Photo by Brad Balfour
Q&A by Brad Balfour
Producer, writer and actor Siobhan Fallon Hogan just had her second feature film “Shelter in Solitude” makes its New York City debut at this year’s Craicfest. The noted actress has been on stage and screen for over three decades in productions such as “Forrest Gump,” “Men in Black,” “Dancer in the Dark” and New York Shakespeare Festival’s “As You Like It.” She’s been on the small screen in SNL and Seinfeld. She’ll be seen in the soon-to-be-released Sundance hit “Eileen” starring Anne Hathaway. Vanity Fair wrote “the great Siobhan Fallon Hogan practically walks off with the movie.”
Fallon Hogan penned, produced and starred in her first screenplay “Rushed” which Vertical Entertainment released domestically to critical acclaim in 2021. It sold internationally to 20 countries and received rave reviews with a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It is now streaming on Amazon, Apple & On Demand. Emerald Caz Productions was formed by Peter Hogan and Siobhan Fallon Hogan in 2018.
“Shelter in Solitude” tells of a death row prisoner (in a star turn for Peter Macon) with 10 days left to live and his relationship with a wannabe country singer (Fallon Hogan) and warden (Robert Patrick). This is Emerald Caz Production’s second film.
Q: Can you elaborate about this new film of yours?
SFH: Directed by a Danish director, Vibeke Muasy, it stars Robert Patrick from “The Terminator”, [and is now in] the new series with Harrison Ford, “1923.”. Peter Macon has a star turn in [this film] as well. Michael Oberholtzer is also in it — he got a Tony nomination for “Take Me Out.” I wrote and produced it with my husband and son Peter, who’s also in the movie — he plays the young cop. He was [also] the music supervisor. So it’s a family affair, basically. It’s a story about country singer who’s a desperate wannabe. She sang in Nashville once. She now owns a bar in a tiny town, and she’s the only show in town. The only other source of employment in town is the jail, the high security prison. There’s a prisoner [Jackson] who has 10 days left to live. His prison guard is played by Dan Castellaneta, who’s also the voice of Homer Simpson [“The Simpsons” TV series], a fabulous actor. He can no longer guard [the prisoner], so my character, Val, has to guard him for the last 10 days of his life. It’s the story of these two lonely, desperate people — one in prison facing death, and the other imprisoned in her life — and how it all unfolds.
Q: This takes place at the beginning of Covid, which makes it even more a special film. If they ever do a Covid film festival, this would be a perfect [for it].
SFH: Yes, it takes place during Covid, and the reason for the desperate situation at the bar is that I have it shut down, because, of course, everything was shutting down. I’m a single, lonely, wine-drinking, praying — an unconventional faithful — woman who needs people. She goes behind her brother’s back — played by Patrick, he’s the prison warden — because no one wants the job of prison guard during Covid, let alone for a person on Death Row. So we are thrust into this relationship, and the whole story unfolds from there.
Q: You set it during the time of Covid. Was that always your vision in making this film, or did that come up later on? It could have been set without Covid being a part of it.
SFH: I had written another film and it had just been released in the Fall of 2021 called “Rushed”. It’s on Amazon and lots of streamers, and was released in theaters. The process of making a film — you think it’s all about the filming — which is the fun part — and that takes about a month. But then you have six months of editing, and you have to sell it. It takes so long to get it out. Well, during that period, Covid hit. This idea came to me about “Shelter in Solitude” I thought, what was it like in the prisons [with] Covid? This story of a man on death row was even more isolated. He couldn’t be near anyone, he had to be completely alone. What was it like for single people, really? For my character, the country singer, who owned a bar, she was used to seeing people all the time — breakfast, lunch and dinner — she did everything. What was that isolation like? So yeah, Covid came into it.
Q: One thing about making a film like this — you’ve got a million possible ideas but you have to settle in on one. What made you sure that this was the one to settle in on?
SFH: y father was an attorney, and he’d always talk about his clients. As a kid I’d think, “What was it like to be jailed and to be in solitary?” My dad also really wanted me to be a country singer. He was always like, “Siobhan, you ought to be a country singer. Why not sing?” I love to sing, so the two ideas came together with the country Western element. I used to tell people it was like “Thelma and Louise” meets “Dead Man Walking.” I like bringing two different worlds together. In “Rushed,” I had a shy woman who’s thrust into the public eye because she’s trying to save her son and stop fraternity hazing. But this film is the world of a bar woman, who likes to sing for a few people, suddenly lonely, the loneliness. What is the world of a prisoner during Covid? What is the world of a bar owner during Covid? When do those two worlds collide?
