellar', and I believe, it came from the mind of Mr Spielberg, something that he had thought a long time ago, relating to time travel. Jessica Sharzer wrote the script, and what I loved about it was that there was a young man, who is into online dating but could not find happiness or fulfillment in the modern world. And then he goes back and changes places with a young woman whose world in the 1900s is very, very different. I thought that was quite beautiful, romantic and poetic.
It was interesting for me, as I had never played a mother until then—believe it or not! And so, playing this character was really exciting for me. I've been attracted to playing roles that are different to what I've done in the past.
The episode is about another era where women are still told who to marry and what music to listen to. Sadly, even after all these years, the trend continues in certain places. What do you have to say about that?
It's interesting because my mother and father were in a set-up marriage. That was a part of my history and here I was forcing a daughter to get married to a man she didn't love. But there are more parts of that story that I thought was interesting. There were many parts that got cut out of the final product, which I was sad about. I think it was done to shorten the episode. It was an hour-and-a-half-long and it was cut down to 50 minutes.
It was fascinating for me to see that young girls were being forced to marriages just for duty towards their families. In this case, the mother had watched her husband and her son being taken by—what I believe was the Spanish flu—and now the family needed to survive. The older man with children was looking for a young wife. At the end of the script, my character Paula ends up with the man that she was forcing her daughter to marry.
But that did not make it to the episode. There was a scene, where after the daughter had left to go into the future, we show that the mother has a romantic spark with the same man she had chosen for her daughter. Since they are more age-appropriate, it makes sense.
But it makes me sad that in many parts of the world, young girls are still not able to choose their path, particularly in marriage. It is a very sad reality that has always plagued our gender and it is part of a very archaic cultural belief. I would hope that such stories can help inspire and encourage both genders to see things differently. There are many cultures where women agree to this and prefer it. So, it's a very complicated subject.
Even though my parents remain good friends, my mother never believed that a set-up marriage was the right way. She never wanted anything like that from me and my life. I had a mother who had the courage to give me a life of freedom bt not many people have that. That's why I found that subject and scene in the story very thought-provoking and deep.
The series revolves around sci-fi and fantasy. How much of it do you believe in and which is the best sci-fi show for you?
One of my most favorite sci-fi shows was 'The X Files'. I love the fantasy and the science fiction aspect in the sense that it makes us dream. I think it connects us to imagine different times and places. How much of it do I believe? I'm a very spiritual person and I do believe in energy. I believe that every religion has a little something in it. Do I believe in actual time travel? Probably not, but I am not a scientist. Could we go through portholes and sinks? Many people believe we can.
I do believe we are not the only ones on the planet. I think there's a lot that science and imagination can together create. That's why science fiction is so interesting because it allows us to think outside our bubble.
Steven Spielberg is also the executive producer on the show. How closely was he involved in the filming and did he help you with performances or give any tips?
We didn't have any contact with him directly. We had a wonderful director, Chris Long, who had just won an Emmy for 'The Americans' and the entire crew was absolutely incredible. Filming this was like filming a movie. They turned an actual town into one of the towns that were shown in the episode. The costume design was immaculate. Of course, the corsets were painful, but it was beautiful to work in it. The writer, Jessica, was also on set and she and Chris were very involved with the performances.
How was it filming the episode with Dylan O’Brien and Victoria Pedretti? Tell us about one incident that really took you by surprise while filming the show?
I feel it was so beautifully played by Victoria Pedretti and even Dylan O’Brien. The chemistry was beautiful between the two of them. I think they were really quite lovely. We had an unusual bond, including Micah Stock and Gabriel Olds. The five of us were very close and we had a great camaraderie. We all performed the Turkey Trot dance, which you see Dylan doing in the final cut of the episode.
What's the one role you would like to play that you haven't yet?
I would really love to do a big action movie. I'd like to play something very action-oriented.
'Amazing Stories' aired weekly episodes every Friday on Apple TV+ and you can catch all the episodes—'The Cellar', 'The Heat', 'Dynoman and the Volt!!', 'Signs of Life' and 'The Rift'—in any particular order.