Woman's Day
She trekked the Himalayas for more than two months, beheld breathtaking views of untouched vistas and came close to “smuggling a yak” in her suitcase.
But when Sia Trokenheim travelled to India to film her new movie Beyond the Known World, it was an emergency trip to the dentist that left the most lasting impression on the Swedish-born star.
It all began after a day on set, when Sia was brushing her teeth and noticed one of her chompers was turning grey. She recalls, “I hate the dentist, but I thought, ‘I’ve got to go to the dentist and I’ve got to go right now!’ A few days later, we were planning to travel to where the altitude was only going to get worse and I didn’t fancy taking my chances with a witch doctor high up in the mountains.
With her co-star Emmanuelle Beart.
“I was greeted by a handsome young man in a white suit who did some X-rays and talked me through what I needed. Then out of nowhere, he just whipped out the drill to get started. I was like, ‘No, no, no! I need anaesthetic and I need it now.’”
Step Dave star Sia, 38, was in tears, but the dentist did the unthinkable and managed to convince her to go through the entire procedure, “drilling and all”, without pain relief.
“It was strangely emotional and just so wonderful to trust in a stranger like that,” she tells. “How beautiful that someone I’d never met could teach me such a valuable lesson about my own strength.
“It sounds dramatic, but I was so grateful and humbled by the whole experience because it made me believe in humanity again. I noticed a photo of his daughter on his desk, so I gave him the rest of my petty cash and said, ‘Buy her something special – whatever she wants!’”
While Sia could never have guessed she’d have such a spiritual awakening in the dentist’s chair, the mother-of-two knew instantly that something special had come along when she first saw the script for Kiwi-Indian co-production Beyond the Known World, in which she plays a desperate mother who must join forces with her ex-husband to find their missing daughter.
She remembers, “When I first read it, I thought, ‘This is interesting. It’s about a girl who goes missing in India.’ But when I read it a second time, I thought, ‘No, this is really about the destruction of a couple. It’s about two adults who can’t get along and have to find the common ground of what they love – and that’s their daughter.’”
The movie hits close to home for Sia, whose most rewarding role is as a mum to tiny tots, Terenzo, four, and 10-month-old Tosca.
“When you have children, your heartstrings are permanently rearranged and that feeling of knowing you’ll do absolutely anything for your kids is universal,” she says.
While the nature of her job means she can often be away from her close-knit family, Sia says the love and support of her hubby, Andre, 39, who also has son Bruno, 10, makes it all possible.
With young local fans while filming Beyond The Known World.
“When you have to go away and do long shoots like this, guilt is just part of the job. I felt horrible leaving my family behind, but I just consider myself extremely lucky to have my other half so willing to pick up the pieces. Andre truly is a super- dad. I couldn’t do it without him.
“When I left for India, we’d just moved into a new home and bought our puppy Otto, so Andre really had his work cut out for him, but he never complained once. The guilt hurts that little bit less when you know everyone is back home being well loved and well looked after.”
With mobile reception patchy in the Himalayas, phone calls home were few and far between, but Sia had little time to dwell on missing her loved ones. Beyond the Known World’s small but formidable film crew worked solidly for two months, with the added challenge of working in high altitudes.
“I opted not to take any medication until the end of the shoot, when our location moved closer to the borders of Bangladesh and Nepal, and it was no longer optional,” tells Sia.
“The lack of oxygen was enough to cramp my style. It was a lot harder to focus – I felt like I was in a constant state of morning sickness.”
However, the actress insists that she’d do it all again in a heartbeat, adding, “What I knew of India was what I’d seen in the movies, so I was expecting constant hustle and bustle, even up in the Himalayas, but it’s a completely different rhythm. People have time for each other in India.
“I’m so grateful that I got to see that part of the world because it’s divine, luscious and beautiful, and the people are so generous and friendly. It truly was a life-changing experience. And, fortunately, thanks to my little trip to the dentist, I’ll quite literally always have a little piece of India with me.”
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