In "Levity," Billy Bob Thornton stars as Manual Jordan who, as a teenager, made a horrifying mistake. While robbing a convenience story, he shot and killed the clerk, a boy no older than himself.
After 23 years in prison desperately trying to understand what happened, Manual is released back into the world. Wandering the neighborhood where he committed the crime, fate intervenes when he answers a ringing payphone which leads him to a temporary home in a community center run by the tough but caring pastor, Miles Evans (Morgan Freeman). At the community center, Manual meets Sofia (Kirsten Dunst), another lost soul seeking comfort. As Manual and Sofia struggle with their own demons, he meets Adele (Holly Hunter), the sister of the young boy he murdered. By helping Adele deal with her own troubled son, Manual is given a chance to atone for his past.
Commenting on the casting of Kirsten Dunst as the self-destructive, privileged 'Sofia,' executive producer Lori McCreary said, "I can barely believe that Kirsten is only 19 because she has the wisdom of someone much older." Producer Richard Gladstein adds, "Kirsten is a great addition to the movie because she adds a young, wild vigor to this story."
KIRSTEN DUNST ('Sofia')
Could you relate to this character?
Oh, like I'm doing crazy things in real life? Do I? I don't do [those] kind of crazy things. I mean, I'm like an old lady. My girlfriend and I went out the other night and I dropped her off at 12:30 and we were all tired. It's such a scene in Los Angeles, I can't even deal with it. I just feel like an old lady. All I want to do is stay home, veg out, watch movies, eat at home, and chill with the cat. That's basically it. Pretty much vegging out is my life right now.
What was the mood like on this set? Was it very serious?
Yes [laughing]. No, not so serious, but it was pretty depressing because as soon as you're in cold weather, shooting nights... It's like you're not home, you don't have the comforts of home. It's like I was by myself and it gets lonely. I was the only younger person on the set, and I was kind of staying in a depressing hotel, too.
"Levity" is about unfinished business. Did you feel that pressure while filming this?
I didn't feel that so much because my relationship... I'm sure it was more like [that with] Billy Bob [Thornton] and Holly [Hunter's] scenes. But for me and Billy Bob, it was really trying to find the light in all of that from each other. It's like this opposing energy where he's kind of just very withdrawn. I am, also, but I want to breakthrough to him and [I want] him to breakthrough to me. It's really powerful. It's like, "Can you ever be redeemed from something like that?" It's hard. I don't know if I ever could be after I did [something] like that.
If you were in that situation, would you forgive him?
Would I forgive him? I don't know until I've been in that situation, honestly. I can't say, I can't really say.
How did you get involved in this project?
I read it and I heard about the cast, and after coming off of "Spider-Man," I was wanting to do something like an ensemble, something smaller and dramatic, and something that would challenge me. I met with Ed [Solomon] and Ed and I talked for a while. I just felt like this was a good movie to be a part of. When I read the script, whether it was like an unconscious thing or whatever, something struck me about playing this girl.
"The Virgin Suicides" and "Bring It On" were very interesting, diverse choices.
And big risks. Both of those were huge risks, too. A lot of people don't take as big of risks anymore. I feel like [it's] because they want to work with the best director, they want to work with the best script, and I'm getting into that head space too. But then you have to take risks because that's when the real gems happen. "Bring It On" was a total risk. It was a first-time director and so was Sofia [Coppola]. I mean, that could've been a disastrous movie.
Was "Spider-Man" a risk?
I think so. It's a big movie and I really would not want to be in a big movie that didn't have some profound message whether it's to little kids or whoever. I really feel like, especially now in these times that we're in right now, "with great power comes great responsibility" was our running theme through the whole movie. It's really about loneliness and love. When you break it down, it's really a beautiful story, I think.
Did that risk pay off?
It's helped me in a lot of different ways in my career and in doing smaller films and getting smaller films made that maybe wouldn't as much. So yeah, it makes life easier.
You've got "Mona Lisa Smile" with Julia Roberts coming out soon. What's that about?
That's about wealthy college girls in the fifties. That comes out in the fall, I think. That's a different role for me, too. I play a real b***h in that one.
Interview with Holly Hunter - >Page 2
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