Photos & Videos: 'K-11' at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (March 22)

Short video of the Q&A

Fan Photos - Q&A and screening (March 22)

  

            
  

Red carpet opening to the festival (March 21)

      

Click on each pic for a larger view.

Article (via Milenio)

In the framework of the FICG, arose the film K-11 starring Kate del Castillo, it's a drama centered on a prison dominated by homosexual characters and a transsexual, the role of the actress.

At the end of the projection of the del Castillo along with the director turned to the press. Asked Kate del Castillo on the greatest challenge which took in this character said that "was to find me with my feminine side, despite the fact that he is a man who I portrayed there are gestures that as a woman I don't and these people are very feminine". She added that prior to the shooting she researched books on gay and transgendered people and in addition to coexisted with people in them.

The director [Jules Stewart] noted that it was her first experience in this position since previously served as editor, scripts, she herself wrote the history and even though the initial idea was to find another director took a chance to direct it herself. She said she decided that the character was a woman and amongst the options that Kate del Castillo had proved perfect for his strength.

Kate del Castillo was asked about her experience of working in hollywood, the actress acknowledged that "in United States it's opening more doors, I think that every time there are more opportunities for Latinos and Mexicans." It has been a wonderful year for the Mexican cinema in terms of awards. And with much more interesting characters, we are no longer the prostitute or the maid. This is changing, slowly but is changing." [Article is google translated]

Article (via Impacto)


For the Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, one of the biggest challenges that dodged the playing a transsexual in the film "K-11", directed by the American filmmaker Jules Stewart, was find and exploit her more feminine side.

"In this film I checked that I have no problems with my masculine side, but yes it cost me to stick to my feminine side and go to the transsexual world, because they have movements that women don't have, and, moreover, do it with much respect", she said.

During the presentation of the film "K-11" at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, she said she accepted the challenge of giving life to "Mousey", as it has been a constant in her career choice with real conflicts and complex characters.

"I was very nervous the first day of the shooting, did not know the other actors nor had deepened in my own character, and yet the first scene we shot was a violation", she said.

She said that making this character lets you have an unforgettable experience; "are those things they happen only once in life and you have to take advantage of them; I had fun and learned more about a world that is still unknown and little understood by the people,"she said.

In turn, the filmmaker Jules Stewart said she chose of the del Castillo as the protagonist because she always had in mind an actress that was something more than that, and no mistake, because she considered that it is the essential part to tell a strong story.

The film has no distributor in Mexico, but it was exhibited in the United States: "to start an independent project always is difficult in every way; from shooting, almost all of the movie was filmed in a small room where we had to be up to 64 people, so it was a great challenge", she said.

Del Castillo trusts that the movie has a good reception by the Mexican public in the FIGC, then a commercial run. [Article is google translated]

Photo Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Video: 1 2 3 4

Scan: Jules Stewart's interview with FilmInk (Australia)

Click on the scan for a readable view.

Scan is from the August issue of FilmInk (Australia), out now.

Scan thanks to @Mel452

Jules Stewart talks to CableTV about K-11 - Part 2

In the second part of our exclusive interview with Jules Stewart, Stewart discusses what it’s like moving away from script supervisor and into the director’s chair, reading tabloids, and her relationship with her daughter, Kristen.

What is a risk for you to step away from being a script supervisor and step into the directing chair?

JS: Anytime you do something that you have never done before, it’s a risk. I really didn’t have anything to lose. When the financiers said, “We want you to direct, or we are not going to give you the money” it was sort of a done deal. I had no choice.

You mentioned casting is so important. How do you find the right actors for the part?

JS: You can’t be afraid of making mistakes because then you will never move forward. So you can take that and put that aside. For me, when you are doing a project that requires people to step outside of their comfort zone you have to find people that are engaged, that want to do it — that are not afraid of the material. You need to find people that want to go that extra mile and make the character even more intense. They have to have the ability to not just act, they have to transform that character. They have to be that character, and that’s what makes the performances real.

How hands-on were you with the film?

JS. I was 100 percent involved. I did everything. The writing process was fun. It took us about a year to write this. You know you give it to people to read and they give you notes and this project was supposed to be funded three times. So when people are willing to give you money and they give you notes, you make the changes they want. So it went through a huge changing project, but ultimately, it came back to the original idea. It went full circle.

How do the notes affect your progress on the film?

JS: You take all the notes — this is my process. You take all the notes, you say okay, and then you don’t do anything — then you think about them. At first you are inclined to say no and keep everything the way it is. But then you have to realize that other people have good ideas. When you start to make some of the changes you realize “Wow, this really works” or it doesn’t work at all and you throw it away. I only took the notes that I thought were moving the project in a forward, positive notion. I didn’t take bad ideas ever.

Did you feel as a first-time director there was something to prove?

JS: No. I was just out to tell a good story and just make a film. I had a job just like everyone else on the set. It was my job to orchestrate the choreography, the camera work, and the attitude of the performances. That was just my job. We filmed it all in 22 days. It went by so fast; it was like nothing.

Who would you love to work with in the future?

JS: Oh, that’s a tough one. I love Gary Oldman and Sandra Bullock. There are so many great performers today that it’s hard to just pick one.

What’s it like reading about your personal life and/or daughter’s personal life in the tabloids?

JS: If you read that you are crazy. People write things that aren’t true all the time; they make things up to sell their papers. We don’t buy into it. We don’t care; they could write whatever they want. A couple of years ago, when I was in the grocery store I read that my daughter was having an alien baby. It’s like, really? [laughs] You deal with it. It’s rubbish and it’s a desperate attempt to get people to spend their money.

What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not working?

JS: Well, I am a painter and I refurbish old cars. I like to rebuild old vintage automobiles. I paint them. I redo the interior. My friends work on the motors and stuff.

