JENNIFER CONNELLY (Alicia Nash)
You seem to be often drawn to the “independent” world of movies and plays. This is one of your biggest studio films in a long time. What was the attraction to this film?
It was, when I read it, I thought, such a beautiful script. I loved the story. I thought it was well handled. I thought it was even more moving because it was a true story and that made it even more poignant. Ron was involved, Russ was already involved - whom I think is a great actor. And the woman, no matter what kind of movie it is - studio or independent - was a kind of ferocious, spirited, intelligent, beautiful character, very strong woman, and I was drawn to her.
Could you relate to her in any way?
I could in that - I really was very happy that this was important to Ron in that he wanted to preserve her humanity, which is to say he didn't want her to become any sort of implausible martyr, implausible heroine who is just really the long-suffering wife. She kind of falls apart in self-pity and rage and doubt, and really struggles and breaks down, herself. I felt that made her really human, in that sense that she feels those emotions are all very human emotions. I don't know anyone who hasn't felt those emotions at times.
Did you meet the real woman you play in this film?
I did, I met Alicia. I wanted to meet her before we started working. I went out to New York/New Jersey where she works and sat down and had lunch with her. Even though this movie is inspired by them, and their story, and the events of their lives, in that same way, our Alicia is a fictionalized version of the real Alicia Nash. I still kind of - for my own piece of mind - wanted to go there and say, “I'm playing you, more or less, with some license. Is there anything that you would really like me to convey about you or is there anything that is important to you that I don't convey?” And I would respect that. But in reality, it became just a nice lunch. She wanted to know about Russell Crowe and how movies are made.
Did she mention anything she wanted you to do?
No, not really.
Did she impart information to you that you took away from that?
Not really, to tell you the truth. Like I said, it became just sort of a friendly chat even though I was hoping for that kind of gem that I would take away with me. There was so much background, biographical information; anything I needed was in the biography.
Did you see this ferocious quality in her when you met her?
She's very commanding. She's very exuberant, even now. She's very sharp. You know when you get in a room with someone who is kind of irreverent? Not to say disrespectful, but uninhibited and kind of not particularly self-conscious. She has that spirit to her. So you'd believe her as the young woman who would go to his office and sort of talk her way past the military. She has that spirit even now.
Russell Crowe has a reputation for being very intense on the set. How did you find working with him?
I appreciate that. I like that. He doesn't like to take anything for granted. If it says in the scene that he walks over there and says this, there will be a conversation. He'll ask, "Is that really the best thing for me to do, and what happens if I do this instead?" He makes interesting choices. He likes to explore on the set. He's kind of spontaneous and available as an actor, which I think is great. You just have to be able to be there with him and enjoy that kind of work. I really do.
How does it work - in relation to the director - when Russell wants to experiment? Is it all done through Ron Howard?
Yes, it was very collaborative - the three of us, in the scenes that I worked on with him. Ron was that way, too. He is someone who really knew where he wanted to go with this film and had very strong ideas, but really respects his actors. He really enjoyed trying different things. I remember we had one scene that I got to the set and he had blocked one way, and I felt really strongly that I didn't want to be over there. I said, "I don't really want to be over here, Ron. What happens if I'm sitting here at this table?" Something even technical like that and he said, "Let's try it; let's do it." We do it and he was like, "You know what? You're right. We'll change the lighting, we'll change everything because it just worked better that way." He's someone who is flexible. I never felt that - I was happy to do anything that he asked of me in this movie. Any interpretation that he really wanted to try, I trusted him enough that I would try it, even if I had a different idea about it. And I felt likewise, that I never came away from the scene saying, "I really wanted to do this and I was never given the opportunity to explore this." He worked that way with me and with Russell.
Are you conscious of downplaying the media in your career or is it sort of the nature of some of the characters you play, that they don't always get "spotlight" attention?
I don't know. I'm not aware - I can't comment on any outside perception. I'm happy to come out and talk about movies that I've worked on in a setting like this. Otherwise, I have my own life that I live which is very different and private. So maybe it's that, and also I live in New York, and I'm a mom. I hang out with my son and go to playgrounds.
