ShareThisBy BETSY PICKLE
Friday, November 17, 2006
Playing the lead in "Flicka" felt natural to Alison Lohman. Riding the horse of the title was another story.
"I'd never ridden, so this was all new," says Lohman, who saddled up alongside country singer Tim McGraw and "A History of Violence" star Maria Bello, who play her parents. "We had about a month of training.
"It was intense _ five hours a day _ and gym training and all of that. I don't like the gym training. ... I didn't like riding horses. I didn't want to get on the horse, day after day. And then I realized, OK, you did sign on to this and this is part of it. Yes, it's physical and takes a lot of strength, but it's part of the role."
Lohman, 27, is more accustomed to altering her physical appearance than to getting physical for her roles. In "Flicka," as in "White Oleander" and "Matchstick Men," she convincingly plays a character much younger than her real age."Flicka" tells the story of 16-year-old Katy McLaughlin, who begrudges any time she has to spend away from the Wyoming ranch that her parents are struggling to keep afloat. Home from boarding school for her summer vacation, she tries to tame a beautiful mustang she names Flicka, defying her protective father in the process.
While riding horses in the film was more of a chore than a thrill for her, Lohman says she "would probably ride again." She recognizes that "there's something mystical and magical about it." Her lack of connection may lie in the fact that, as a child, she never went through a horse phase, as many little girls do.
"I went through the 'My Little Pony' phase, but that was about it," she says with a chuckle during a phone interview.
Lohman, who grew up in Palm Desert, Calif., may not share Katy's passion for horses, but she finds it easy to play a teenager.
"I don't mind," the soft-voiced actress says. "I think it's kind of neat if it works for you."
She says her approach isn't about trying to remember what it was like to be a 16-year-old. "For me, it's more about the context of the character of the story, what their situation is," she says.
With "Flicka," it was best not to get hung up on ages anyway. McGraw and Bello are both only 12 years older than Lohman.
"It was bizarre," Lohman says of having such young "parents." "Tim made fun of me, but Maria just laughed. It is what it is."
Those familiar with Mary O'Hara's novel "My Friend Flicka" or the 1943 film or 1956 TV adaptation of it might be surprised that the horse-loving youth of the new "Flicka" is female. In the original story, the McLaughlins had two sons, dependable Howard and dreamer Ken. Fox 2000 Pictures President Elizabeth Gabler suggested that screenwriters Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner change the younger McLaughlin to a girl.
Lohman decided not to go back to the earlier versions for research.
"I'd read the book before," she says. "I hadn't seen the TV show, but I didn't feel that I needed to."
She thinks the film will appeal to females and males of all ages.
"I don't think it's especially for anyone in particular," she says. "I think it would be for just about everybody. It's such a universal story."
Lohman started acting on stage in her hometown as a child, and she declined an acting scholarship to New York University to pursue a career in film and television.
She says Katy in "Flicka" has a clearer vision about her place in life.
"Katy knows what she wants more than I did," says Lohman. "She's one of the most determined, strong-spirited, opinionated girls or young persons that I've ever played."
Another thing Lohman likes about acting is switching from one extreme to another. After playing a wholesome, outdoorsy teen in "Flicka," she played a recovering heroin addict who's been on the wagon for four years in "Things We Lost in the Fire."
