According to director Coolidge, it was Stiles' intelligence and ability to empathize with the character that sold Coolidge on casting Julia in this role. "Julia understands the issues Paige is up against. She's very savvy about the character and knows the conflict between the emotions and intellect that young women who are seeking careers face."
INTERVIEW WITH JULIA STILES:
Romantic comedies have a certain formula. How do you make one standout?
How do I make a romantic comedy standout? You know, I don't really see this as a romantic comedy. That sort of label definitely has a negative spin to it. I feel like my intention with the movie all along and Martha's [Coolidge] and the studio' was to make like a romance, almost like the classic love stories from the 1950's. And certainly there are funny moments in the movie, but when I think of a romantic comedy, I think of...I don't know. I think of more like written jokes, slapstick almost.
Why do you think that names has such a negative connotation?
Because it's become like a meaningless phrase. Everything gets labeled a romantic comedy if it has romance in it or a joke. Am I wrong?
Do you think this is more fantasy?
Yeah. You watch two people fall in love and connect. It's the tried and true story of two people from different walks of life connecting on a really deeper level. There is a fantasy element to it and fairy tale element to it, but what's nice is that my character is really grounded and real and is believable, hopefully, if I did my job. It's not a repeat of Cinderella stories.
Would you leave school for your true love?
I don't think that I'd have to leave school. I think that whoever I fell in love with truly would want me to stay in school.
But under the same extreme circumstances as the movie?
I couldn't imagine circumstances where I'd have to leave school.
Are you still in school?
Yes, I have a year left. I'm enjoying it a lot. My friends are all graduating this year, but yeah, I enjoy school a lot. I took this semester off to work. I did the sequel for "The Bourne Identity" and so I just got back from Berlin and then I'm going to do a play for four months. So, I haven't been in school since December.
Does school provide a balance to the Hollywood lifestyle?
Yes. It's nice to go to a place where my professors really demand that I perform intellectually. They care about my ideas and what I have to say. Not that the work that I do as an actress, that the people I work with don't care about what I have to say, but it's just apples and oranges. I guess I have attention deficit disorder and I guess that I like to change it up a lot.
Do you have any ambition to do post-graduate work?
No. My experience being in school is really different from a lot of my peers. Like, I'm there really almost like it’s a really expensive book club. I feel like I get to go and read great literature and hear what really intelligent people have to say about it. And that's a luxury. I'm just sort of in school because it's a safe place to grow up and it's very stimulating, but I don't think that I would do post bachelor work. I mean, it wouldn't really make sense for me because I don't need an English degree to be an actress. It becomes much more specific, getting a masters degree in English. It's really more designed for people who want to be English scholars and it's much more focused.
Why continue with school now that your acting career is really hot?
Well, my reasons when I started were different from the reasons that I'm continuing now. My reasons for starting school had to do more with the experience of it all, and then, I ended up really just enjoying studying. There are things that I can study in school that I can't learn on a movie set. It's good to get perspective.
Are you treated differently at school?
It runs the gamut. Some people are nice to me, some people are not nice to me, but that would happen to anyone. I have a good group of friends, and I'm also in school with a lot of really driven kids that, you know, are world renowned cellists and kids who are doing science research. So, it's pretty humbling.
Did you draw on any of your college experiences for this role?
No, because actually, she's really science-oriented and hates Shakespeare, and I'm an English major who hates science. So, it's really the opposite.
PAGE 2: Julia Stiles on Onscreen Chemistry, Shakespeare, and "The Bourne Supremacy"
ADDITIONAL "THE PRINCE & ME" RESOURCES:
Interview with Luke Mably
"The Prince & Me" Photo Gallery
"The Prince & Me" Trailer, Credits and Websites
