Photograph courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
When Atlanta actress Danielle Deadwyler is reading a script for the first time, she has to feel a spark of “curiosity, inventiveness, or spontaneity” before agreeing to star, she tells Atlanta magazine.
This approach has worked well for Deadwyler in recent years. She received acclaim for her performances in the movies The Harder They Fall, Till, and The Piano Lesson, while also picking up numerous BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Every performance she gives aches in humanity, as she goes from intense to vulnerable to funny to strong in an instant.
Deadwyler is just as mesmerizing in 40 Acres, the post-apocalyptic thriller in which she plays Hailey Freeman, the matriarch of a family trying to survive on a farm after a series of plagues and wars. Freeman is a former soldier, who treats the younger members harshly as she tries to prepare them for their tough life ahead. When the farm is suddenly attacked by a vicious militia, the group has to work together, even though they’re not prepared.
“Hailey is a Southern woman trying to protect her family,” Deadwyler says after being asked what attracted her to the film. “She is rooted in her family and protecting this place. I’m from Atlanta. My family is from just outside of Atlanta. I was learning a lot about my family’s connection to farmland and these sorts of spaces. It was serendipitous that this movie came along at this time.”
To mark the release of 40 Acres, Atlanta spoke with Deadwyler about the film, shooting in Canada, and what she looks for in a director.
How did you get involved in 40 Acres?
It came the same way as anything else does, through my team. It came to me right before the acting strikes began [in 2023]. We were able to film during the strikes because it was on a waiver. I just went on up to Canada and worked with what I [had].
What was your preparation for the role? Did you do any training or reading?
I just had two weeks. I was really working with what I have. She has a military background, but I had already had weapons training. I have militaristic knowledge and whatnot. There was a compilation of transferable skills. That’s what indie filmmaking is. You come to the table with what you have, then mold and curate it so it can be the best experience that you can possibly have within the time constraints and with the resources that you have. So I dove in with the knowledge that I had. I used my physical dance and martial arts background. But I also had a beautiful stunt crew, and just all of the crew helped to really define the experience. It was a collaborative effort.
Where did you shoot 40 Acres?
We shot in October in Sunbury, Ontario, about three hours north of Toronto. We filmed on this super rural farm space. The locations were very, very rich and textured. The production design made it feel like we were in the 19th century. It was cold as hell, but the set was very warm. I had to learn how to drive a tractor. That’s the biggest vehicle I’ve ever driven. We would be out and then you could see all of the stars. There were a couple of days where you could see the aurora borealis. I missed it, but the crazy part was that a year later I saw it in Georgia filming The Woman In The Yard. The adjustment wasn’t too hard for me. To be in this space of quietude. To listen to the truth of the land. I’ve been taught that you don’t try to rush the land, the land teaches you what it wants to be. The land is just as much of a character as any of the human beings in the piece.
The film bounces from the dystopia genre to family drama to being an action film—was that always an appeal to you?
I was really interested in the physicality of the film. Leading with the body is just something that’s inherent to me. It is my first discipline. For the character, it bled into the way that she is a mother. She’s teaching them to be ruthless and survive. That’s critical. That’s also instituted with guns and their ability to fight. One of the first scenes that we shot was me teaching the kids how to brawl. I want to be fully in my body and mind as possible in a role. Hailey gave me the chance to do that, while also building the character, and dealing with the external world and threat.
What was it like to work with director RT Thorne on the film?
This is his first feature. He has a background deeply rooted in music videos. He’s done a ton of TV. This is his foray into being an auteur. He co-wrote it. He’s just a super loving, compassionate, and thoughtful guy. Those are the people who are deeply appealing to me. Making a film is such a romantic endeavor. I always feel like a neophyte when I’m starting a thing. At one point he said to me, I don’t know what I’m doing. I just said, I don’t know what I’m doing, either! Let’s play. He just felt deeply open and tender as a director. That was really critical, because it’s a mother-son story, as well as a story about generational tension.
What do you hope audiences take away or experience with the film?
You always want people to discover something surprising. That’s the difference between watching it by yourself at home and watching it for the first time with an audience. I hear responses to stuff that I didn’t ever anticipate. But at its basic, I hope people consider how we can do hard things together and learn to be compassionate to the growth of each other.
40 Acres is in select theaters now.
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