Kate Bosworth teamed with husband and filmmaker Michael Polish for their self-financed film Nona, short for No Name, which tells the story of a girl from Honduras who meets a charming boy who promises her safety in America, only to be led into the world of sex trafficking.
The actress sat down with The Hollywood Reporter In Studio to discuss the film’s heavy subject matter and why it was important to tell this story.
“So much of the reason that we wanted to make this movie was to inform how this happens and why it happens, because so often we get the result,” said Bosworth. “Like this massage parlor was busted and that’s the result. Or this sex house was busted and that’s the result. There’s these girls and that is the thing that you hear about, but so often it’s not explained how does this happen and why does someone decide to do it, or how does this person end up in this situation.”
Bosworth, who also executive produced the film, also spoke on self-financing the project in order to have Polish’s vision come through onscreen.
“So much of this has to do with why we self-financed it. First of all, the subject matter is a tough sell. Period. It’s heavy,” she explained. “The fact that [Polish] was adamant about it being in Spanish because he said that if there’s a young girl in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with very little education, she’s not going to be fluently speaking English at that point in her life.”
Continued Bosworth: “And he wanted to cast an unknown Latino girl. All these things were elements where people were like, ‘But could you cast so-and-so.’ And Michael was, ‘Well, I really want her to be faceless and nameless, because it’s the point of the movie. No Name. You don’t know her name, you don’t know her face, and then ultimately by the end, you do.’ That’s sort of the whole point of the movie. So, there were things people wanted from us in order to greenlight it, and he was pretty adamant about the authenticity of it.”
The actress has worked on previous films with Polish, including 90 Minutes in Heaven, Big Sur and Amnesiac.
“I think being a part of this movie and knowing Michael, and knowing his work is just knowing you will not fail when you work with him,” she said. “He won’t let you. It’s such an amazing, immersive, creative experience.”
Read the full article and watch the interview HERE.