Local actress gets celluloid debut

Following the recently wrapped Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, movie Web sites were abuzz with news of premieres and studio purchases. And of course, there were the usual stories of star sightings and celebrity gossip, some of which hit pretty close to home. Rumor has it that Ryan Gosling was spotted cavorting with a mystery brunette. Well, if snow tubing with co-stars at a post-premiere event counts, it’s true enough. There are even pictures to prove it. But the mystery is solved when it comes to the brunette’s identity. She’s NEPA’s own Eileen Rosen — wife, mother, stage actress and, most recently, movie star.

“It’s all very, very surreal,” Rosen says of her silver-screen debut.

Though she comes from a musical and theatrical family, she never did any more than dabble in some school productions. Rosen didn’t do any acting for some time before getting involved with Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre about two years ago. Then last summer, she heard about a casting call for a movie filming locally and went to audition with some friends, “just for fun.”

The movie was “Blue Valentine,” a complex, gritty drama starring Gosling and Michelle Williams. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, “Blue Valentine” tells the story of Cindy and Dean, a couple visiting a theme hotel in a last-ditch effort to save their failing marriage. Rosen was auditioning as an extra, but she got a call back to read for another role. Cianfrance asked a bunch of questions and had her do some extensive improv work before offering her the role of Mimi, Cindy’s friend and co-worker. Then Rosen got a call asking her to spend some time with Williams so the two could get to know each other prior to filming.

What was it like hanging out and having lunch with the star of “Dawson’s Creek” and “Brokeback Mountain?”

“It was nice,” Rosen said. “She’s so sweet, I didn’t think of her as a movie star. She’s so normal. It made it so much easier for me.”

Though this was Rosen’s first big-screen role, there wasn’t a lot of prep work required.

“I really and truly wanted to be myself and be as natural as possible,” she said. “Derek really stresses that. He wants that natural reaction. I went in there completely blind, and I think that was to my benefit. I didn’t have any expectations. I just kind of went with the flow.”

Rosen shot her scenes in Clarks Summit over a 4-day period.

“The whole movie only took a couple of weeks. They move very fast,” she said.

After her four days of filming, Mimi’s scenes have been edited down to minutes of screen time.

“I am amazed at the whole process,” Rosen said. “I’m in it for a couple of minutes. A lot gets cut. A lot of people got cut. I’m very thankful to have made it into the movie.”

For Rosen, the big-screen thrills didn’t end with her filming in June. About two months ago, she found out “Blue Valentine” was going to Sundance.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “No matter what it took, I wanted to be a part of it.”

Though the actress wasn’t quite sure what to expect of the festival, she’s glad she had the chance to reunite with the cast and crew.

“It was fantastic. They’re just such amazing people,” she said. “It’s not what you would think of as your typical Hollywood scene. It was a blast.”

Though the festival has wrapped, the hoopla isn’t over just yet. The Weinstein Company purchased “Blue Valentine,” and Rosen is hoping area fans will be able to see the movie in the spring.

“It almost feels like a documentary,” she said. “I think a lot of people are going to be able to relate to these two. People fall out of love. There’s no reason for it. It’s very touching. I think a lot of people are really going to love it. I’m slightly biased, but it’s an amazing movie.”

Right now, Rosen is back on the stage, working on Little Theatre’s upcoming production of “Cinderella.” She laughs heartily in disbelief at the thought of being tabloid fodder. Rosen has her feet planted firmly on the ground, though her friends are not making it easy.

“They’re the ones puffing me up! My kids are the ones who are keeping me grounded,” she said. “They’re very unimpressed. Unless I’m in ‘Star Wars,’ they really don’t care.”

But while things are returning to normal for Rosen, she’s hoping for some more screen success in the future.

“I made a lot of great connections at Sundance, and I am following through with those,” she said. “All of this happened for a reason. I’m striking while the iron is hot. I’m doing everything I can. I won’t look back years from now and say, ‘What if?’ I think it’s great to try and pursue your dreams, but you have to have a little realism, too. It can’t be the be-all and end-all.”

Rosen acknowledges the tough nature of show business.

“If nothing else happens, I have a fantastic life. I’m a very lucky person.”

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