I read that you did a cook-off with Kristen on your Twitter. Is that true?

JS: Kristen loves a good challenge. We agreed to do a lasagna cook-off and we had all of our friends over and they were judges. Kristen won the cook-off and I was really proud of her.

Do you like using Twitter to connect with your fans?

JS: It’s completely awesome. It’s awesome to have people support you and make you feel like you are doing the right thing. It gives you that little something that helps you to keep going.

Where can people check out K-11?

JS: It’s on cable television. So if you have that, you can see it now On Demand. We are releasing it on DVD, which is probably what I would do, is buy the DVD. It has special features. It has director commentary, music videos, etc. But if you really want to see it, like now, you can find it On Demand.

Listen to Jules' full interview with CableTV:




Read Part 1 at our post - here.

Source CableTV with thanks to @Monica1236 for the interview.

Via @KstewAngel

Kate del Castillo & Jules Stewart interview with the Advocate about K-11

Kate del Castillo shines as the beautiful and vicious leader among the gay men and trans women incarcerated in the prison thriller K-11.

When gay men and transgender women are incarcerated in the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail, they’re placed in a distinct dormitory with each other, in an effort to protect them from harassment at the hands of the general prison population. This ward, once known as K-11, is the subject of a new, unflinching prison drama from director Jules Stewart, a seasoned script supervisor who has worked in Hollywood for 30 years. (She’s also mother of Twilight star Kristen Stewart, who has a voice cameo in the film, and Cameron Stewart, who makes his acting debut as a prisoner.)

After a successful run on the festival circuit, K-11 is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD. The fast-paced, gripping thriller features stellar performances from its lead actors, including ER’s Goran Visnjic as the literal and figurative “straight man,” Raymond Saxx, a record producer thrown in jail for drug use. D.B. Sweeney is a sniveling, detestable foil to Raymond, as the corrupt prison guard Sgt. Johnson. As Ben Shapiro, Clerks star Jason Mewes serves as Johnson’s “man on the inside,” helping the officer funnel drugs into the prison at an exorbitant markup.

But the true star of the movie is Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who shines in her most captivating, nuanced performance in English-language film as the self-proclaimed queen of the dorm, a Latina transgender woman named Mousey. Mousey is by turns sweet and vicious, conniving and vulnerable, at some moments the villain, at others the victim.

"You feel sorry for her,” says Del Castillo. “And on the other hand, she’s a bitch."

Mousey rules the dorm with an iron, manicured fist, physically striking down anyone who challenges her authority. She and Raymond forge an unexpectedly tender, symbiotic relationship in the film, which was shot inside a jail destined for demolition — a location Del Castillo calls “scary as hell.”

The film is not for the faint of heart, nor those easily upset by portrayals of sexual violence. While the 88-minute film does provide some sense of closure and vengeance, it depicts several instances of rape, though the scenes are not physically graphic. While director Stewart contends that, ultimately, the film is a “feel-good movie,” Del Castillo admits that it can be tough to watch.

 

“It’s a harsh film,” says Del Castillo. “It’s not an easy movie.”

 K-11 is the directorial debut for Stewart, who’s worked as a script supervisor on more than 80 films. After three separate attempts at financing the film failed, the director says she ultimately “didn’t pay any attention whatsoever to politics.”

 

Stewart acknowledges the conflict inherent in hiring nontrans actresses to play Mousey and the two other trans women in the ward. Ultimately, those roles went to nontrans actresses Portia Doubleday as Butterfly and Tara Buck as Crystal.

 

“I needed actresses,” says Stewart. “I needed the real deal. I couldn’t go, ‘Just because you’re transgender, [you get the role].’ That would be like doing a hospital film and hiring a real surgeon. I needed an actor. And there just aren’t very many [transgender performers] that I found that are actors of that caliber to play these roles.”

 

Del Castillo says she was nervous and excited about the role, calling it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Mousey is dramatic, but Del Castillo says she tried to avoid turning her into a caricature.

 

“There was this very fine line to not cross and [become] a cartoon,” says Del Castillo. “I don’t want to insult anybody. It’s very delicate.”

 

In researching the role, Del Castillo sought training from actress Calpernia Addams and her business partner, filmmaker Andrea James, two trans women who advise Hollywood on transgender portrayals through their production company, Deep Stealth. (Addams and James also counseled Felicity Huffman when she portrayed a transgender woman in Transamerica.)

 

And though Stewart didn’t cast any transgender actors in roles portraying trans characters, she says there are trans-identified people in her film.

 

“A lot of them, actually,” says Stewart. “And they did a great job, and they were wonderful.… I was going for depth of character, and realism, and believability.”

Source Advocate

Kate del Castillo's mentions K-11 interview with Latina

Kate del Castillo is one accomplished mujer. From a successful crossover career to a producer and now -- the face of her very own perfume, Flor Violeta by Avon. (Pssst... find out how to enter to win a bottle at the end!) We caught up with the successful actress to talk her most difficult roles, her personal style and whether it's really getting better for Latinos in Hollywood.

How did you and Avon come up with the name "Flor Violeta?"

I wanted to give a nod to the fact that I am Mexican, I do speak Spanish and it’s a part of me, but also give the perfume a name that Americans understand and can pronounce and that is feminine. When people read it they know exactly what we’re talking about and get an idea of what it smells like.

What does it smell like?

It’s floral, it’s violet, it’s fruity, it’s fresh. I love it. I love the freshness that has this fruity blend. It really reminds you of a dreamy landscape. The best part is that it stays on you for so long and just lifts your mood, gives you this joyfulness.

Why did you decide to partner with Avon for a fragrance?

