Tawkin' with the Roses with Jame Kicklighter and Lucia Lucas
Talking with the Roses: James Kicklighter and Lucia Lucas on The Sound of Identity Bonnie Rose: Hi, I'm Bonnie Rose. Stephen S. Miller: Hi, I'm Stephen S. Miller, a.k.a. Mama Rose, and we're here Talking with the Roses with our guests James Kicklighter and Lucia Lucas. Welcome to the show, James and Lucia.
We're excited to be here.
We're thrilled to have you both. James, you directed the documentary The Sound of Identity, profiling the international opera star Lucia Lucas and her performance in Don Giovanni at Tulsa Opera. Tell us, one at a time, how that came about. James, would you like to start?
Sure. Lucia was definitely with it longer, but I'll tell you where I came in. In about February of 2019, I got a phone call from the producers of the film, asking if I would be interested in directing what would become The Sound of Identity. I told them, "I'm honored that you would think of me, but I know nothing about opera, and you should call someone else." After I said no two or three times, they kept calling. They said, "We really think you should think about this, because you don't know much about opera, which means you might bring a different eye to it. You might look at it in a different way, think about it in a more curious fashion, and think about things that some other directors may not." So I said, okay, I'll think about this some more, but I need to talk to Lucia. As soon as I spoke to Lucia, I said, I'm going to do this. I have to do this. Lucia just has so much talent, and I felt that profiling the moment when she was stepping into a much broader spotlight than she had been in before was a really unique opportunity for me as a director, because she was so established in Europe, even though she grew up in the United States. And Lucia, that seems like a good place for you to tell us how you got involved.
Sure. I went to school in Sacramento, California, and did a master's and an artist diploma in Chicago over four years. Then in 2009 I went to Germany, and I had never come back to perform. I had done some auditions back in the States, but I hadn't yet been invited. Tobias Picker, who was "composer" at the time, that was his title to me, said, "I'm interested in trans talent for a new piece that I'm writing, and I'd love to hear you." So I went to New York and sang for him. He said, "This piece isn't going to be ready for a while, but do you have any interest in doing Giovanni? Because I'm also the artistic director at Tulsa." So he gave me what turned out to be my American main-stage debut. I had trained there, and I had done young artist programs, but I was never a main-stage professional artist in the States, despite having sung for ten years in Europe in many different places. That's how it came about. And we will be doing the piece he is writing for me. It is The Danish Girl. It's going to open in Europe in a couple of years, and hopefully it will eventually come to the States as well.
We absolutely hope so.
It has to. Lucia spends all this time working in Europe, comes to work in the United States, and then the pandemic hits. She's got to come back, obviously.
James, you're a multi-award-winning producer and film director. You're living in L.A., and you grew up in Bellville, Georgia. Who inspired you in your career, and who still inspires you? Then we'll go to Lucia with the same question.
I've always been inspired by Sidney Lumet and Jonathan Demme. They're two directors I've really loved. Sidney Lumet specifically, for two reasons. One, he wrote one of my favorite books of all time, which is actually sitting right there on the shelf: Making Movies. I think it's the handbook for anyone who wants to be a director. He worked in early television and understood how to use lenses, because he always had to shift them quickly in early television. He could tell you this is a 35-millimeter shot, and so on. He was able to move quickly once he got into directing films because he had that knowledge of swapping out lenses from early TV. And obviously he made some of the greatest films of all time, for example Network, which is my favorite film. He had this really interesting intersection of dialogue and performance that I love, coupled with a mastery of technical skill. It's the same for Jonathan Demme. He worked between narrative films and documentaries, which is something I aspire to continue doing, fingers crossed. He did that throughout his career, making these lovely character-driven films, everything from The Silence of the Lambs to intimate films like Rachel Getting Married. I got the title wrong for a second, but you know what I'm talking about.
I think it's fabulous. And just my two cents here: Sidney Lumet is who discovered me. I worked with him for ten years on numerous projects and feature films. Of all people, he's my shining star.
He is for me too, so I'm thrilled to hear you had that opportunity. I wish I could have picked his brain in real life, but I read his book. I'll have to pick yours instead.
I'd love to, anytime. Lucia, you are hailed as having one of the most powerful and beautiful baritone voices, and you have performed all over the world. Who has inspired you, and who still inspires you? And you are an inspiration to many others.
I'm just a person, trying to do my best and be positive. There are a few different singers who really inspire me. George London had an amazing voice. But when I look for inspiration now, I look to film for acting inspiration. There are too many people to name, but I'm very inspired by series on Netflix and Amazon and Apple TV+ and all the different platforms, because I don't want to lose the theater. I don't want to lose the acting, despite being in opera. Opera is quickly becoming two mediums at the same time, because you have streaming, and then hopefully, eventually, an in-person audience again. I want to act for the back row, of course, if there are four thousand people. But I also want to act as if somebody is right there in my face, if I'm on the big screen.
Absolutely. I was enthralled with this movie from so many angles: the opera specifically, but also the direction, which was phenomenal. And your story was so inspirational. Growing up, I studied at the Metropolitan Opera in the children's chorus with Elena Doria and performed on the main stage in three major productions, so seeing what you went through on the operatic side of things was inspiring to me. What advice would each of you give to someone who's just starting out? Lucia, let's start with you.
Be the best. Look at other people who are better than you, and find out what those attributes are. Always look in the mirror, literally and figuratively. Try out gestures. Make sure that you are the best, because if you are the best, that can trump anything going on in your personal identity.
And James?
I'll actually use a quote from the film, something Lucia said that is one of the best pieces of advice I've heard in a long time: if you're making great work, but it's in your living room, just for yourself, you're not going to have a career. I think that's very true. If you want to work in film, you've got to just make films. The nice thing about living today is that you've got these lovely little phones you can shoot things on. You can edit things. You can buy or rent software much more cheaply than when I was first starting out. I had to save money doing high school graduation videos and wedding videos to pay for my early work. Then you just make it. The more you make, and the more you show it to people outside of your living room, the more feedback you're going to get. Some of it will be good and some of it will be bad. Hear that, process it, and do it again, until your work gets better and better. That's the great thing about living today: everybody has the ability to work in film, if they're willing to put in the work and spend the time making their work better.
Bonnie and I have both seen the film and highly recommend it. The story is phenomenal, and as you just quoted, there are so many incredible things Lucia says in it. When and where can everybody see the film, and is there anything else you'd like to tell us about?
You'll be able to see the film everywhere in the United States and Canada on June 1st. It will be available for streaming, for purchase and for rent. You can find out more on the internet. Just type in "The Sound of Identity" and you'll find all the information you need. We're really excited to share it with audiences in the United States and Canada, but we're also going to be coming overseas. I cannot tell you where yet, but we are going to be in territories all over the world, and I'm really excited to share it with audiences there later this year.
We're so excited. An inspiring film and inspiring people. Lucia Lucas, James Kicklighter, thank you both so much for being with us today.
Thank you for having us. Such a pleasure.
You have been Talking with the Roses. See you next time.