After spending time as Adriana on the HBO mob drama "The Sopranos," de Matteo admits the writing on "The Sopranos" has spoiled her so much that selecting movie projects has become a difficult task. She took on the role of Iris in the "Assault on Precinct 13" remake because it was something different, and because she couldn't pass on the opportunity to work with a cast that includes Laurence Fishburne and Ethan Hawke. The chance to fire a gun instead of having one pointed at her - a la "Sopranos" - was also a selling point.
In this interview, Drea de Matteo addresses being cast in sexy Italian-American girl roles, costumes, gun training, and transitioning from the drama of "The Sopranos" to the sitcom, "Joey."
INTERVIEW WITH DREA de MATTEO ('Iris'):
Did you get to choose your outfit in this movie? A lot of people in the audience were commenting on those stockings and the stilettos.
The stockings and those stilettos. Well, originally I thought we were going to be more dressed like Adriana [from “The Sopranos” since I was playing yet another Italian-American, which seems to be the story of my life at this point. But [director] Jean-Francois had never seen “Sopranos.” He hired me based on this movie “’R Xmas,” so I kind of made her a little more like that character. And they wanted me to be more dressed up because I was ready to party for New Year’s. And so Jean-Francois sort of was involved in the picking out of my outfit. We decided not to have her in pink, in secretary-style.
How did you manage to work in the snow in stilettos?
It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare. I had strep throat, 104 fever, scratched cornea, black eye, and wearing those stilettos in the freezing cold, and it was not fun.
Were the injuries from stunts in the film?
No. I had gone and done the pilot for “Joey” and as the producer was saying good-bye to me, she scratched my cornea. And I got a 104 fever on the plane. Then I walked into a table that was sitting on top of another table with me eye – on this eye [indicating her left]. This was the scratched cornea [indicating her right eye], this was the black eye [indicating her left]. So, it was eventful.
Did you feel like packing it up and just going home to bed?
I always feel like packing it up and going home to bed. I’m not one of those actors that wants to sit here and talk about their craft [for] 24 hours, because I’m just not interested anymore.
This is your first real action role, isn’t it?
Yeah, that’s why I did it. It was such a great cast and I’d never done an action film. I’d never shot a gun before, I’ve always just had them shot at me (laughing). So I figured it would be fun to do. The script was definitely not the normal, formulaic, slick Hollywood film, which I don’t normally enjoy myself. So I did it.
Did you do any training with the guns?
We only had one day of training. The three of us – the three girls – went and did it. It’s funny because all of us were so true to our characters when we even did it. Maria [Bello] was very like [fumbling around], “Ohhh.” And I was all kind of gung-ho but still a little, little trepidacious. And then Aisha [Hinds] was just, “Give me the gun!” She was the best with it.
You said that action movies aren’t your type of movie. What type of films do you enjoy personally?
I like small films, small character-driven films. I haven’t seen any movies this year. I have a sick dog so I work all the time and then I go home to be with my dog. But the only movie I did get to see was “Garden State,” and that kind of movie is what I like. Something that’s still a drama but still doesn’t take itself too seriously. I like a lot of French and German [films]. I like a lot of the old German filmmakers and stuff like that. Italian films…
Your costume in this and then your costume in “Sopranos” - does anything that you’ve done so far reflect your personal taste?
I mean, I can whip out a few sexy outfits every now and then but I’m not a very… I don’t think I’m sexy. I don’t feel sexy. I don’t act like I’m sexy in my real life. I don’t even find the characters that I play that sexy. So it was difficult for me to play ‘sexy’ in this role, because I’m actually playing it instead of just existing there and being sexy. But I mean, yeah, I wear low-cut tops every now and then. I never wear a mini-skirt in real life. I don’t think I’ve ever worn a mini-skirt in my entire life. It’s just not for any reason, it’s just that I don’t like to cross my legs. I’m more of a guy and you know…
Is that why you know how to kill people six different ways or something like that? Have you always been some sort of a tomboy perhaps?
(Laughing) Oh, I’m very much a tomboy. I had two older brothers, you know.
PAGE 2: Drea de Matteo on the Original Movie, This Cast, and Ripping Out People's Throats
