JENNIFER MORRISON
Do you skate in "Grind?"
I do actually skate in "Grind."
Did you already know how to?
I did not. I learned on set. It was definitely a crash course.
No pun intended?
(Laughing) Right.
What were the lessons like?
It wasn't real lessons basically because they had all these amazing pro skaters hired to either stunt double us or actually skate themselves in the film. We had the best of the best around us at all times. It was like from day one, we had Morgan Stone, who was one of the producers who also grew up skating, working with all of us, and then all the pros who came on set, they just had to set us up with them and [have] them help us feel comfortable.
What's your character?
I play a pro skateboarder. She's basically someone who's had to stick up for herself a lot because a girl in that sport is really - in the last few years - had to prove herself and prove that she's just as good as the guys and keep up with the guys. She's had some struggles with that but then [she] also ends up having a romantic tryst with the lead guy character.
Like "Blue Crush" but on land?
A little bit, but the story's really about the journey that the guys are taking. It's four boys who decide that they're going to try to become pro skaters, so they start chasing a pro tour across the country trying to get noticed. And in their journey, they keep running into me and keep seeing me and it becomes that. So, that's where I fit into the story. I wouldn't say "Blue Crush" because it really isn't girls.
And you've also got "Surviving Christmas" coming up?
It's a Dreamworks film with Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara and Christina Applegate.
Who do you play?
I play Ben's girlfriend actually, which was quite an adventure. I basically play his girlfriend who's sort of this high society upper class girl who's with him because he's made a lot of money and he's very charming. And we just go through some struggles because our ideals don't match up. He goes into this whirlwind spiral where he hires this family to pretend to be a family for Christmas in order to try to get me back. And so, it becomes this fiasco.
Was it hard to keep a straight face?
There were times with Catherine O'Hara with James Gandolfini, it's hard, but eventually you hold up. I guess you just kind of get used to it and you get into the swing of it and it all works out.