There’s something about perfume. Whatever you wear, whatever your style, there’s one thing that people associate with you, that thing that you remember someone for. And that’s scent.

Besides fragrance, what are your must-have beauty products?

I use different things. Stuff for my hair – I always use serum. For my face, I always have with me some kind of powder. I don’t use foundation a lot, if really at all. I love lipgloss but I hate the ones that are too shiny. I don’t like super-shiny gloss. And I’m big on mascara. I use it probably every day.

What’s your number one beauty tip?

Eat right; eat healthy. I think that’s the main thing for everything. For your hair, for your skin, even your mind – it makes you better!

How would you describe your style?

Casual, comfortable, but still with character – not boring.

Your favorite fashion moment – a dress? A red carpet event?

I loved what I wore to the La Misma Luna premiere in LA. I loved everything about that look, my makeup, my hair… everything.

Who would you consider your style icon? Why?

 

I love Nicole Kidman, not only is she beautiful, she’s just elegant and classy. I just think she dresses perfectly. I love Cate Blanchett. I think she has this peaceful presence about her, whatever she wears. She’s just strong and confident, but in a zen-like way.  

 

Who’s career would you love to emulate? Why?

 

I love Naomi Watts, Tilda Swinton, Tilda and I worked together long time ago,  but I loved her movie Orlando. It made me want to be an actress. Well, I was already acting but it just increased that passion. It inspired me to keep going. I keep watching it over and over again. Naomi Watts has the best career ever. She’s played amazing characters, but yet she seems to have this relatively normal life. She has the full package – career and family.

 

You’ve been in everything from telenovelas to big budget films. What’s been your favorite role thus far?

 

I feel like I’m cheating on one if I say the other. I love it all. I think playing a transsexual in K-11 was my most challenging role.  I tried to do all the research I could, minding the time that they give you, to get ready and prepare. So I read and watched all the movies and got closer to transgender people who could teach me. I learned a lot. I was very ignorant about the whole transgendered world, and it was interesting to play all these different sides: to feel, react, play masculine, play feminine.

What roles are you drawn to?

 

I love controversy. Strong roles, strong women. I love physicality, I love action, really interesting roles. I did a movie with Kevin Kline called Trade and it dealt with human trafficking so of course, if you can create some kind of awareness from a movie, it’s even better.

 

What’s been your experience with being Latina in Hollywood – do you think it’s getting better? Do you still feel stereotyped at all?

 

I’m going to be honest, I do feel stereotyped. I think its changing yes, but its changing very slowly. All the scripts that I read, for pilot seasons, there’s always a role for Latino, which is great. We’ve come so far. But it’s still… not quite there.  Before we were gardeners and prostitutes, now we’re cops. Hopefully it’ll change for everyone’s sake.

 

What would be your advice for Latinas who want to do what you have done – work as an actress?

 

There’s a lot of competition here and everywhere. Everyone is very talented and they prepare. So if you really want to be an actor, you have to be prepared. Fame shouldn’t be your motivation.

 

What’s next on your radar – upcoming projects?

 

I’m developing bunch of stuff,  for the US. Right now I have a webseries, second one that I produce, on Univison, Arranque de Pasión and I’m starting a movie in a month or so.

Source

K-11 featured + an interview with Jules Stewart in Home Media Magazine

First-time director Jules Stewart’s film, K-11, lets viewers inside the walls of a gritty section of Los Angeles County’s Men’s Central Jail reserved for those who identify as gay and transgender. It’s ground zero for corruption, rampant drug use, rape and all sorts of mayhem.

Whereas some filmmakers may have seized this heavy subject matter as an opportunity to make a statement about the criminal justice system, Stewart said she just wanted to present “pure and simple entertainment,” a fictionalized account of a real place — called K6G — that “nobody knows anything about.”

“I set out to tell a story that had never been told before,” she said. “There’s no political commentary; there’s no message; there’s no nothing. It’s just a story. To me, films are just stories come to life. All I was trying to do was tell an interesting story that would take people into another world for a short period of time. That’s it.”

The film opens with an extremely stoned record producer, Raymond Saxx Jr. (Goran Visnjic), being processed through the jail. After being tossed in a holding cell with a waifish, childlike inmate named Butterfly (Portia Doubleday), he is sent into the general population of K-11, where he is confronted with all sorts of chaos and devises a plan to stay alive long enough to get the heck out.

Breaking Glass Pictures unleashes K-11 on Blu-ray Disc ($29.99) and DVD ($24.99) April 23, with commentary by Stewart and producer Tom Wright, deleted scenes, cast interviews, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a music video and a photo gallery.

Writer-director Stewart happens to be the mother of Kristen Stewart of the “Twilight” franchise, who originally was set to take on the role of Butterfly but reportedly had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. Kristen’s voice, however, does make a cameo in one scene.

Kristen’s older brother, Cameron Stewart, who works as a grip in the film industry, makes his acting debut in K-11 as the inmate Sledgehammer.

“As a writer, you steal characteristics from people that you know,” Stewart said. “I kind of wrote the character around him because he’s tall and thin, and he’s a little bit fierce. He’s definitely not a Neo-Nazi. I stole some of his lines that he says in real life. … Based on that, he agreed to play the character because he really didn’t have to act. He just had to be himself.”

K-11 stars Kate del Castillo as Mousey, the transsexual mistress who rules the prison; Jason Mewes as Ben Shapiro, the inmate who’s in cahoots with the head officer to provide drugs to the prisoners; D.B. Sweeny as the crooked, drug-addicted Sgt. Johnson; and Tommy “Tiny” Lister as Detroit, a violent child molester.

