Sonal Sehgal on working with Australian star Xavier Samuel, “It is rare to find a co-actor who is as generous in terms of giving you the energy during a scene”

In her forthcoming film The Great Departure, Sonal Sehgal shares screen space with Australian actor Xavier Samuel (Twilight: Eclipse, Blonde). Directed by Camera d’Or nominated Pierre Filmon, the feature, entirely shot in India, is the relaunch vehicle of Arvind Reddy’s KVR Productions.

 

Sonal Sehgal on working with Australian star Xavier Samuel, “It is rare to find a co-actor who is as generous in terms of giving you the energy during a scene”

 

This is not her first time working with international actors. She was last seen in Latvian Director, Dace Puce’s Manny (2022). But how was her experience of working with Xavier Samuel, who has starred in plenty Hollywood films with the likes of Ana de Armas, Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, to name a few?

 

“Working with Xavier was an absolute delight. I have yet to work with an actor who is so meticulous about their craft and is so invested in the script and their character. It is also rare to find a co-actor who is as generous in terms of giving you the energy during a scene and work in a true partnership. There was always an equal amount of give and take. Never trying to overshadow the other. Rehearsing the scene as many times as I requested and I did the same when he wished so. Playing off of each other in complete sync lifts your performance up effortlessly. You know they say, you are only as good as your co-actor, and Xavier is brilliant!”, said Sonal.

 

Sharing her prep before the shoot which was in different countries, Sonal said, “We did a lot of readings on zoom in the months leading up to the shoot. It also helped break the ice, since we knew we would not have much time when he got here. And when we did meet in person the first time, it felt like we already knew each other really well. Xavier insisted on being on location two weeks before filming and that again was such a boon! We did readings every day, workshops to hone our characters, since really the entire film is only about these two characters and their road trip while healing on their personal journey.”

 

 

When asked about the experience of writing and acting in the same film, Sonal said, “The intense prep really helped. So, that all questions directed to the writer would be taken care of before we started filming. Also, I needed to shed the writer and be the character once I went on set. I’m very grateful to Xavier for allowing that to happen. Our interactions on set were completely as actors.”

 

On breaking ice with someone who comes from a completely different culture to form seamless working relationship, what were the other activities they did during prep? “I got yoga classes organized for us. I mean, if you’re in India, you have to do early morning yoga for fitness, right?”, said Sonal, “And Xavier was pretty good at it! Of course, having meals together, where I was literally the ‘Food Police’, laughed Sonal. “I mean, it was his first time in India and we could not allow him to have Benarasi chat. Having said that, we did ensure he enjoyed the scrumptious India food without getting a Delhi Belly”.

 

The Great Departure is now in the last stages of post-production.

 

Having started out doing theatre in Delhi, Sonal moved to Mumbai and made a splash with shows Saara Aakash and Hotel Kingston. Her film debut was with Nagesh Kuknoor’s Aashayein and then after a decade of movies in Bollywood – Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, Lihaaf, Mantostaan, to name a few, she started working Internationally.

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