What do you think it is about Andre Dubus' stories that make them so intriguing?
I think that it's because they're about human beings and all of our flaws, and without judgment. I would love to do more of his stuff. I think that especially now with what's going on in cinema today, I don't want to jinx it, and not that I'd have that power, but it just seems like we need more and we want more. With everything that's going on, it's not just about entertainment, it's about looking within a bit more and asking the bigger questions. Maybe we're entering into a different period.
Do you know someone like Edith?
I know what it's like to bottle emotion. I've definitely been guilty of that at times in my life. If I do that though, I'll explode over the most ridiculous thing. Suddenly it all comes out and it'll be completely irrational. It was hard, too, because so much of the time it's like, “Why are you allowing this to happen. Why can't you just talk to him?” How can we judge that? Who knows what happened early on in her life that made her a person that's so desperately afraid to voice her needs.
Do you know people who have gone through adultery?
Yeah. I've got friends who are married who have gone through infidelity in their relationships, and they've gotten through it. I've had friends who've had the desire to be with someone else in an animal way and I think that's completely human. I love it when I hear someone say that they have that desire and got honest with their partner and talked about it rather than the partner going, “Damn you,” and getting all jealous and reactive. Rather than that, the partner goes, “Okay, that hurts, but I understand it.” Therefore, that person in your eyes becomes so much greater and so much sexier. So it can diffuse that impulse.
How was working with Mark Ruffalo?
We have parallel stories and I think that's why we get along so well. We appreciate where we are. We really do. We didn't just suddenly arrive at this place. We worked really hard. We did that work because we were dedicated and we love what we do. So there's a great sense of appreciation and understanding of each other.
Did you guys rehearse together?
A little bit. I mean, this is a really low budget film. I arrived just a few days before I started. We got in the room and talked about a few scenes with John, but they were already filming and had been for about three weeks. So there wasn't a huge amount of time, but yeah, we did go out for a drink at the end of the day and really talked about the next day. He's a very easy-going guy. We had a little bit of history before because we'd auditioned together about ten years ago.
What did you audition for?
It was for a movie called “Angel Baby,” which is an Australian movie. I was auditioning for it and my friend knew him and so he called him up and said, “I'm going to tape this.” Rather than just putting the camera there and doing an audition like this, we actually tried to make it slightly cinematic and did three or four scenes. We spent a whole day doing it and got really into it. Neither of us were working. We were desperate for a job. We had a great time doing it. Neither of us got the part. But it was funny because years later I ran into him and he'd just done “You Can Count On Me,” and I'd just done “Mulholland Dr.” and we were like, “Oh my God, this is great.”
Did you and Laura Dern share David Lynch stories?
Oh yeah, we did. And great stories. We love that man. We're so linked because of him. Also, Laura is someone who I've admired for so many years. I mean, there's nothing that women can't do. She's done it all and I just think that she's as good as it gets. She's really inspired me. “Citizen Ruth,” “Rambling Rose” - those films. I was so happy to get to work with her. I want to do more with her. We didn't get much screen time together.
Do you feel spoiled you've been able to have so many meaty roles?
Yeah. I fear that, but I hope to keep reaching for that. The roles that I've done that are coming out this year are mostly support roles. That's been really fun, too. There's a good emotional journey and you want to create that arch and associate yourself with good material, great actors, great directors. It's been nice to not be driving a film. “21 Grams,” I certainly wasn't driving that.
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