Lea Thompson: Cabin Fever

Lea Thompson said it plainly: "We shot in Ireland and Scotland — it was really fun for me to be in Ireland. My mother is from Irish descent and my sist…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

Lea Thompson and Steven Brand star in The Cabin, a Hallmark Movie Channel Original premiering Saturday, July 30 at 8pm ET/PT. Lily MacDougall (Thompson) and Conor MacDougall (Brand) are divorced strangers, each with two kids, who have little in common but a last name — and are forced to share a cabin when they attend the annual Meeting of the Macs games in Scotland. Premier Guide Miami's Judith Wallace spoke with Thompson about the film and her career.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: How was your experience making the movie?

LEA THOMPSON: We shot in Ireland and Scotland. It was really fun for me to be in Ireland. I really enjoyed the crew and my mother is from Irish descent — my sister's names are Shannon and Colleen — so they came to visit us and we all had a really nice vacation. The food was really great and it was very, very cold. They try to say that it was summer but it was just not summer and it was very cold and rainy. But it was really fun learning how to do the Scottish games and just learning a lot about that.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: I learned that you were a ballerina when you were younger. How did that help with the Scottish dance?

LEA THOMPSON: When I was a dancer I was a young kid and they made us learn all kinds of different dancing. I had a really good education — I had to learn Scottish dancing, Irish dancing, African dancing, square dancing, Scottish reels, all kinds of different dances. I somehow remembered how to do the Highland Fling. But they had a really wonderful expert that taught us how to do it because it was just a little funny dance sequence where we had to do the Scottish fling, which was really fun.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: The kids in the movie were very animated and they influenced a lot of the decisions that you made in the movie. How much influence do your children have in your decision making in real life?

LEA THOMPSON: It depends on how important the decision is. I mean I am very friendly with my kids but when certain things happen, when really important issues come up, then I am very strong about my decisions. I just actually went on vacation with my two daughters and we had a really great time. We went to Spain, England and France. Things like where we ate — they had a lot of influence. But when big things like when do we leave for the airport came up, it was all about me.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: I know that you are married but you and your co-star just happen to share the same last name in the movie. In real life would you date someone with the same last name?

LEA THOMPSON: (Laughs) That's funny. Would I date someone with the same last name? Yeah, probably. It's really funny — my husband is working right now with someone who has the exact same name as him. His name is Howard Deutch and he is working with a producer named Howard Deutch. The exact same name — isn't that funny? So this guy calls and he goes, will you tell Howard that Howard Deutch called? And I go, oh okay. (Laughs)

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is your favorite role so far?

LEA THOMPSON: It would have to be Lorraine McFly from Back to the Future, just because I got to play different roles in the same role. I actually got to be old, young, eighty — you know, versions of forty-seven, Irish — I got to be a lot of different people in one part. So that was great. It appeals to the Gemini in me.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: I read where you are a producer as well. Are you currently producing anything or working on anything?

LEA THOMPSON: Well I just finished a movie called Mayor Cupcake which is coming out on DVD and on demand in a couple of days. It's a really sweet family movie as well. But I am not producing anything right now. For my other projects I hope to maybe direct my new show Switched at Birth on ABC Family, which is doing very well. I also have a movie called Thin Ice with Greg Kinnear which is going to be coming out in the fall. And I also have a small part in J. Edgar, which is Clint Eastwood's new movie out in the fall.

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