In "The Sweetest Thing," Thomas Jane has the enviable job of portraying Cameron Diaz' love interest. "Peter comes into Christina's world and sort of shakes her cage, rattles it a little bit. She can't ignore that. And she gets this little glimmer of hope - she thinks maybe... you just never know. There just might be a guy out there that's worth it," explains Cameron.
THOMAS JANE (Peter)
Do you think that romantic comedies set an unrealistic standard for romantic relationships?
Hopefully they do and hopefully they also reflect on real-life relationships. Hopefully you get a little bit of fantasy and a little bit of reality mixed in. That's what I like about this movie, it's raunchy and gender swapping and all these sort of new-fangled things that we throw in movies now. At its heart, it's just a good old-fashioned romantic comedy. Like all good movies, you get a little fantasy mixed in there with a little dreaming. There's a little bit of reality thrown in about what it's like to date and how uncomfortable it is to like somebody and to hope they like you back.
Do you miss anything about the dating scene?
No, not really. I'm happy to have a girlfriend and be out of that crazy stuff. It's fun for a little while but ultimately, if you are in it for too long, for me, it just gets boring.
Were you a club-hopping partygoer?
No, I was a young, reclusive, introverted, shy kind of person. If I did go to a club, I was a wallflower. I couldn't really get it on, so to speak, with the ladies. I never had that ability and I think that's why they picked me for this part (laughing).
Do you take women on exotic dates or the traditional 'movie and a dinner' dates?
I like dinner and a movie. I like exotic dates, I like erotic dates, and I like normal, down-home, regular old dates, too.
Are action movies or comedies more difficult for you?
I've got to say that I think comedy, as the adage goes, is the toughest thing to do. Action movies are definitely more taxing and harder on your body but comedies require all of your wit, all your skill, and all your pathos. You really have to stay on your toes.
Is there a scene in this film that you watch and still laugh at?
A lot of it cracks me up. I like the scene where I'm trying to articulate myself to Cameron - that scene still cracks me up. The three of us, Roger, Cameron and myself wrote that scene together because the scene that originally ended the movie was pretty much your standard Nora Ephron kind of scene - [the type] the studio loves. The three of us were never satisfied with that and we found the time in San Francisco to rehearse in a hotel room. We really found a flavor to that scene that had a taste of originality to it, that tasted more real to the three of us. That's really what we were going for and I'm proud of that scene. Every time I watch it, it still makes me smile because there is a lot of me in there and there's a lot of reality in there.
How long did it take for you to jump at this part when you heard that Cameron Diaz was signed on?
[You hear] Cameron Diaz, then you flip to the end and make sure that I'm the guy that's kissing her, and then you say yes. The script went around in Hollywood a couple of years ago. It was so hot, everybody wanted to do this movie. Nancy Pimental sold the script for millions of dollars and every studio in town wanted to buy it. It was a big deal because of its originality and its sort of raunchiness, its gender bending, and role reversing. I felt real honored and proud when I got to be a part of it. A lot of people were after all the parts and a lot of people were out to direct it. I think we were all feeling pretty high in our britches when we landed that job.
How was it to work with Cameron Diaz?
She's terrific. She's such a sweetheart. She's such a sweet girl, easy to talk to, and easy to get along with.
How did you wind up making your film debut in an Indian movie?
I was going to high school in Maryland and I dropped out of high school - I didn't like it anymore - and I started going to an acting school. In Maryland there is a very large Indian community centered around Washington, D.C. Indians came into town to make this film and they were looking for a young, blond-haired kid. They went around to all the different acting schools and they came around to my acting school. I auditioned and got the job - my first job. I went to India and lived there for 4 ½ months. It was a phenomenal experience.
Would you ever go back to Bollywood?
I'd love to go back to Bollywood. I love the way they make movies there. I love their style. My girlfriend recently threw me a birthday party and the whole theme was Bollywood. We got all these Indian movies and we gave out Indian party favors. It was fantastic. I still have a real soft spot for everything Indian.
Did that experience have anything to do with you wanting to become a professional actor?
Absolutely. After that, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I got home, packed up all my stuff, and went to California.
How long did it take for you to really support yourself as an actor?
I started supporting myself in '97 and I got to LA in '89-90. It took me 7 years of bouncing around.
What did you do during those 7 years?
I did a lot of theatre, I did commercials for a little while - just trying to learn the ropes. When I got to Hollywood I didn't know a single soul. I didn't have any family in the business or any friends. Like a lot of people who come from some little town, I didn't know a damned thing about anything. I went to Hollywood Blvd., that's where I started. I was like, “Well, Hollywood - I'll go to Hollywood Blvd.” I walked up and down there.
What was it like to film in Mexico during the filming of "Original Sin" with Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas?
Mexico is fantastic. Mexico City is such a wonderful city, and so unique. It's so crowded and so dirty and there's so much life and the food is so fantastic. I had a great time. Angelina was terrific but Antonio is a real hero down there so it was neat to hang out with him. He couldn't go anywhere; he's a superstar in Mexico. It was a really fun experience.
How do you handle it when a movie doesn't come out as well as you expected?
It's disappointing, and then you move on to the next one. Some work out better than expected and others fail miserably and that's part of what we do. I try to look at my career as a long-term thing. It's longevity that matters. You look over your career and it's the span of choices that you've made over a period of time that make a career, and that also make a statement. So, you miss a stepping-stone every now and then. It's not the end of the world, but it's disappointing.