“For me, I just visualized the characters,” Stewart said. “We invented them. We had a good idea of what each character was about. So then it became a matter of finding someone who fit the bill. It’s kind of like imagining those great pair of shoes and now you have to go find them. It was quite difficult.

“For me, casting is 99 9/10% of the movie,” she added. “Without the right cast you have the wrong film.”

Stewart said she was looking to cast actors who weren’t afraid of this edgy material and who physically fit the bill. The first actor secured for K-11 was del Castillo, after a six-month process.

“I looked her up and saw a photo of her ... for [TV series] ‘La reina del sur,’” Stewart said. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, that’s her. That’s the girl.’ We went to meet her, and she was absolutely charming and wonderful. I was hooked.”

Then there were those who demanded a part in the film.

“Tiny Lister came to me proclaiming that he was, in fact, Detroit. I had no choice and I had to cast him, so I did. I thought it was amazing,” Stewart said.

For long-time friend Mewes, Stewart saw the opportunity for him to stretch himself outside of the goofy, stoner kind of characters such as Jay of the “Jay and Silent Bob” movies.

“He’s a serious actor, and I gave him the chance to prove it,” she said. “And I think he did. … Everybody really brought their A-game.”

It took Stewart six years to get K-11 financed. A script supervisor for about 30 years, she had no intention of directing the film. That all changed when the project’s financers agreed to sign on, only with Stewart at the helm.

“Because of the material and my experience, they didn’t want to just hand it over to somebody that wasn’t connected,” she said. “I hope they made the right choice.

“My learning curve was from here to the moon and back. … I’ve sat next to a lot of directors, but until you’ve actually had to do the job, there’s no way you could understand the depths of what is expected of you.”

Now that she’s tested out her filmmaking abilities, Stewart is already in the process of writing her next project, which she intends to direct — The Locked House, three short stories in one film, “all about killers.”

“I’m intrigued by the dark side, so I don’t think I’d ever throw my hat in the ring to direct a romantic comedy,” said Stewart, who counts the “Alien” trilogy and Underworld as some of her favorites. “It’s just not the kind of thing that I think I could bring a lot to the table for.”

Or read it at the source: Home Media Magazine

Source  via @K11OfficialFilm & @KstewAngel with thanks.

Video: Kate del Castillo interview with KTLA on the Toyota Pro Celebrity Race

Kate Del Castillo and Jackson Rathbone were here to talk about racing at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and recreated their own mini race with anchors Mark Kriski and Frank Buckley with remote controlled cars.

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach  Friday-Sunday, April 19-21 and the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is on Saturday, April 20 at 11:40 a.m.

Tickets for Grand Prix weekend online at the Grand Prix of Long Beach website or by calling (888) 827-7333.

Source

Thank you to @Yovanacaro for the YT, via @KatedCastilloFC

Photos of Cameron Stewart & Billy Morrison at the 'Dirty Little Secrets' radio interview - 7 April

Photos were taken at the 'Dirty Little Secrets' radio interview with Billy Morrison & Jules on Sunday 7 April. 

Cameron attended but didn't take part in the interview.

Hope we get a copy of the full interview for all to listen to.

Source ChloeDabbles

Jules Stewart to be on Billy Morrison's "Dirty Little Secrets" radio show - April 7

I am VERY happy to tell you that K-11 director @realjulesstew will be my guest on this Sundays #DirtyLittleSecrets twitter.com/BillyMorrison/…
— BILLY MORRISON (@BillyMorrison) April 3, 2013

Click on the link in the article below to listen in!

Some more details on "Dirty Little Secrets" from Billy Morrison:

I’m happy to tell you that I will be making a return to radio this coming Sunday March 31st with my brand new show, “Dirty Little Secrets” and you can CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. The station is Transcendental Radio and benefits the David Lynch Foundation and I will be joined by my co-hosts @RickCanny and @ChloeDabbles.

The show will air for two hours and will feature irreverent chat, guests, social commentary and of course, music that turns me on. I will post the call-in phone number tomorrow and you can call in and talk to any of us about pretty much anything. I love doing radio and to be asked to be a part of the new David Lynch Foundation arm – Transcendental Radio – is an honor. We’ll have a lot of fun, play some great music, and hopefully provoke some thought along the way. See you Sunday.

Check out more of Billy's blog (the source) here.

Kate del Castillo's interview with Latin Music Culture

Decked out in makeshift hoochie apparel and chola makeup, Mexican actress Kate del Castillo gets down in her latest movie role for “K-11”, where she portrays Mousey; a fierce, transgender convict who’s “the queen” of L.A. county’s K-11 jail unit that separates gay and transgender inmates from the rest.

And while the role of Mousey is a far cry from Kate del Castillo’s “Muchachitas” telenovela days where she debuted to Mexican audiences in 1991 as the beautiful Leticia – a character every girl watching could envision herself as – the complex role of Mousey brings to light the fact that Latina actresses working in the U.S. are slowly ditching the usual typecasts as maids, sex objects, and comedic housewives, for more dimensional and daring characters like Mousey.

“She’s like, freaky”, joked Kate during an interview at the San Diego Latino Film Festival’s screening of “K-11,” which also happens to be the opera prima of Kristen Stewart’s mother, Jules Stewart.

“I feel so much pride when I see myself in that makeup, and to see how much I changed physically,” she professed.

“Everything about Mousey was a challenge, if it weren’t, I wouldn’t have done it… I always choose roles that scare me,” revealed the 40 year-old actress while referring to some of the darker scenes in the film, which undoubtedly took courage on her part to play out.

For Kate del Castillo, Mousey is the latest from a list of alternative characters she’s undertaken ever since beginning to work as an actress on this side of the border, like her leading roles as a mafia boss in “La Reina del Sur” and the also gender bending role of Cleotilde in “Without Men”.