Has the way you select projects changed since you've become a mother?
Everything changes as a mother. Yes, work has changed. I feel, honestly, in a couple of ways. The projects that I choose are even more important to me now. The world he's growing up in and the kind of stimulus that is out there; they are so precious and I'd do anything to protect him. So, I don't want to put things out there that are going to confuse, hurt, and cause more pain, pointlessly. If something scares someone along the way, okay, something is sad along the way, in the process of trying to talk about something, then okay. Which isn't to say that I'm never going to make a kind of fun comedy, or something that isn't a heavy movie with a mission. But, I do think about those things. I do finish reading a script and say, “Why are they making it and what are they talking about?” I like to try and be responsible in my choices in that way. And beyond that, and more profoundly, it's a huge catalyst for growth and change. I think about this e.e. cummings poem. There's a line that says, “Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.” And I think of my son in that way. He's kind of reached inside me and I don't think anyone could have ever gotten inside of me the way that he has and helped open me up. In that way, that's really changed my life as well.
Has your son seen your films yet?
No. He's seen the trailer for “A Beautiful Mind.” I think his dad showed him “Labyrinth” maybe, once. I wasn't there so I don't know what the reaction was. He saw the trailer and his response was, “You were really mean when you threw that glass at the mirror. Why did you do that?” Some of the movies that I've done recently have not been appropriate for him to see. And then a lot of the old movies, I would really rather not watch again, myself.
Are you saying you don't want to watch “Labyrinth” anymore?
No, I haven't seen that movie in a long time. I loved working on that movie. I loved everyone involved. It's funny looking at yourself. You know how it is when you look back at old pictures? It's just funny looking back at yourself walking and talking at age 14.
In “Waking the Dead,” do you think Sarah was alive or a ghost?
(laughing)Keith Gordon, the director, felt really strongly about not making that clear, even for us. I asked him, and he would never give me the answer. I had to make my own conclusion. I felt I had to play it that she was alive, and then anyone could make their own interpretations from there.
Is it true you're playing Betty Ross in “The Hulk?”
Yes.
How are you going to approach that character?
I don't know yet because I just signed to do it and we're in very preliminary stages. We don't even have the script.
Who is playing Dr. Banner?
Eric Bana. I watched him in “Chopper” and was very impressed.
What is your familiarity with the comic and the old TV series?
I used to watch the old TV series when I was a kid. This is going to be very different from that. We're going to have one actor play both parts. And, it's Ang Lee. I would be shocked if it's like any comic book movie that I've ever seen. He has very ambitious ideas for this movie and that's what really got me on board, is him and the way that he wants to approach it, which is very creative.
What attracted you to “The Hulk?”
It's a comic book but I asked him (Lee) why he wanted to make “The Hulk.” He said, “It's really a Greek Tragedy.” It's actually a psychodrama. It talks about the rage inside all of us. It talks about fathers and sons, and Lee's talking about using a kind of heightened format to get at something really profound that is otherwise more difficult to access. It's really interesting and ambitious. He's not talking about “I want to see a guy running around in green tights and I want to make a really glossy, fun-filled movie for kids.” He's talking along these lines of tragedy and psychodrama. I find it really interesting. The green monster of rage and greed and jealousy and fear in all of us.
Do you see a similarity between that and “A Beautiful Mind?”
I can't even say yet because I'm not really sure. I was trying to follow his ideas of what he wants to do and honestly, I don't even know what to anticipate with him. The similarities are, I think, filmmakers that I really respect and trust, and that's a great feeling to know that I'm going into a project that I have no idea what will become of that movie, but I really trust Ang Lee. And I really trusted Ron. It's just really nice to work with people that you feel that way about.
Did the events of Sept. 11th, and living in New York, reinforce your sense of protection of your son?
