ANGELINA JOLIE (‘Illeana Scott’):
Despite the fact this is a psychological thriller, the rest of the cast has mentioned the fact you all had a great time working on this film.
We did. We should have done a comedy because we were laughing all the time. Instead we did this very, very serious, scary movie.
How did you get ready for this role?
With this one, we studied a lot with the FBI and we tried to get into the mind of the serial killers, both the people playing the killers and for the cops studying them. We all had this kind of really dark crash course in what it’s like to think that way and to see real cases. It was quite shocking to see what they’re really like and how they’re not different from us. Sometimes they have wives and kids and nice houses… It’s strange.
Would you want to be a profiler?
No, because I think they have to live inside the world of serial killers. That’s a really haunting, horrible life that they have to constantly be thinking about life and people’s families. I wouldn’t trade that life. I think it’s horrible for them.
Can you talk about working with some of the French actors on this?
Oh, they were wonderful. They tried to teach me French but I was terrible.
What did they teach you in French?
(Laughing) Nothing that I can say on camera. Nothing that’s not naughty.
What’s your impression of French men now?
You know what? It’s wonderful. I think I didn’t really have an impression before. Me and Paris didn’t really get on well a few years ago. These guys are great. They’ve certainly made me appreciate the French and French men. They were just lovely men.
Why was D.J. Caruso the right director for this film?
What’s interesting about DJ is that DJ is the most down to earth, lovely, most devoted husband. Three kids, teaches softball, goes to church every Sunday so for some reason he can go to that dark, scary, sexy place in such a bold way because his life is so pure and full of light and love. It’s bizarre, but because of that, he has this extreme and he does things like “Salton Sea” and this film. And also, he’s just such a team player. He makes everybody feel like we’re all just buddies and we’re all trying to make a movie and we’re all doing the best we can. And he’s trying to do the best he can. You don’t feel like he’s the director, there’s the crew, and you’re the actors. You all feel like you’re on a team – a baseball team. That’s how it should be.
Did anything scary happen while you were making this creepy thriller?
Nothing scary, but I don’t really scare easy. But [it was] a bit weird, you know, when you’re shooting in the morgue and you have to stop because it was a real morgue and bodies were coming in.
The thriller genre is a crowded one. What jumped out at you about this script?
It truly surprised me many times, this script. And it’s genuinely scarier and sexier than any [thriller] you’ve seen in a long time.
Before you spoke with the reporters tonight, you spent a good deal of time with your fans. How important are they to you?
They are the most important. It doesn’t matter if the critics hate the movie, it’s that person who comes up to you on the streets and says, “I got it and it made me think this way about my life” or “It made me enjoy this.” That’s what it is all about.
When you win an Oscar early on in your career, sometimes people think it jinxes your career in Hollywood. What did it do for you?
I don’t know. I never took it seriously. I make a point of giving all of them away so I don’t have them in my house, so I never see them and I never think, “That’s what it’s about.” My brother has them, my mom has them, so I never see them. I never think about them.
You’ve said you like to buck the trends. Where does that philosophy come from?
I don’t know. I think I just never want to be tied into [anything]. I never want to be cautious in life. I tend to not want to live that way. I think life’s too short.
Is it weird when someone says “Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie?”
(Laughing) Well they’ve said worse things.
Frankly, you come across as a down to earth person. How do you stay so grounded?
(Laughing) In the middle of all this? I don’t know. We’re all doing a job and we’re all people with families and kids. I kind of see the world that way. My kid grounds me.
What are you enjoying the most about motherhood?
Oh God, that after tonight I’m going to come home and he’s going to be in his little pajamas and come running at me and hug me. Then I’ll feel special.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Taking Lives" Interviews: Director DJ Caruso / Gena Rowlands
"Taking Lives" Premiere Photos
"Taking Lives" Photos, Trailer, and Credits