Q: When you were making this, how far did you want to veer from gritty reality towards the absurd and sometimes, this bit out-there kind of character that you developed for the film? How much of that is you?
SFH: Well, that’s the thing. I’m not really a “normal” person [laughs], but this character, she is really quirky and odd and completely unconventional as a prison guard. She’s brings him cookies, biscuits, gets way too familiar and talks way too much. In the film, Jackson, the prisoner, doesn’t speak for a very long time. And she doesn’t stop speaking, or singing. You’d think it’s this white-hero movie, but I didn’t want it to be that. I wanted him to be the one who teaches her about life. He’s an African-American prisoner, and he was the town hero. He has dignity, and he teaches her to shut up and listen, and really form the very first relationship she’s had with a man that’s a real friendship. Because she’s a bit of a sleaze.
Q: Without telling the ending, a frustrating ending, and it was interesting how you made the choice to do it this way. Is that what you brought your character’s friend in to do, to create that protest to highlight what was being done to him?
SFH: Yes. In the film — some people might say, “Oh, it’s a display of what happens with people that are for the death penalty and people that are against it. My best friend in the movie [Clara], played by Patricia Scanlon — an excellent actress who I’ve known forever — I go to her in the movie and say, “You’ve got to help me.” The townspeople — some are really against the prisoner and think he should fry, and some are for him because they remember him as the town hero; he was a coach that all the kids loved. So yes, at the end, it makes the audience think, “Am I for death row? Am I for the death penalty? Am I not?” I hope it brings up a lot of questions.
Q: It’s a bit of a fairy tale, because obviously there are a lot of things there that wouldn’t happen in the reality of prison life. Why didn’t you bring in any kind of lawyers? There were no lawyers, and usually there’s one or another organization, especially given the circumstances, as we find out, there could have easily been a lawyer defending him. What in the writing or the producing of the film made you not have that character in there?
SFH: Well, interestingly, in “Rushed”, my other film, we had a big huge courtroom scene that took a couple of days to film. We cut that down to about literally maybe a minute, because courtroom scenes are a little boring. Besides that, in this film, it’s supposed to be at the point where the decision has been made. But the young daughter, in her letter that’s read, it comes out — well, I don’t want to give it away, but it explains a little bit of that.
Q: I think “Law & Order S.V.U.” [the TV series] manages to do courtroom scenes very well.
SFH: They do. I did a couple of them. Not only did I do a couple, but I played different characters. When I went the second time and played a different type of character, I remember I said, “I’ve got to be honest with you. I’ve already been in this as a mother.” They said, “Oh, we don’t care. That was a couple of years ago. You can play a different character.” They’re great people. So fun to work with.
Q: In a way, this movie has a level of social import. You don’t realize it in the beginning, but by the time you it ends, it has a social issue definition and addresses concerns that people don’t realize it’s a pretty complex film without being overtly complex.
SFH: Yes. That’s the thing — my character is very simple, she has simple desires in life. She wants to perform and wants to have friends. The warden — played by Patrick — is a tough guy, but his sister is really the only one who can crack his shell. So it’s these regular people dealing with huge issues.
Q: How did you get Robert Patrick?
SFH: Robert and I have been friends for years. We worked together a thousand years ago on a film, and then over the years we’ve been in several TV shows together. So when I did “Rushed”, I called him up and I said “Hey, I want to send you a script” and he said “Send it to me.” He played my husband in “Rushed”. So I said “Guess what? You’re back!” and he’s like “I’m all in.” He loved the script and he came back. Patty [Scanlon] has been a friend of mine forever. Peter Macon, who plays the prisoner, [it’s] such an important role. I did not know him before. Avy Kaufman, who is an amazing casting director, with Leeba Zakharov — Avy cast “Succession” and casts all kinds of movies; so does Leeba. I said “I can’t find this guy.” So over and over they’d send me people. Finally, my friend David Goodman — who I’ve been friends with forever, he’s head of the Writers Guild — said, “Siobhan, Peter Macon was on “The Orville” [TV series]. He is amazing and he’s not just a TV-film actor, he played Othello in England and Ireland and all over.” Peter read for [this] and I was like, “We got our guy.” Thank God, because that role is a star turn for him.
Q: It was interesting that you had the character’s daughter — was a sweet young innocent daughter. What led to that choice?
