Sonja Kinski Talks Acting, Growing Up Surrounded by Fame and, her Newest Film, Diamond on Vinyl

“Diamond on Vinyl,” the newest film from director J.R. Hughto and starring Sonja Kinski, brings to the screen an indie cult classic that elevates traditional obsession and voyeurism modernizing it with a 21st century twist.

Produced and written by Hughto, “Diamond on Vinyl,” stars Brian Mcguire, Sonja Kinski, Nina Millin, Jeff Doucette and Jessica Golden.

Kinski, daughter of 1970’s actress and sex kitten Nastassja and Granddaughter of Klaus, is gathering critical acclaim for her role as Charlie in the indie film.

Playing a twenty something millennial living in Los Angeles, Charlie a photographer, who is at a career decision point: graduate school or simply honing her craft, she wanders from gig to gig barely covering the rent, and is too proud to ask for assistance. She and her roommate, a make-up artist, talk vaguely of escort opportunities to make ends meet.  

Stumbling onto a relationship in crisis, Charlie meets Beth, played by Nina Millin, in a parking garage, who is in the middle of an emotional  breakdown after she discovers her fiancé, Henry, played by indie staple Brian McGuire, secretly recorded their intimate moments.

Charlie responding to a female in need comforts the stranger and ends up intertwined in their lives. As Henry is a serial secret recorder she becomes a third party voyeur to their intimacies.

“Diamond on Vinyl” has a huge indie following the film has won several awards including Best Director and Best Ensemble from Downtown Film Festival LA and Best Feature Drama from Atlanta Underground and was an official selection at the 2013 Sundance Film festival.

"Diamond on Vinyl" is uniquely different and oddly interesting.

Having the opportunity to speak with Sonja, she was honest, open,  unassuming and seemed really nice.

Janet Walker: Hi Sonja. How are you?

Sonja Kinski: Hey. I’m good. How are you doing?

JW: Fine, thanks. Congratulations on the film. It’s very interesting.

SK: Thank you so much.

JW: Tell me a little bit about your character and how you brought her to life?

SK:  Um. Well, Charlie is a very open, kind of no cares kind of person. She’s not anything like me as a person. I really had to imagine it and dream on it and sleep on it you know and that’s how it Charlie came about.

JW: I heard that you saw the film for the first time at Sundance this past year. Describe to me what it was like to see that for the first time with an audience?

SK: Well, it was so incredible because I was so scared and I was so pleasantly surprised. I mean it was a year since we shot it and I didn’t know. We received special attention I mean everyone was loving it. And I was loved it. And there were scenes that I didn’t realize at the time were funny and people were laughing. It was really great.

JW: So describe to me a little bit about when you first got the script. What were your initial reactions?

SK: I really liked the characters. I liked that’s kind of weirdness of the characters. That’s kind of what I feel.  People are weird they’re not just one dimensional.  That’s what I was drawn to the script.

JW: Do you live in Los Angeles; Is that your home base?

SK: Yes.

JW: Was the expectation of making the film different then you thought it would be?

SK: Oh yes it was. I was very pleasantly surprised. I guess I didn’t think much of it, of making it, when I saw it I was really surprised. I was really surprised by my performance. That’s good, right?

JW:  Yea. I think so.

JW: Your mom is famous. Growing up in that environment – What was it like growing up surrounded by fame?

SK: Well, it was sort of like normal. What I knew as a child, my mom was just my mom. I didn’t look at her in any other way. People would come up to her and ask for her autographs and I wouldn’t understand it.  I didn’t know any other kind of life. So it was normal for me.

JW: So did you see yourself when you were growing up as going into acting? Was that one of your thoughts?

SK: No. I dreaded it. I was so, I couldn’t understand how people could be so vulnerable. How they could show their insides. Then I took a class. Then I realized it was really fun and something I was drawn to as a kid. I was always daydreaming or always in fantasyland. That’s what acting is for me; its play or fantasy or storytelling that’s what I love about it.

JW: So on “Diamond on Vinyl,” describe some of the obstacles you faced during filming?

SK: You know I had never done improve like that before so it was kind of like when JR would give me some kind of direction and then release me and set me free and it was a little bit hard for me but once I got into it felt like it kind of made me have more control of the role. You know where as how some other directors have more control over the role and Some directors have more control; if they written the story especially.

JW: Sonja, thank you so much for your time. I enjoyed the film and best of luck to you.

SK: Thank you so much.

Diamond on Vinyl,” is available on VOD, VuDu and Itunes.

 

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