THE INSIDER: HALLEY FEIFFER

Your new indie girl crush danced to MGMT before they got big.

With roles in off-Broadway shows, plays performed at international theater festivals, and awards for her playwriting, the last place you might expect to see Halley Feiffer is in the middle of a hand lotion ménage a trois. But it’s the Wesleyan grad who’s behind some of the funniest moments in Jared Hess’ Gentlemen Broncos (think Napoleon Dynamite goes sci-fi). Though onscreen she plays Tabatha, a homeschooled queen bee, NYLON caught up with the actress and found out that in real life she much prefers dancing to MGMT and making naughty needlepoints.

You were at the Gentlemen Broncos screening with me—is it weird watching yourself on screen? I think it’s really weird. I enjoyed it with this movie, but not with other movies. Like, I watched an episode of Flight of the Conchords where I was supposed to be this cute girl who gets crushed on, and I was like, why is he crushing on me? But with [my character in Gentlemen Broncos], I’m not supposed to look cute or pretty, I’m supposed to look weird and strange, because that’s what this character is. I love this character, I loved it from the moment I read the script, and so I feel like if I’m serving the character, I’m happy with it.

What was the one thing that got you hooked on Tabatha’s character?  All of her lines, but [in particular] the first scene, where she’s like, “I write French mysteries, you know.” I just love that—like, why would he know that? Of course he doesn’t! I just think it’s the funniest movie I’ve ever read.

A lot of young actors put off attending college (or skip it altogether), but you graduated from Wesleyan in 2007. Do you think you approach acting differently because of that academic background?  I hope so, because I do have the tendency to get wrapped up in this and think, why did so-and-so get that part and why didn’t I? It’s so nice to be able to have this background and be like, wait a minute, this isn’t that important. This is just movie making, this is just acting, this is just New York theater, this is not the end of the world. And I think college gives you a frame of reference for that. I’ve never met anyone who was like, I’m glad I didn’t go [to college], fuck that! I think most people wish they had, because why not? If you’re a smart person who enjoys learning, then fuck yeah! That sounds great!

Did you know any of the Wesleyan bands, like MGMT, when you were there?  I did! They would play parties at the house I was living in, and if you heard that they were playing somewhere, you would make an extra effort to go. Cut to four years later and they’re playing in the fucking bodega when I go to buy orange juice! It’s really surreal. They’re not just some douche bags who get stoned and make some music. They work really hard, they’re really talented, they’re really charismatic, they’re great performers.

Two years out of school, have you had to deal with any sort of quarter-life crisis?  Yeah [laughs]. Every day! Today I feel good because I’m at a press junket for this movie I acted in, but in four days I’ll probably be like, what am I doing? I’ve had so many [crises] in the last year or two, I’m able to try and treat them like a flu that will pass, rather than something that I need to listen to and do something about.

In the film, the main character Benjamin seems totally normal, and then you find out he writes these really explicit sci-fi stories. What’s your little secret?  I have a really dirty sense of humor. I’ve had situations where I’ll make a joke and offend someone, and I’ll have to explain that I was kidding and it’s really awkward and I feel bad. But then I get mad at them for not understanding my sense of humor, and then I get mad at myself for feeling that way, and then I wonder what I’m doing with my life, and it’s what we were talking about before [laughs]. I just started making little needlepoint things for my friends. I don’t know how to do it, but I really want to make dirty little needlepoint pillows, like, “Go fuck yourself.” Haven’t you seen those in stores? But I want to make even worse ones like, “Fuck my grandma hard,” [next to a] smiley face, heart, little puppy dog.

The perfect holiday gift!  That’s what I was thinking. Even for my grandma—like, “Love you grandma, fuck me in the butt.” Just kidding!
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Visit foxsearchlight.com/gentlemenbroncos.com for more info.



This story was published on October 28, 2009.