Dark
Water was one of my favorite films to shoot because of Walter. I had
seen the previous films he had directed, Central Station and Motorcycle
Diaries, and I thought they were great. I really trusted him.
Everything
changes as a mother. Yes, work has changed. The projects that I choose
are even more important to me now. The world he's growing up in and the
kind of stimulus that is out there; they are so precious and I'd do
anything to protect him.
Growing
up, being watched from the outside... it's kind of very taxing and maybe
I should just do some kind of manual labor-it might be more relaxing.
But I can't, it's not in my nature.
I
can't comment on any outside perception. I'm happy to come out and talk
about movies that I've worked on in a setting like this. Otherwise, I
have my own life that I live which is very different and private.
I
didn't expect to win the Oscar. You grow up watching the Oscars on TV
and you think it happens to fancy people. It was really surreal.
I
do absolutely believe in ghosts and the abstract, though. There seem to
be lots of haunted people walking around out there.
I
do finish reading a script and say, Why are they making it and what are
they talking about? I like to try and be responsible in my choices in
that way.
I
don't always like my own behavior. I haven't known anyone who is perfect
all the time.
I
don't know if I was a star. I was certainly working a lot and that was
strange because there were good things about it and things that were
difficult.
I
felt for a long time that this is what I want to do so I'm happy at this
point to just take my time and work on projects that I feel strongly
about, and the rest of the time just live my life.
I
had a good time working with Russell Crowe, Ron Howard and Ed Harris. It
was a great cast and Russell worked really hard, doing tons of research
and questioning everything.
I
live in New York, and I'm a mom. I hang out with my son and go to
playgrounds.
I
met Alicia. I wanted to meet her before we started working. Even though
this movie is inspired by them, and their story, and the events of their
lives, in that same way, our Alicia is a fictionalized version of the
real Alicia Nash. She wanted to know about Russell Crowe and how movies
are made.
I
try to do a lot of research beforehand so I know where I want to go with
a scene. I try not to get too stressed about it, because I find that's
the worst thing.
I
try to stay focused on my life and do try not to be brought into the
Hollywood fantasy.
I'm
really insecure and I have a dread that I'm really a thicky, and as a
result I want to play smart people. I like characters that are complex.
I'm
really passionate about what I do. I'm in it because I love the process
of working. I love the creative process of it.
I'm
so happy in the projects that I'm able to make, to be involved in
projects like this. This isn't always where it was at for me, I started
working when I was a kid. I'm just a different person now, I'm 30. I
started working when I was 11 and it's a different ballgame.
I've
always wanted to understand people. It's just in my nature to understand
why we are here, and communicate with people. I felt strongly about the
idea of looking at addiction. Not just addiction to drugs, but people
and their relationships to mothers. People not feeling protected and
mothered.
I've
chosen not to live in Hollywood, and instead I live in Brooklyn, New
York. It's how I like to live. I'd rather hang out with my kids and
family when I'm not working. Going to premieres is not my idea of a fun
night out.
If
you get too attached to how you want it to come out the other side, you
freeze. I try to trust that it will work out in the end.
It
was, when I read it, I thought, such a beautiful script. I loved the
story. I thought it was well handled. I thought it was even more moving
because it was a true story and that made it even more poignant.
It's
funny looking at yourself. You know how it is when you look back at old
pictures? It's just funny looking back at yourself walking and talking
at age 14.
People
who are incapable of having any kind of intimate relationship have to
turn to feeling this incredible hunger and void, have to turn to some
quantifiable external product to make them feel whole.
That's
a great feeling to know that I'm going into a project that I have no
idea what will become of that movie, but I really trust Ang Lee. And I
really trusted Ron. It's just really nice to work with people that you
feel that way about.
We
live in downtown Manhattan and we have pretty big windows that looked
right at the World Trade Center. I was home along with Kai and we
watched it all happen. I was holding him in my arms and we were looking
out the window when the second plane hit.
When
I went to university I wasn't looking for a vocation and it was
important to me to have my own private self-edifying experience outside
of the movies. I went back to acting because it's a pretty good job.
When
it's good it's great, it's really great.
You
can't predict what someone else is going to do and when someone else is
going to leave.
Acting
is great. When it works it is so fulfilling. You do the research and
work with other talented people who are creative and compassionate and
use all your faculties. The ability to express yourself completely is
the most wonderful feeling in the world. Each film is a chapter in my
life wherein I learn so much more about myself.
I
so much enjoy being able to completely allow myself to be consumed by a
role, and really grow in the process, once you've done that, it's hard
to go back working on things you don't care about.
[talking
about the films she did in the beginning of her career]: "You don't
want to get rid of your experiences, because they're your experiences -
good or bad - and you need them, but it would be great if they weren't
on the video shelf!"
Alicia
is the person who's trying to ground John Nash in reality and bring him
home, literally, and back to what he was. In A Beautiful Mind (2001),
there are scenes that were painful and scary and sad. I didn't have to
go through degradation as I did in Requiem for a Dream (2000), but there
is a lot of emotional terrain in this movie. There's a tragedy in the
family, and it takes a toll on each of them as they try to live with
each other.
We've
already done plays together. Very short plays. He dictates them to me.
Sometimes he casts me, sometimes he doesn't. And when I'm in the play,
he'll sometimes say to me, 'No Mom, you didn't say that right!'
I
wore a beautiful silver ball gown, which was a refreshing change from
the blue jeans I wore in almost every other scene. It was really a
gorgeous set, with masses of huge chandeliers and thousands of
flickering candles, hundreds of silken cushions and curtains, and masses
of people in strange masks and ornate dresses. There was the thrill of
dancing with David Bowie to one of the songs he composed especially for
the film. There wasn't enough room, for technical reasons, to really
dance around properly, but we just drifted slowly and gracefully (I
hope!) to David's music, and he looked fabulous! It's all a sort of
magical fantasy sequence inside a huge bubble.
I
don't think I would be doing this quality of work if it hadn't been for
my son. He's changed me. He's helped me to understand myself and find my
place in the world. - about her son