27 Dresses has the honor of being the first romantic comedy of 2008. The film stars Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy) as a woman who is so into helping everyone around her, she winds up not only doing bridesmaid duty 27 times, but also helping to plan 27 weddings. Edward Burns co-stars as the handsome boss she has an intense crush on.
Katherine Heigl and Edward Burns Press Conference
Ed, your character is just about perfect. The guy loves dogs, he’s got his own business…are there guys like that out there? Do you know any?
Edward Burns: “The perfect guy - you start with ‘loves dogs’. (Laughing) No, there aren’t any guys like this. It was a little bit like playing a cartoon. He’s a caricature of some kind of perfect guy. Yeah, they do not exist.”
How is this project for you, timing-wise? Is it anything that you imagined doing?
Katherine Heigl: “It was very coincidental timing. I had been planning my wedding for a year and a half. Fox just decided to release this in January, so that’s not my fault. I thought it was interesting because both Malin [Akerman] were planning weddings during the movie. Malin actually went off and got married, came back to work, and there was a ton of wedding talk. Definitely all the details, all the planning, and we hoped the day would turn out. It was just really funny to see Malin come back to work. She could not stop saying, ‘My husband…,’ over and over. It was awesome, and it was exciting.”
Do you want a wedding like the one we see at the end of this film?
Katherine Heigl: “Well, I’m having a smaller wedding. It’s a Christmas wedding, and so it’s a totally different vibe. What is kind of great about it is that I kind of got to have the best of both worlds. In fantasyland, I got to have the beach wedding that was beautiful, fabulous, and wonderful. Hopefully my wedding will be just as nice.”
Katherine, you have been on quite a roll lately with the show and movies taking off. Did you notice you entered another level after the summer?
Katherine Heigl: “I think that the nature of my career certainly changed drastically. It seemed to happen all at once, so it was hard to keep a perspective on it. I think it’s just been the most gratifying and gracious year of my life, personally and professionally. I can only hope that 2008 is just as wonderful, maybe in a different way, because I’m scared to hope that it would be just as awesome as this year.”
Do you have a memory of having to wear a particularly bad bridesmaid dress and what was your favorite of the ones you had to wear in the film?
Katherine Heigl: “I haven’t yet had to wear a terrible bridesmaid dress. My sister, who got married in October, was very considerate about her bridesmaid dresses. My best friend, who got married like 8 years ago, was also very considerate. No one was trying to make us look bad, which was nice.
My favorite of the bridesmaid dresses was, well, I have a couple, but the one in particular was the Gone With the Wind one. I felt very Scarlett O’Hara, which was fun for me. Then I don’t know…the one I didn’t like was lots, like 26 of them.”
Did you have any memories from being in a wedding that you used to get into character?
Katherine Heigl: “My sister got married in October and I was the maid of honor. That was the first time that I really had the role for real. I wished it had happened before the movie actually. I would have had a better perspective on why Jane was so insane. It’s a stressful role, because you want to make sure that you take care of everything that needs to be taken care of, so that the bride herself will have an amazing day. It’s also kind of a big honor because I adore my sister. The fact that she wanted me by her side that day was really important to me. But, it’s stressful. I wouldn’t do it twice in a day, let alone every other weekend.”
How do you balance your work as an actor with your work as a director?
Edward Burns: “It’s sort of apples and oranges. When I show up on a set as an actor, quite honestly it’s a great relief not to have to worry about where you are going to put the camera, what color the walls are, or if that scene is in good enough shape to shoot. My career is kind of like I will direct one or two movies in a row, then I’ll tell my agents, ‘Look, I want to take a year off and find me some acting work,’ so that I can just really go and have fun.”
You said that directing is harder work. Is acting not as big a challenge?
Edward Burns: “No, no, acting is a challenge. Playing George is not necessarily a challenge. He is there to serve the story, so my job in this film, is to listen to Anne Fletcher, our director, and make sure that he’s a version of any straight man. The hijinx surrounds him. My role is to play it straight. It’s a great pleasure when you get t play the lead and you aren’t just the girlfriend. In this case I’m the girlfriend and you do your job. In this case, this was an easier role than some others. Certainly, directing a film is tougher than putting on George’s suit and hair, then hitting your marks.”
Do you have any advice for a single woman?
Katherine Heigl: “I met my fiancé when I wasn’t looking. I know that is a cliché thing to say, it doesn’t really help all that much, because what does that even mean? I had sort of given up on the idea of marriage and family. I had a relationship that ended. I was really disappointed, and I had all these high hopes. I just went, ‘Screw it, I don’t need a man…’ I sort of had given up on the concept of it and figured I could do it on my own. If I wanted to have a family, I could do it on my own. Then boom! I met this guy that I couldn’t imagine living without.
I think the more you want it, the more you are looking for it, the more you repel it for whatever reason. I don’t know why. If you kind of create this vacuum, let life take its course, then you tend to free yourself up for the unexpected. I think, especially for Jane in 27 Dresses, Kevin [played by James Marsden] was clearly the unexpected choice for her. That is what ended up working out when she was able to let go of her ideals. No, she didn’t let go of her ideals, but her idea of what the perfect man would be. That was clearly not George [Edward Burns’ character].”
