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LOGAN POLISH
in Apple TV series
The Mosquito Coast

Photographer Matthew Priestley
Fashion Rachel Gilman

Interview by Tessa Swantek
Logan Polish, American actress, makes her TV series debut in Apple TV’s
The Mosquito Coast adaptation. Polish, as Dina Fox, stars alongside Justin Theroux, Melissa George, and Gabriel Bateman who play her father, mother, and brother respectively. The series follows the perilous “adventures” of the Fox family led by Allie Fox, radical idealist who practically lives his life on a perpetual soap box as he rails against U.S. capitalism and consumption while trying to escape the U.S. government and the consequences of a mysterious past. The series explores the ironies of a white American family illegally immigrating to Mexico while Polish as Dina is entangled in the web Allie has created and is as repulsed as she is drawn toward the chaos that her parents have created. Polish talks to us about her family of actors, her portrayal of Dina, and what comes next for her character as well as herself.

Jumpsuit by Stella McCartney, Bra top by Social-Work, Blazer by Tibi, Necklace and Bracelets by Marla Aaron

Dress by Kelsey Randall, Bodysuit by We Love Colors, Necklace by Vitaly

You come from a family of actors and have worked on projects like The Astronaut Farmer beside your father Mark Polish and Uncle Michael Polish. The Mosquito Coast seems to be one of your first independent projects. Did you feel that being cast in The Mosquito Coast was a turning point for you? Did you feel more nervous about entering the project, almost like a safety net was cut out? 
I think The Mosquito Coast was a big turning point for me mentally. Because I had only worked with my dad growing up, I always thought that there may be some sort of bias on my acting ability. So when I booked The Mosquito Coast it was finally the validation I needed to sort of feel like, “I can do this!” And yes, I felt so nervous entering the project because my dad was a huge safety net for me. I’ve always been so comfortable making mistakes in front of him, so I really had to give myself a lot of pep talks before that first week of filming. 

You were so young when you filmed The Astronaut Farmer, what is your first vivid memory of the acting world and how did it make you feel? 
The first thing I remember is red licorice. That’s something my dad would give me after I completed a scene on that film and it was sort of a bribe to get me to do the work. I also remember laughing 24/7 with Virginia Madsen; she was the funniest person and always had us giggling between takes. I also think it was the first time I felt any real stress as a kid because I wasn’t used to having so many eyes on me. 

Dress by Tibi, Pinafore by Kelsey Randall

Blazer, Shirt, Skirt and Pants by Peter Do, Shoes by Stuart Weitzman, Necklace by H(our) Objects

The Mosquito Coast can also be said to be a family project in some way since Justin Theroux, playing Allie Fox, is the nephew of Paul Theroux, writer of the 1981 novel. Did this make the filming experience unique? Did it remind you of the way you work with your own family? 
It did add dimension to the experience because Justin had all this knowledge on what his uncle based the book on and his own personal experiences growing up with Paul. It was really helpful to get that perspective and it allowed us to ground what we were doing into reality. Justin having that connection with his uncle just made me realize how there’s certain themes within families that don’t change, whether it’s fictional or not. 

You directed the short film Margot in 2019. While watching the directors of The Mosquito Coast, is there anything you learned that you will take with you in your next directing project? 
Definitely! I mean, I don’t even know where to begin. One of the most valuable things I learned is how useful it is to know what you’re going to use in the final edit. It’s so good to have a rough idea of what angles and what coverage is most important so you’re not over shooting and wearing out your actors, especially on a TV show, and so I’ve become very conscious of that. I’ve also always had this idea, when it comes to directing and even acting, that it’s all on me to do everything. And every time I step onto a set I remember that this job is so collaborative and everyone is there to help. Working on The Mosquito Coast definitely removed some of the pressure I put on myself for future directing [projects] I want to do.

Dress by Tibi, Pinafore by Kelsey Randall, Shoes by Stuart Weitzman, Sunglasses by Vada, Socks: Stylist’s Own, Bracelets by H(our) Objects

Jumpsuit by Stella McCartney, Bra top by Social-Work, Blazer by Tibi, Necklace and Bracelets by Marla Aaron

In a behind the scenes clip on Apple TV+, you said that Rupert Wyatt told you that your hair was chopped too perfectly and it needed to look like your mom does it to embody your character, Dina. Were there any other details like this that he or you utilized in order to portray your character more accurately? 
I remember he had the makeup team put blue/purple pigment under our eyes so that we just looked more tired and exhausted. Also, our clothes were just wrecked. I wish I could show you what they looked like in my fitting because when I showed up on set everything was five shades lighter. I loved seeing Rupert go to the lengths to check every box. He made me realize that when you’re trying to hook an audience and bring them into a different world, every detail matters. 

You play a 15 year old in The Mosquito Coast, was this difficult for you as a 19 year old or did you feel that Dina’s maturity helped make it easier to relate to her as a character? 
It wasn’t too difficult, I think her maturity did help me play her because she has an older perspective on things. Although as the season progressed, I did start to question some of the actions she was taking and for the first time I realized that she still is a young girl regardless of some of the adult things she says or does. 

