Being Stephanie Daley

Tamblyn, star of the television show “Joan of Acardia,” has received endless praise for her brave and nuanced performance as Stephanie Daley.  She spoke with plannedparenthood.org about her role and the importance of open, honest dialogue about sex.

Tell me a little bit about the character, Stephanie Daley.

Stephanie is a very average girl.  What makes her so strangely interesting is the fact that she has all this inner explosion that wants to get out — all this feeling, emotion.  In that sense, she’s a dangerous character to portray.  Her most powerful moments are when there’s silence and quiet. 

She’s from a small town.  She’s shy, introverted, not very social.  She’s not very aware, sexually, for several reasons.  There’s her school, where the only option is abstinence education, but there’s all the non-education and ignorance in her surroundings.  She ends up having sex and getting pregnant.  The story centers on that — Stephanie says she didn’t know she was pregnant.  Her experience ties to Tilda Swinton’s experience [as Lydie].  Lydie is there to see whether or not Stephanie could have known.  They develop an interesting dynamic.

Tilda Swinton said something that really captured what goes on in the film — that there is a mass conspiracy among women that giving birth is terrifying.  Sure, you hear that it’s beautiful, that it’s great, but there’s still this conspiracy that it’s a terrifying thing to do —to be responsible for creating someone else.  There’s all this gray area.  I think Stephanie is a metaphor for that.

Where did you get your inspiration?

This is so cheesy, and I hate saying this, but I think there is a Stephanie in all of us — the person who doesn’t have all the knowledge, who didn’t have the upbringing to make her own decisions or stand up for herself.  She’s the little piece of us that doesn’t know any better.  That being said, I used similar experiences that I had been through, lessons that I had to learn.  I found her to be this really innocent, sweet, caring character that you fall in love with.  The script was a gift to me as an actress, because I was completely able to relate with it immediately.  Stephanie came to be naturally.  She was someone I could identify with.  She was my friends, or my friends’ little sisters.

Still, it’s a difficult role.

It isn’t difficult when you can empathize with someone’s situation.  I felt like I was telling a story that so many women — young women and teens — go through, this strange silencing [around sex] when there’s no education at school and often times family repression as well.  It’s a difficult film in many ways, but, strangely enough, I think it’s a common story.

One viewer wrote, “Stephanie Daley should be mandatory viewing for parents and daughters everywhere. It addresses the problems that can arise from the lack of information available to teens. Misconceptions about the "facts of life" due to withholding those facts (from young people) can lead to dire consequences … Education is the key.” What’s your response to that?

Absolutely.

What could have saved Stephanie from her fate?

I feel like one of the major things, even more than the school system, is the family. Stephanie is so disconnected from her mother and then her father leaves, so there is no open space for her to communicate.  Instead, it’s like a quiet riot inside of her.  Family is such a major part of figuring out what’s going on and finding the answers you need when you’re growing up.

There’s the small town mentality, too.  I don’t know personally, because I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I would imagine in a tiny town that there’s not a lot of conversation about sex.  She’s in this emotionally quiet and controlled geographical place, and she falls victim to that.  There is constant silence around her, nothing is talked about or explored.

You’re doing a public service announcement for Planned Parenthood, to accompany the Stephanie Daley DVD. What does Planned Parenthood mean to you?

I have two friends who work for Planned Parenthood, and I openly support it.  And I’ve been to a Planned Parenthood [health center] before.  It was terrifying for me, but they can help.  They can get you testing and give you the information you need.  I support anyone who helps people take control of their own lives.

Final thoughts?

My plea is this — please take your friends to see this film.  It’s a rare film.  The more people who see a film like this, the more we can effect change in this society, and the greater the change we can make.

Stephanie Daley will be available on DVD starting September 4, 2007. The DVD includes the Amber Tamblyn Planned Parenthood PSA about parent-teen communication.