Yet, Kate says she isn’t trying to prove anything, but that as an actress, she simply gravitates toward “different” projects.

“Latina actresses are not the ones who are boxed in, it’s the producers who are boxed in because they still don’t view us in a different manner,” she responded in answer to whether or not she felt Latina actresses in the U.S. still suffered from being typecast.

“It’s changing, but very slowly. At least in this pilot season, I’ve read many scripts, and in many of them there are important characters for Latinos…There’s still a lot of work to be done, pero ahí vamos.”

“K-11” Screenings:

Los Angeles: Laemmle’s NoHo Theater, March 15 -22

New York: Cinema Village, March 15 – 22

San Diego: Digital Gym (Grand Opening), March 29 – April 5

San Francisco: Roxie Theater, March 22 – 29

Columbus: Gateway Film Center, March 15 – 22

Denver: Starz Film Center, March 22 – 29

Tempe: Harkins Valley Art, March 15 – 22

Daytona: Cinematique of Daytona, March 23 (Special engagement)

Source Remezcla

Thanks to @LibertineFilms 

Kate del Castillo's 'Mousey': This Month’s Craziest B**ch on Screen (Out Magazine)

Why you need to watch K-11 and what Kate del Castillo has to do with K-Stew:

Kristen Stewart’s mom, Jules, directed. Her brother pops up with a mohawk. Even the Twilight ingénue herself has a vocal cameo. But the reason to watch the cracked new drama K-11 has nothing to do with pouty old Bella Swan.

Set in a section of an L.A. slammer reserved for LGBT prisoners (bear with us), the movie follows Raymond (Goran Visnjic), a music exec who winds up in the tank and quickly learns that the only person with any muscle is Mousey, a Divine-esque MTF gangbanger (Kate del Castillo, pictured) who, when not pounding other inmates’ faces into bedframes, is forcing them to werrrk it in a jailhouse fashion show.

Yep, absurd and offensive. But she’s a hell of a lot cooler than some vampire who glitters in the sunlight.

But as del Castillo recently explained: "In a way, because I’m a romantic and I will always be, to me, I think it’s also a love story. It is. So that’s the way I see the movie. I think it’s amazing. I think Jules [Stewart] did an amazing job with her opera prima."

K-11 is in select theaters or On Demand. 

Source Out Magazine

Thanks to @K11OfficialFilm

Kate del Castillo's interview with NBC Latino

The scene takes place in bleak jail barrack bathroom, lit by bare light bulbs. In character as “Mouse,” a Chicano transsexual convict, Kate del Castillo soaps herself up from head to toe – and if there’s one thing the audiences will notice right away, it’s the fact that del Castillo is sporting thong underwear with a very noticeable bulge.

“It’s very challenging to take on this kind of role,” explains del Castillo of her tattooed character in the prison thriller “K-11,” now playing in select theaters nationwide and available on VOD. “But to play a man, in a role that could have been played by a man? It’s really rare to have an opportunity like that and I went into it with everything I had.”

And did she ever, rocking numerous fake tattoos (“I forgot to take them off and had them on when I went to the supermarket once – bad idea!” says del Castillo) and strapping on cojones to get into character.

“I loved wearing them and it was essential for me to embrace it,” Castillo, laughing at the memory of wearing the prosthetic during five-week shoot in Los Angeles, California. “I needed to feel the masculinity that comes with walking differently.”

While Castillo has become a high-profile celebrity in her native Mexico for taking on roles of strong, female characters in novelas, taking on the role of a transsexual felon in “K-11” – directed by actress Kristen Stewart’s mother, Jules – was a decision, the actress admits, that threatened to jeopardize her hard-earned reputation.

“This was a risky role to take, but that’s what I loved. I know immediately that if I’m afraid, I have to move forward and take that chance,” says del Castillo, whose character is the self-described “queen” of her penitentiary unit. “The risk and the fun is why I’m an actress and have been since I was nine years old. I’m not afraid of being seen as anti-feminine.”

Castillo says that she found herself surprised at the sympathy she began to feel for her character, who uses her gangbanger tendencies to rule the group of male convicts, with criminal charges range from rape to murder.

“You can feel sorry for her and you can hate her because she’s that b*tch,” says del Castillo, who spent up to five hours each day in the makeup chair as she was transformed into a drag queen. “I learned a lot of about the transgender community during my research for my role and I learned how much they’ve been misunderstood and mistreated. We don’t give transgendered people the seriousness they deserve and learning about that world helped me understand where my character was coming from.”

With that in mind, del Castillo says that playing “Mouse” was easily one of the highlights of her very successful career to date.

“This was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” says del Castillo, whose next English-language project is the thriller “No Good Deed” co-starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson.  With roles like “Mouse” behind her, del Castillo says she’s more determined than ever to show the world what Latinas are capable of.

“It’s about portraying how powerful women can be,” remarks the 40-year-old, speaking from the Miami set of her new webnovela “Arranque de Pasión, La Historia de Ela.”

“We have everything now. We can tend to the home and be a good wife, but there’s an added plus: we can be superwomen.”

Source NBCLatino

Kate del Castillo's interview with 'The Advocate'

Mexican actress Kate del Castillo shines in K-11, the new prison thriller from director Jules Stewart (the mother of Twilight darling Kristen Stewart and her brother Cameron, who both have cameos in the film). Del Castillo plays a transgender woman named Mousey, who rules her dormitory with an iron, manicured fist. After a successful run on the festival circuit, K-11 is now screening in theaters and available On Demand.

Based on the real-life ward in the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail, the film examines relationships between the gay men and trans women incarcerated for various crimes, then housed in a distinct ward to protect them from violence that might be committed against them in the general population. Del Castillo’s Mousey is captivating and nuanced, by turns sweet and vicious, one moment the villain, the next the victim.