SFH: Amelia Fowler plays the daughter [Evelyn], and Sheika Murray plays the daughter in the flashbacks. Truly it had nothing to do with body type, it was just that they’re both great actresses. This is the beauty of independent film, because no one made the choice to pick me for the lead role, but I wrote it — so too bad [laughs].
Q: This has some pretty comedic elements — do you prefer doing comedies? Do you think of this as a comedy with dramatic elements, or a drama with comic elements?
SFH: Well, “Thelma and Louise” is one of my favorite films, and what could you say about that? The ending is so tragic and horrible, but it’s funny because I really think — and I thought the same thing about my last film — it’s really interesting to have funny people in really sad, horrible situations. Funny people are used to being the center of attention, the storytellers. Then what happens when they’re thrust into terrible situations? I would say it’s a drama with lots of hilarious moments because the people in it are funny, but then they’re forced into a horrific situation.
Q: Did you think of Robert Patrick as your straight man?
SFH: Robert Patrick is so funny to me, and he reminds me so much of my dad, and my husband. The reason I cast him, and wanted him to play in “Rushed,” was because I need someone like my husband, a tough New Yorker, a guy’s guy but he’s got a soft shell. My father was a big tough guy, he looked a lot like Tip O’Neill. Robert is my straight man which makes me so funny — I’m not saying I’m funny, but he makes the moments so much funnier because he thinks I’m such a jerk and an ass. He’s always saying, “Oh god, what is she doing now?” He gets some of the biggest laughs in the movie.
Q: So who came up with Robert Patrick’s haircut?
SFH: He came with that haircut. And we were like, “Oh my gosh, it’s perfect. It’s the deep South. And look at what I wear in it. The costumes are kind of ridiculous.
Q: Didn’t your daughter…
SFH: My daughter Sinead plays the hippie in it. She’s like a hippie anyway, so she used her own clothes. We would say to people, “What do you think your character would wear?” Of course, Robert and a lot of the guys were in prison guard uniforms — guard or prisoner — which was great. It made it easy. Then I’m obsessed with Country Western jackets. I have tons of those.
Robert Patrick is so tough as a person, he’s a true American, sports the vests, rides Harleys — he owns a Harley-Davidson shop. We had a truck — I literally went by someone’s house and saw it on the street and left a note on it. Int said, “Hey, would you like to have your truck in my movie?” The guy called, a great guy from my hometown [Cazenovia], where we filmed in upstate New York. Syracuse was where the jail was, and Erieville was where the bar was.
So Robert came with that haircut, and said, “This is great.” My son, Peter Hogan, plays the young cop in it, and his haircuts are real military, short haircuts. So all of those elements make it real and authentic. One of the things about an independent film when you watch, is that you will see sometimes there will be new clothes, they’re pressed — and you can’t do that. They need to look like they’re worn. I made the prisoners — they were all in their brand-new prison uniforms. I was like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Our director — who’s the best and she directed “Rushed” as well — she’s like, “We can’t have them wearing brand-new, crispy uniforms. This is a telltale sign of a bad independent film.” So these guys were rolling around in the dirt, sliding on the prison floor, to make it real.
Q: How did you find the director?
SFH: I’ve done three films with Lars von Trier: “Dancing in the Dark”, with Bjork; “Dogville” with Nicole Kidman, and “The House that Jack Built” with Matt Dillon. I’ve worked with Matt three times. I did the TV series, “Wayward Pines” — I was the secretary — and was in “Going in Style” with Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Matt. I’ve worked with Lars von Trier, who I love, and he has a producer, Vibeke Windeløv. Windeløv told me about 10 years ago, “You must meet Vibeke Muasya. So I met her then, and when it came time do do “Rushed,” I called her because I loved her work. Zentropa, Lars’s company, co-produced “Rushed” with me. We got along so well on “Rushed”. Our cinematographer was Matthias Schubert, he filmed Rushed” and filmed this. Sabine Emiliani, our editor, who’s from France and is fabulous, and edited “March of the Penguins” — a world-renowned film. She edited both films.
Q: How has this film not ended up in many higher-profile film festivals? It’s a really well-made film, very effective.
SFH: We just started the festival circuit. We did Kevin Smith’s festival, SModcastle Film Festival, in [Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey]. Smith asked us. We weren’t even in competition because we didn’t submit in time, but he said, “I’d like to show it as a special screening.” So we opened that festival. This is our second. Then we’ll be in Boston on April 16. I’m hoping we’ll get into Bentonville [Arkansas]. That’s Geena Davis’s festival and I love her. We’ve submitted to the Berkshire festival.
Q: You’ve never targeted the obvious ones, like Berlin or Venice?