We live in downtown Manhattan and we have pretty big windows that looked right at the World Trade Center. I was home along with Kai and we watched it all happen. I was holding him in my arms and we were looking out the window when the second plane hit. I gasped and he put his hand on my face and said, “Shhh mommy, mommy, don't get upset, you're the grown-up.” I thought okay; I became the filter through which he measured his reactions to what was happening. At that time, I really needed to keep my own emotions in check and stay really solid for him, so that I wouldn't alarm him. I've been trying very hard to not lie to him about anything that's going on, because kids are so smart and they know. At the same time, do everything that I can without promising him anything that I can't promise him to help him feel safe by trying to focus more on the things that are being done to prevent anything like this from ever happening again. The ways in which our government is trying to keep our cities safe, and our people safe, and try and focus on that. He talks about it a lot.
Do you think that it's changed the atmosphere among artists? Is there more tolerance for serious projects?
Certainly seemed ridiculous to talk about a lot of trivial things after that, didn't it? A nice by-product of the tragedy was in New York City, everyone talking to each other. Everyone having a reason to stop on a corner and say, “How are you and how is your family? How is everyone you love? Are you guys all okay and how are your kids dealing with it?” I never felt such a sense of community in New York City and I was born and raised there. So that's been kind of interesting. There have been benefits and concerts and plays and projects that have come out in relief. It just seems like an upwelling of compassion. It would be great if that sustained.
Are you surprised that people suddenly talk about you being a “serious” actress where they didn't a few years ago? Do you feel that at all? Do you think it's overdue?
I'm not really aware of the comments you may be referring to. It's all so flattering. I'm so happy in the projects that I'm able to make, to be involved in projects like this. This isn't always where it was at for me, I started working when I was a kid. I'm just a different person now, I'm 30. I started working when I was 11 and it's a different ballgame. I'm really passionate about what I do. I'm in it because I love the process of working. I love the creative process of it.
What do you love about acting that has sustained you since age 11?
It's changed over time, but right now it's a great thing to do on so many levels. It's sort of my niche. I need to be involved in some sort of creative expression and it just feels like the right niche for me. Like any kind of creative endeavor, it's like a personal archaeological dig every time you work on a project and I love that. I love questioning what I'm doing here - “Why are we here? What is this about? What does this mean? What do we feel? What are our dreams?” I've been engaged in those kinds of explorations for as long as I can remember. It's the perfect place for me to be because that's what I do in my work.
That brings to mind "Requiem for a Dream." What do you think makes you willing to go on those digs?
I've always wanted to understand people. It's just in my nature to understand why we are here, and communicate with people. That was a movie I felt strongly about. I felt strongly about the idea of looking at addiction. Not just addiction to drugs, but people and their relationships to mothers. People not feeling protected and mothered maybe. This is my personal view of the movie and why it was important, mind you. People not trusting themselves, not loving themselves or respecting themselves. And therefore people who are incapable of having any kind of intimate relationship who then have to turn to feeling this incredible hunger and void, have to turn to some quantifiable external product to make them feel whole. That's a lot safer because you can measure it out. You can't predict what someone else is going to do and when someone else is going to leave. I think that's really tragic and I think that's really prevalent in our world, on really subtle levels sometimes, but I think it's really prevalent. I think it's great to lend myself to discussions about this.
Did you feel you always wanted to make that transition from child actor to an adult actor, or was there a point when you didn't quite know?
I went through a period a long time ago, when I was a lot younger, that I thought this is all so stressful. Growing up, being watched from the outside and it's kind of very taxing and maybe I should just do some kind of manual labor - it might be more relaxing. But I can't, it's not in my nature. So I keep coming back to it and I've re-chosen it. Then there was a period that I felt like I wasn't being quite considered for the projects that I wanted to work on because maybe people would think, “I'm not going to cast the girl from THAT movie for this adult project.” There was a period of transition for me. I felt for a long time that this is what I want to do so I'm happy at this point to just take my time and work on projects that I feel strongly about, and the rest of the time just live my life. I love getting the opportunity to work on projects like this. It means a lot to me.