Del Castillo left a prolific television career in her native Mexico to pursue the silver screen in the United States. She’s established herself as a crossover success with leading roles in the Fox Searchlight/Weinstein film Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), to date the highest-grossing Spanish language theatrical release in the United States. She solidified her status with another starring role, in Telemundo’s Queen of the South (La Reina del Sur), a short-form, prime-time telenovela that attracted more than 8.1 million viewers in its first week on the air in 2011, making it the most successful telenovela premiere in the Web’s history, according to the Internet Movie Database.

But Del Castillo’s turn as Mousey in K-11 is arguably her most nuanced English-speaking performance to date. The Advocate spoke with del Castillo about being a nontrans actress playing a transgender character, her international appeal, and what she learned about the LGBT community while in this role.

The Advocate: You were tremendous in the film. What drew you to the role in the first place?

Kate del Castillo: Well, I was thrilled because… when I first read the script, I thought, OK, would I fit here? So I just love the fact that the director, Jules, thought outside the box and asked me, being a woman, to play the role. So that was a first. I was like, Oh, my God, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I was thrilled. And I talked to Jules a lot, trying to find that masculinity, but there is much more of a femininity that I have to be in touch with. So we worked on that, and I think that was the challenge for me as well as the risk. Because there was this very fine line to cross and not be a cartoon, with a role like that. So I had a lot of fun, and I absolutely adored working with Jules, and a role like this.

And how’s the reaction been when the film screened at festivals? 

It’s a hard movie. It’s a harsh movie. It’s not an easy movie. I think it’s doing very well in the festivals, and people are responding very well. There’s people that will like it and people that won’t like it — it’s just for a certain kind of people, maybe. In a way, because I’m a romantic and I will always be, to me, I think it’s also a love story. It is. So that’s the way I see the movie. I think it’s amazing. I think Jules did an amazing job with her opera prima.

You’ve made the jump from Spanish-speaking television to American film, but do you have any concern about playing a trans character, and how that might be received by some of your Latino fans?

I always like to do different things. As an actor, you’re always just wishing and dreaming about playing different characters. And that’s the way I’ve been doing things since I got here. And I left the soap opera — not only soap opera — but those TV things, in Mexico, and I came here. I was working already, but in different roles, and very different from what I was used to. So I think they love it. And they want to see me in different characters, and change my physicality, and not [be] watching the same Kate as always. I think that’s very nice for my fans.

Were you nervous at all to take on this role? 

Absolutely. But not because of that. We always, as actors, we are very insecure human beings. And of course, I was like, Oh, my God, am I going to be able to deliver it the way it should? Because, again, it’s a very fine line, and I don’t want to insult anybody, you know? It’s very delicate. So of course I was very nervous. And it was a big, big challenge. And I hate to talk good about me, but… You need to be very brave to play a role like that, because it’s a lot of risk.

Did you ever get a chance to visit the actual K-11 ward in L.A.?

I couldn’t because there were a lot of issues. They didn’t want us to go there. It was very hard for us to get there, so I couldn’t. But you know what, we shot the whole film inside a jail that was a real jail [that] they wanted to tear down.  And so the whole place was just scary as hell.

I believe that. When I spoke with director Stewart, she actually said that this was a “feel-good movie.” I was kind of surprised by that, because when I saw the film, I felt more like you — that it was a harsh film. It’s well-done, it’s a powerful film, and it affected me, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a feel-good movie, despite the resolution at the end. But what would you say to encourage folks to watch the film, or what would you like to tell folks before they see the film?

It’s very hard to label the movie with one word. It is a feel-good movie at the end. You know, you have revenge. But it’s also a harsh movie. I don’t know exactly, how can I label it? You just said it. It’s a very powerful film, with very colorful characters. Because it is about the characters in this small world inside a jail, and that we really cannot know about. So I think we learn a lot from the movie, about this place, and transgender human beings that we, unfortunately, don’t know a lot about. It’s there, but we really don’t know anything about them. So answering your question, I don’t know. I would say a very powerful movie in many ways.

Do you have any connections to the LGBT community personally, in your life?

No. Well, now I have a lot of friends [who are] transgender. But I’ve done things, and been a grand marshal at the Los Angeles Grand Bicentennial Parade and Festival [celebrating Mexico’s day of independence, in 2009]. I think they like me, and I love them, even before the movie. I am very happy because I learned a lot.

Mousey is such a fierce character, and I think the way you can flip on a switch between being very sweet and kind of coy to just being brutal, I think that was really impressive and believable for your character. 

Thank you so much, and I appreciate you saying that. Because it was a lot of risk and a big, big challenge for me. So I’m glad that you liked it. And yes, I think that she has those things. You feel sorry for her, and on the other hand, she’s a bitch. She is! So yes, she has that duality, which I love.

Did you do any research on transgender identities before you started filming? 

Yes, I did. I did as much as I could, on the Internet, and now you can do so much. And I remembered that amazing movie, Transamerica. So I tried to contact Felicity Huffman’s vocal coach there [Calpernia Addams and Andrea James] and I did, so she helped me a lot.

Watch Del Castillo interact with costars Goran Visnjic (ER), Jason Mewes (the Jay and Silent Bob series), and D.B. Sweeney in the film’s official trailer, below.

Source Advocate

Jules Stewart's interview with Cinema Assassin

There are a few things to know about Jules, first yes she is the mother of Kristen Stewart now that that’s out of the way. Jules just Directed her first feature film K-11, a gritty tale set inside L.A’s LGBT prison ward K-11, which is an actual place. She co wrote it, she directed it and its set for release this Friday. She has a full sleeve of tattoos, She rescues wolves and is Awesome. Check out what she had to say about her debut and the cast for this long in the making project.