Dress by Ivy Kirk, Tights by Free People, Bracelets by H(our) Objects and Vitaly

Top, Sweatshirt, Skirt, and Tights by Lou Dallas, Bracelets by Marla Aaron

After watching you in the 2019 short film The Follower and now in The Mosquito Coast, I think you are exceptional at portraying the emotion of your character- mostly angst and fear- through body language. In the first few episodes of The Mosquito Coast, many of the characters needed to portray a sense of fear and apprehension to relay to the audience without giving away the plot point just yet. Your character was meant to be kept in the dark in the same way that the audience was kept in the dark, both figuratively and literally from the opening scene. Did it make it more difficult to portray this tension when you knew what was going to happen in the script, especially since you have read Paul Theroux’s book and seen the 1986 film? 
I had a lot of tension and anxiety with what the show required me to do. I would always have some underlying nervousness anticipating the monologues and argumentative scenes coming up in the next few weeks, and I decided to channel that into those tense moments. I think when you see Dina being nervous I’m genuinely nervous for all the monologues I have coming up.

As an audience member, each episode of The Mosquito Coast really evoked a visceral feeling- almost like I was on the run and felt a deep sense of unease as well as excitement for what was coming next. Since as a cast you were filming in the same environments that your characters were in, from the United States to Mexico, did the heaviness of some of the scenes on location affect your personal mood or were you able to detach from your character’s position? 
Most of our action filled and emotional scenes would take three days to shoot and so that would become very wearing, but I loved seeing how delirious everyone would become and how psychologically everyone just starts to deteriorate. So it’s hard, but it becomes a fun psychological experiment to see how the human brain just falls apart. It’s crazy what lack of sleep and saying the same words for three days can do to the brain; it’s fascinating. 

Top, Sweatshirt, Skirt, and Tights by Lou Dallas, Shoes by John Fluevog, Bracelets by Marla Aaron

Jumpsuit by Stella McCartney, Bra top by Social-Work, Blazer by Tibi, Necklace by Marla Aaron

From your Instagram, you seem to have a great eye for photography and what looks visually appealing or interesting. Neil Cross in a behind the scenes clip on Apple TV+ says that he wanted to be able to articulate the theme of The Mosquito Coast as much as plot. This seems to be done through a lot of visual symbolism and cues. Can you talk about the visual stimuli present in the show and whether this is a strength of yours as well that you want to utilize in future work? 
I always love when things can be seen instead of said through dialogue. So I think all of the symbolism that we have in the show is great for making people think a little deeper. It’s definitely something I hope to include in my work going forward because I think visuals like that have a greater impact. With visual symbolism, more people are able to project their own emotions onto the scene, rather than have dialogue which sort of tells you how to feel. 

Along with acting and directing, you are also very into fashion. How would you describe your style and how much impact does fashion/costume choices in your roles affect your portrayal? 
I would describe my style as a 1950s/1980s mom. I love the refinement of both of those decades and I’m particularly keen on how the women of the 1950s dressed at home. I think wardrobe is one of the greatest ways to immerse me right into a character and feel who they are. Putting on Dina’s boots and baggy pants immediately made me feel like I was in an awkward 15 year old stage. And because our clothes were purposely distressed and made to look thrifted, it helped place me into that financial scarcity she’s grown up with. 

Sweatshirt by Lou Dallas

Jumpsuit by Stella McCartney, Bra top by Social-Work, Blazer by Tibi, Shoes by Gucci, Socks: Stylist’s Own, Necklace and Bracelets by Marla Aaron

Dina’s desire for normalcy is a very interesting plot point of the show. How would you describe Dina’s complex inner emotions and do you feel they changed over the course of the show? 
I really feel that Dina is all over the place with her emotions but that sort of perfectly describes any teenager at that age. I thought as the show progresses her desire for normalcy definitely goes into the back of her brain and she starts to feel more needed by her dad. It’s that turning point that a lot of kids have where they realize that their parents aren’t perfect and so she starts to see that her dad actually sort of needs her. He starts to depend on her, and I think she craves that emotional exchange because he’s always been so focused on the “adventure” and his inventions. 

Without giving away anything, the ending scene is really so well done. In the show there is a constant theme of a contrast between Allie Fox’s perceived utopia and his family’s emotional state. The music choice in the final scene brilliantly contrasts the visuals. Neil Cross says in a behind the scenes look on Apple TV+ that he wants to expose the Fox family to more and more peril to see how the characters react which could make the contrast even more stark. Do you think this would be explored in season 2? 
100%. I think we will see Allie become more and more unhinged and hopefully get to see Charlie continue to crack. Honestly, I think the women are going to be the ones that sort of get more control in the coming seasons and hopefully spearhead the family because I think there’s going to come a point when Allie can’t do that. 

What should we expect from you in the future? Any imagined dream roles or directing projects?
I can’t think of any particular roles that I dream of doing but I know that I just want to continue to be a part of projects that are thought-provoking and cinematic. I’m definitely going to be directing more and I have some projects on the way which will be very fun to share soon. 

View the trailer for “The Mosquito Coast” here: