Marianne Rendón’s career is just beginning. But already, like a seasoned pro, she’s managed to figure out how to scour through the noise of scripts and land roles in films and movies that have true entertainment value. After a few smaller parts—like when she played Patti Smith in
Mapplethorpe
—Rendón got her first major gig as Jules Langmore in
Imposters
, an addictive dark comedy about a female con artist, which continues to hold a top spot on Netflix’s trending series. (Read: binge-worthy.) So would it surprise you that Rendón’s next acting credit is in
Charlie Says
, the send-a-shiver-down-your-spine recount of how three women came to be (and remained) under the spell of Charles Manson? No, because she knows a good thing when she sees it.
And in case you needed another example of Rendón’s innate ability for navigating this thing called celebrity, throughout our entire shoot—and when it finally came time to sit down and chat about what it was like playing her idol, Patti Smith, the influence of music in her life, and her recent projects—it all felt so natural and easy. Just how it should be!
Do you remember when you started acting?
“I started at a very young age as a musician. I was a classically trained pianist. I wanted to be a concert pianist, but I couldn’t memorize music, and I hated the competitive classical musician world, so I learned very quickly that it wasn’t for me. My parents were very much into musical theater. My dad did the sound for Broadway [shows], and my mom was a singer, so I was always singing a lot of musical theater. I went to this camp, and my mom encouraged me to audition for a play. I ended up getting this huge musical that had like, 13 solo songs, and I was way in over my head. I lost my voice for the performance! [
Laughs
] It was truly one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. They had some opera singer come onstage and sing the songs while I pantomimed. So that was my first big appearance onstage.”
Did you have any odd jobs after graduating from Juilliard?
“Yeah! I would work every summer as an industrial indoor painter [
laughs
]. When I shake people’s hands, they say, ‘Oh my god, you have such a strong handshake!’ and I realize it comes from that, because it’s such a male-dominated field that I had to establish myself from the get-go. It was a pretty toxic environment.”
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Were there any scenes that you found really challenging to play out?
“The fight scene. Well, it’s not really a fight scene; more like a Manson-beat-the-shit-out-of-Susan. It’s just so upsetting to watch that kind of abuse on screen.”
How did you shake it off at the end of the day?
“I think there’s an element of the characters’ thoughts that stay with you the whole time [through filming], and we’re really exhausted after a project is over. I was really happy to be in L.A. because I was around a lot of my friends. And honestly, working with Hannah Murray and Sosie Bacon; we were really close, and we had each other to goof around with between takes. The energy of the set was so warm and playful that it really balanced everything out.”
On your days off, what do you like to do?
“I love to cook, I love going to farmers’ markets. I so admire farmers’ work and my friends that are organic farmers and spending time in nature. And I love Canada. I like doing things that are community-based, because the acting industry is very isolating to other people. I like to play music, I like to go to the dog park. I’m trying to find some kind of meditation process or practice; it’s hard to have the discipline, but I’m in search of that right now.”
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