CA: How did you go from being a script supervisor to Directing?

JS: Well it wasn’t so easy and it wasn’t something that I planned out, my writing partner and I reached out to a few directors and that fell through. So I decided to do it myself, I stepped up to be the director because quite frankly, In standing next to directors for so many years I felt like I had really good teachers, All of a sudden I had money standing behind me and honestly when your doing a low budget film and you only have 22 days to shoot, you take what you can get and they got me. I mean honestly I dont know how else to say it, its like I didn’t plan on doing it until the very end and I am really happy I did , It was a really enjoyable experience. You realize what you know what you learned from all the years of watching.

CA: How did the story come about?

JS: A young man named Jared Kurt came to me and said I want to write a script about K-11 and I had no idea what it was. He gave me 10-15 pages of a couple of scenes and I thought wow this is pretty crazy. I did some research and found this place is real and I thought why not, this is cool, this is different, I love this. It took us about a year to write the script.

CA: That was one of the things I liked, it wasn’t a traditional story, there was some uniqueness to say the least.

JS: Yeah it’s interesting to me, because K-11 is real, its a real place and because it’s real it has a real timeline, it has structure, it has history. and what we did is we took all of those elements and made up characters and put them in there. Had a record producer, a guy thats rich, a fish out of water, a guy who absolutely does not belong in there. And took the plug out of the tub and watched the water role down the rabbit hole.

CA: Did you actually go and visit the real facility?

JS: Oh yeah on a number of occasions,

CA: How true to life is it? Obviously for dramatic purposes you’re going to have to punch up a few things

JS: Let me just say we shot this at Sybil Brand which is the woman’s jail which is closed down, but the floor plan actually mirrors Men’s County jail. So the dorm itself looks like the dorm. The only difference is the tower where the guards watch the inmates, in the real K-11 its raised up about 5 feet, our tower was on the floor., Aside from that it looks just the same and we copied the colors, the uniforms, everything, from a visual standpoint it looks like K-11, from a story standpoint we made up the story the corruption the guards. Even the color and the lighting is true, pretty accurate.

CA: For a low budget film you put in a lot of detail

JS: sometimes the truth is better than what you can make up, it has that old age, dirty grungy sound, no windows, no soft surfaces, there is an echo in there. it has such a dynamic that is unique. Plus all the lighting is overhead so you have those down angle shadows on people’s faces that are really unattractive, I thought it was great. I am a painter so it’s all about color and lighting, you want it interesting and different

CA: You hit the nail on the head with interesting and different

JS: Thanks I think?

CA: In terms of casting how did that come about? It took me a while to realize that was DB Sweeney in there.

JS: That is Awesome, I have known him quite a while, I never thought of him for this film. for me he is the classic boy next door handsome guy, and that’s not the character. He wanted this role which was great for me since casting is so important. It makes the film. But if you have actors who are just there for a paycheck especially on a small film it really shows, He brought it he stepped outside of his comfort zone in a big way and we designed his character after Hitler, it was a subtle change for him and it made a huge impact.

CA: Kate Del Castillo is big in Mexico, I wasn’t familiar with her and I wasn’t sure if she was a guy or a girl

JS: Awesome

CA: Anybody you wanted that fell through?

JS: Yes and No, Kate was the first person we cast, honestly when I met her I thought this woman is talented and so powerful, She was just the sweetest girl she was so driven, she wanted this role. You have to cast for a film like this people that embrace the characters and bring more, if they’re afraid or intimidated by the character you lost them. Originally my daughter (Kristen Stewart) attached herself to play the role of Butterfly and I thought that would have been amazing but as the years went by and you have got to remember this is six years in the making, Six years ago when my daughter was 16, 17 years old she wanted to play Butterfly really bad. We kind of altered the character to suit her. As time went buy she got really popular she was doing much bigger films. We thought it would be much better for everybody if she went and did Snow White.

CA: Was that a hard conversation?

JS: No not at all, it was better for K-11 at that point, she was too big for K-11, It wouldn’t have been a Kristen Stewart movie, It’s still a Goran Visnjic Film, You know what I mean. She would have been number four on the call sheet. When we found Portia DoubleDay it was sort of kismet. Portia came to the table with all this enthusiasm, She cut off her hair, she had this long blond hair and she cut it off for us and tied it up kind of crazy and stepped into that role so easily, she did an amazing job and she was really fun to work with. I sometimes wonder how it would have been working with Kristen in that role, It’s such a sensitive role, mother daughter it would have been a strange dynamic, As much as I would love to work with my daughter one day I think we all made the right decision.

CA: Yeah that might be tough; filming a rape scene with your daughter and Tiny might not be the easiest thing.

JS: no but it’s funny Portia and Tiny became really good friends and because of their relationship they would laugh between takes they weren’t intimidated they were able to take it to a much darker place, its sometimes difficult to do those kind of scenes but when the actors are not afraid of the material and they are friends of one another. it makes everyone much more at ease. It wasn’t even a closed set. It was ok now we are going to do this, No worries it’s just another scene and then you take it out and edit the movie and you say wow that was really intense. It didn’t feel like it on the set.

CA: It had a nice airy feeling on the set?

JS: We knew it was working but because of the laughter between takes it really wasn’t a big deal. we were working so quickly. You shoot a movie in 22 days you have a lot on your plate. So you don’t have a lot of time to sit around and labor how it feels. We had 46 people in one room and we had to choreograph these scenes so that one blended into the next and they didn’t look like scenes, but like a big ballet that was choreographed.

