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Interviews From the Premiere of "Shallow Hal"
by Rebecca Murray

 More of this Feature

Additional Interviews

• Jack Black (Hal)
• Director Peter Farrelly
• Tony Robbins
• Joe Viterelli (Steve Shanahan)
• Brooke Burns (Katrina)
• Sascha Knopf (Tanya)

• Photographs from the Premiere
 
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 Elsewhere on the Web

• Official "Shallow Hal" Website

Gwyneth Paltrow departs from her usual, serious period pieces to star in "Shallow Hal," a romantic comedy from filmmakers Bobby and Peter Farrelly. In "Shallow Hal," Gwyneth gets the opportunity to showcase a different side of her considerable talents.

Bobby and Peter Farrelly, along with first-time screenwriter Sean Moynihan, wrote the character of Rosemary with Gwyneth in mind. The Farrellys look for more than just talent when casting their films - they look for reality-based performances. "Gwyneth has a quality that goes beyond mere beauty," says Bobby Farrelly. "She has an ethereal beauty and a luminosity that you can't teach. She just glows when she's smiling, looking like she's happy and in love. That's exactly what was needed for the character of Rosemary."

GWYNETH PALTROW (Rosemary)

What attracted you to this role?
I thought it was a really sweetly written movie. It was so, so funny - it's the usual Farrelly Brothers fare in that way - but at the same time it was so sweet and kind of ultimately protective and championing heavier people. So I thought that was something really nice, and something I wanted to be a part of.

This is departure from your usual roles.
I thought doing this movie would be a nice kind of paradox.

Was it not to have to wear corsets on set for a change?
It was very nice not to have to cry, or wear corsets, and to just have some fun.

What did you learn when you wore the "fat suit" out in public for the first time?
It was a very upsetting day because I got on the make-up and went downstairs and walked thru (the lobby) and nobody would make eye contact with me at all. Everybody was very dismissive. I got a real sense of what it's like to be a heavy person in this country and how people are so insensitive and degrading. It gave me great empathy for people who are heavy.

Did it change your way of thinking?
Yes, I would never have any concept of what it is like to be a heavy person, had I not done this movie and actually lived a good portion of my day and work week as a heavy person.

More Interviews with the Cast of "Shallow Hal" - > Page 2



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