Working with the legendary actress seemed surreal to "Taking Lives" co-star Olivier Martinez. Martinez is a huge fan of Rowlands' movies and says seeing his name on the same call sheet as hers was "utterly unbelievable." Producer Bernie Goldmann praises Rowlands saying, "The way she took the darkness of her part and carried it underneath the sweet veneer is truly amazing."
GENA ROWLANDS (‘Mrs. Asher’):
Can you explain what attracted you to “Taking Lives?”
It’s a really good thriller. It’s kind of old-fashioned in a good sense.
In what sense is it old-fashioned?
Well it’s an out-and-out thriller. It has a lot of tricks, a lot of roads going this way and that way, and it really doesn’t have a message. It’s just a really good old-fashioned thriller. I think people will enjoy it. The script was good to begin with.
How tough is it to promote a movie that has so many twists, and you can’t give anything away?
(Laughing) It’s just awful. Someone asks you something and you say, “I’m sorry, I really can’t talk about that.” And they say, “Well, good… What am I supposed to do?”
What is it about Angelina Jolie that makes her so special?
I don’t know. She just is a charming woman and is talented and she is spectacularly beautiful. That’s a wonderful combination.
You’re a mother in real life and of course you play a mother in this movie. Could you relate to this character?
I like to think that Mrs. Asher is a lot stranger mother than I am. I hope that that’s true. She’s one of the strangest characters I’ve ever played. I wouldn’t like to face some of the problems she has faced with her twin boys.
You’ve raised the next generation of Hollywood. Did you anticipate that was going to happen, that your children would be involved in this business?
No Nick, my son who is directing, is 6'6" and he was always a basketball player. I thought he’d be a professional athlete and then he had a bad accident and couldn’t go on with that. Then when he turned to writing, I wasn’t really surprised because he was always a good writer in school. But I was surprised at his interest. And then he just got hooked, like all of us. He just liked the business. And now both of my daughters – one is making a documentary and the other is about to start her independent movie, too.
Was it hard to raise a family in Hollywood, which is such a crazy place?
Probably it’s hard any place but I don’t think it’s any crazier. You don’t have to partake in craziness just because you live here.
What about having to shield your privacy?
Well, if you are a great big glamorous star then you do have a lot of that. But the ‘paparazzi’ so to speak – it has its rules, too, and it can be quite reasonable.
How do you sum up your career to this point?
I really haven’t summed it up. The thing about acting is you don’t want to let on how enjoyable it is or then everybody would want to become an actress. But it really is. It’s a pleasure to go and exchange your identity.
What’s next for you?
I just did a picture for my son – “The Notebook” with James Garner, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. It’s a picture that has people who love right through life, no matter what terrible things happen to them.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Taking Lives" Interviews: Director DJ Caruso / Angelina Jolie
"Taking Lives" Premiere Photos
"Taking Lives" Photos, Trailer, and Credits