CA: It’s one thing dealing with an entire prison

JS: Exactly you have no walls so where do you go? One thing that helped was we shot in Continuity. The hair, the makeup the wardrobe didn’t change. You were able to shoot in order to give the actors a foundation to stand on.

CA: How did Jason Mewes come to the project?

JS: Jason is a really good friend of mine and I wanted to use him, I wanted to work with him. The goal was to show everyone that he is not just a goofy comedian that he is a very good actor, a dramatic actor. Unfortunately some of his stuff got cut because of time. I do think that Jason really pulled it off it was a really good character for him.

CA: It seemed like a lot of the characters not only played against type but they pulled it off.

JS: Jason’s a really good friend of mine we have been friends for a long time and I thought how great to work with your friends and for me it’s a big movie this little move for  me is a big movie and it had a lot of challenges a lot of hardships that went along with it. I feel like the casting director Pam Dixon helped me make a lot of good choices, it’s all about casting.

CA: How did it turn out compared to how you anticipated it turning out?

JS: Well, it’s interesting we had a whole opening we shot that shows Raymond how he got into trouble and all that stuff, we decided to throw it away because I didn’t think we needed it. Very much like Cuckoo’s Nest when Jack Nicholson arrives they take the handcuffs off of him and you don’t know why he is there and you don’t need to know. So on that line we decided to start him in the jail, it’s about K-11 it’s not about Raymond Saxx then you find out about the character when he finds out.

CA: Is it true that you have wolves as pets?

JS: HAHA yes its true, I rescue them.

CA: Where do you rescue a wolf from?

JS: From people that can’t handle them, why do you want one?

CA: No I thought it was the coolest thing. When I was young I wanted a monkey and a wolf, Are they domesticated?

JS: They are socialized, I am a tamer, I love them, they come in and out of a doggie door and they live on my property and in my house. It’s very cool.

CA: What’s your next project?

JS: I like edgy films, and have a couple in development, one is a supernatural thriller that starts out in Ancient China, Its about a temple that gets unearthed. It gets deconstructed then reconstructed in the United States along with its residents from 2010 B.C that’s kind of cool, There is another one I want to do with gangs and drugs that takes place in the 70’s in New York, Italians vs the Irish and its all kids. I am kind of excited. Right now you right the scripts and you throw it out to the universe and see what sticks. It takes a long time K-11 is 6 years now, it takes a long time for independent film makers to rev up and get funding. Were hoping to close that gap with a modicum of success from K-11

CA: Was getting distribution hard?

JS: No it actually wasn’t, were with Breaking Glass for domestic distribution and now we are opening up March 15th in 15 cities.

CA: Is it going to be on VOD as well?

JS: Absolutely!

Source CinemaAssassin

Kate del Castillo talks to South Florida Gay News about K-11

The prison drama K-11 is set in the LGBT unit of the Los Angeles county jail. The cell is “run” by the self-appointed Queen Bee, Mousey (Kate del Castillo), a transgender prisoner. She warns the new inmate, Raymond Saxx, Jr. (Goran Visnjic), not to mess with her and is in cahoots with Sgt. Johnson (D.B. Sweeney), a corrupt, drug-fueled guard who is in love with her. Del Castillo steals the film, sinking her teeth into a juicy role.

On the phone from Los Angeles, the Mexican actress, who was recently in Miami filming a short for Univision, spoke about making K-11 and playing Mousey.

How did you prepare for this outrageous role?

Jules [Stewart, the director] could have cast a male actor—that’s an easy way to go. For me, this is was the opportunity of a lifetime. I learned so much about the transgender world, and what trans means. I felt sorry for how ignorant I was about what they go through.

From her makeup to her fabulous shoes—Mousey was very distinctive. How did you create her “look”?

Love the shoes! This is a transwoman who’s a junkie. We didn’t want to do her makeup like a cartoon—there’s a very fine line. We tried to find something that would make people at her stare at her. She’s attractive, but a little creepy.

Mousey is heavily tattooed. Are you heavily tattooed?

I am!  I have one on my foot–an arrow that means freedom. And a Pi on my left shoulder. I wanted to put an infinity sign, but it didn’t look right. Under my belly button, I have a design I like. And then I have two on my fingers—one says “love” and one says “live,” and I have “inner strength” on my wrist and “here now” below it. When my father saw my first tattoo, he said “Your body is sacred, when I brought you into this world, you were intact. What did you do?” I have seven now, so he’s like, “Ok, whatever!”

Your tough! How was it to play a Queen Bee?  When you assert, “I am that Bitch!” I got goosebumps!

[LAUGHS]. It’s funny you say that, because for me, it’s difficult to find the feminine side. The masculine part I have; the feminine side, I had to work on. That’s weird, but it’s true. When I wore the makeup and shoes, I just owned it. You have to go deep and not let it affect you. She’s a badass character. She has a duality—you feel sorry for her, and you hate her. It becomes “How far can you go?” and “How far will the director let you go to get this emotion out of you?” We understood what the world means to Mousey—she feels secure inside the prison. The streets are dirty. In K-11, it’s “I am someone. I rule. I am that Bitch.” Outside, she’s just another junkie working her ass off.

Your co-star D.B. Sweeney told me that he was Prince Charming to Mousey’s Snow White. How did you see the characters and their relationship?

[LAUGHS]. It’s funny he said that. He’s right in a way. He is really in love—or obsessed—with her. She’s just using him to get the drugs. He knows she has sexual power over him, and she uses it. Why not?

Do you have any experience in or with prison?

[LAUGHS] No! Never!

Do you have a favorite prison movie?

Oh! AH! That’s interesting… The one with Sean Penn. Dead Man Walking. And I love Bad Boys and The Shawshank Redemption, too.

Source via @K11OfficialFilm