SFH: This is the deal. If we showed at Kevin Smith’s, we couldn’t be considered for Sundance.
Q: That excluded other things like Telluride?
SFH: I don’t think we even submitted to Telluride. But the festivals are very, very difficult right now. A lot of times, they take really big-name movies first, and then the other slots are for a lot of foreign [films]. It’s really hard to get in.
Q: Because you were here in the CraicFest, can you come back into Tribeca or not?
SFH: We will submit it to Tribeca. I love Tribeca, so we’ll see what happens. They haven’t made their announcements yet.
Q: You’ve had quite an extensive career. How have you become such an effective working actor?
SFH: Well, it wasn’t easy [laughs]. No, I think the key is to do your own work. I did several one-woman shows. I got on “Saturday Night Live” because I wrote my own one-woman show. I was only there a year, in 1991-92. Then I did another one-woman show, that was on “Seinfeld” and I got in “Forrest Gump.” I got a lot of movies because I did these one-woman shows and people would come and see them. I have three kids who are all involved in movies. My daughter Bernadette is 28. My son, Peter, is the music supervisor on the film. He got us the country singers on “Rushed” and got us Fat Nick and Rob Banks. He’s the one who connected me with all the music people. He brought me out to Nashville to sing the songs for this movie. My daughter Sinead’s a senior in college, but she’s an actress in both films. Every time I had a slump in my career, I would write a one-woman show. “Rushed” was the first movie I wrote. My daughter was a high school senior and was going off, and I thought, “What am I going to do? I should write another one-woman show.” But I’m so sick of it, because it’s really lonely doing a one-woman show. You go out afterwards, it’s like, “Wasn’t that scene fun that I did myself?”
Q: How long do you do them for?
SFH: Oh, I’ll do it for like maybe a month. I’m a member of the Atlantic Theatre Company. I’ve done them there, and I do it in New Jersey, Syracuse, New York City. It’s a lot of pressure. So this time around, I was like, I’ve been in enough films, I should be able to write a film. I wrote “Rushed”, and people were like, “I really liked the Bee story.” I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I just wrote it and didn’t know the formula, just beginning, middle and end. I wrote it like a treatment first, one page. Then I followed that outline and wrote the movie.
Q: That’s great. And this one, you did the same?
SFH: Same. Yes.
Q: So where does this leave you? Acting is great, it elevates your exposure and all. But writing, it’s solitary… But on the other hand, it’s your thing.
SFH: Right. Because you control [it]. I always say it’s kind of like dating: the more you date, the more someone’s going to ask you out; when you’re not dating, no one is going to ask you out. For example, I finished filming this, I was exhausted, and then got a call to be in the new William Oldroyd movie that was a big hit at Sundance, “Eileen” — I and Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie. So it’s like, when you least expect it, you get more roles. I just want to keep working, either whether it’s writing for my own films or being in other people’s.
Q: Do you think people are going to come to you and ask you to write their movie?
SFH: Let’s hope.
Q: Do you want to write somebody else’s movie?
SFH: If it’s a great story. It takes two years. Not to write it, but the writing it and the filming is the easy part. It’s that editing, and then selling it — you’re in the fetal position. That’s not my cup of tea, I’m not a business person. You have to go to these distributors, play one against the other, make sure you get a good deal — so they’re not making all the money; you’re making some money. That the part of it I can’t stand. But beggars can’t be choosers.
Q: On the other hand, it sounds like you’ve got a viable working life in the arts.
SFH: Yes. I actually just worked with a really fabulous independent writer-director, Robert Machoian, who did “The Killing of Two Lovers” and got a [nomination for NEXT Innovator Award] so it opened doors. And I’m leaving for Belfast today to work on another film over there that’s an independent. It’s called “One of Us”. It’s actually by the [writer-director] Stefan van de Graaff, who produced Robert Machoian. You know, you treat people with respect, they treat you with respect. It’s a long life, and you work together over and over again.
Q: But it’s in Belfast, and it’s an Irish story?
SFH: Yes, it is. It’s a story about a funeral.
Q: Everybody thinks that you’re either a “Star” or you can’t make a living at it. And you haven’t quite hit that place where people will recognize you. But you are everywhere. In a funny way, that’s almost better.
SFH: Yes, it’s great. I always say, it’s a crazy career to go into, and if you don’t absolutely love it, don’t do it. But I raised my three kids and I was able to bring them all over the world. They came with me to Australia to do “Charlotte’s Web”, they came with me to Sweden and Denmark to do Lars von Trier’s movies, and it was a great education for the kids, which is why they’re so comfortable on set. My son, Peter, playing the role of Chris, people say, “He is so good. How is he so natural?” and my daughter Sinead and I said, “Well, it’s like someone has a doughnut shop and they don’t know how to make good doughnuts. They’ve been with me on sets since they were little kids.”
Q: At this point, how do you see your career path? Do you have certain people that you want to work with that you will bring into your movies?
SFH: Last night at the festival, Jim Sheridan was there, and I said to the audience, “This is a dream come true, because I love his work and he’s my favorite director and I always wanted to meet him. I met him ten years ago: “In the Name of the Father”, “My Left Foot”, “The Field”. Those are my favorite films.” So yes, there’s many directors, and I love David O. Russell, I love his films so much.
Q: You have a number of acting projects that you’re doing right now. Do you have another movie brewing in there?
SFH: I’m writing another film. I’m about three-quarters of the way through. The endings are always really hard for me, so I’m struggling with the ending of it. And I’m doing the festival circuit so it’s a bit of a distraction. But I have to finish that film.
Q: People didn’t really expect this film to flip to that direction. That was a good turn.
SFH: Right. I did the same thing in “Rushed”. “Rushed” is a thriller, and thy say you’ve always got to stay ahead of the audience, because the audience is so smart. You don’t want to bore them.
Q: So where do you see yourself going in the next ten years?
SFH: Hopefully, someplace. Well, tomorrow, I’m going to Belfast. I love playing the character parts, I love writing my own films. I have not directed either of my films, Vibeke did both. I’d love to try directing. That would have to be a film that I don’t have a role in, because that splits my focus too much.
Q: So where is your family from — When you meet anybody who’s Irish you have to ask.
SFH: They have to tell you where they’re from. My father and all the Fallons are from Loughrea [County Galway]. My mother and all the Eagans are from Cork City [County Cork]. My husband is from Limerick, and he still has family there. As a matter of fact, one cousin played for the New Zealand All-Blacks — he’s a huge big rugby player, and his son Matt played for the Muensters in Limerick.
Q: How often have you gotten back to Ireland? This is one trip that’s obviously going to be made [tomorrow].
SFH: Yeah, I try to go once a year. I did a semester there in college, and I’m very good friends with this family the Bradys, who live in Deansgrange, outside of Dublin, and we’re very close. So I try to go back about once a year. I love Cork. It’s gorgeous. And the people are great.
Q: Have you visited all 32 counties?
SFH: This is crazy: I’ve never been to Belfast. I’ve been [to Ireland] so many times, so this is my first time to Belfast. I’m so excited, I can’t wait. And I’m going to be staying, sometimes in Belfast and sometimes in Ballymena, where Liam Neeson is from.
Q: Have you worked with him?
SFH: I have not, and I’d love to.
Q: What Irish actors would you want to work with?
SFH: Well, I’d love to work with Liam Neeson and Brendan Gleeson. So many great actors.
Q: Have you worked with Colin Farrell?
SFH: I have not. But I ran into him once in an airport — he wouldn’t have known me, but I knew him. I bumped into him. The Irish, to me, the greatest actors, the greatest storytellers. When I lived in Ireland, I would go to the Abbey Theatre all the time, and ohmigosh! They’re superb storytellers, performers, and that’s what they do.
Q: Did you see “Banshees of Inisherin”?
SFH:I loved it. I totally got it. I absolutely loved it, I love all of Martin McDonough’s work. That’s somebody I’d kill to work with. The first time I saw his play, I was going out of my head — about how the IRA guy that has the cat, and he’s screaming. [I saw] “Three Billboards” — genius. And there is a movie, and it has so much humor and it’s so sad.
Q: Colm Meany?
SFH: Oh, I love Colm Meany. I have not worked with him, I absolutely love him.
Q: What’s happening on Broadway and plays?
SFH: I did a lot of plays before I did Shakespeare in the Park. It was “Rosalind”, I was Phoebe, and I think with the Atlantic Theatre Company. So I would like to get back, and now that my kids are frown and the movies are finished. But when they were in school, it was a rough schedule.
Q: At Atlantic Theatre Company, who was the actor?
SFH: Bill Macy [William H. Macy]. I have not worked with Bill Macy. I was supposed to . a movie — [“Dial a Prayer”, 2015]. Maggie Kiley, who’s a fabulous director-writer, wanted me to be in it but I couldn’t do it. I was in “Wayward Pines”, Bill’s in [Maggie’s movie], and she ended up making me the character Siobhan.