Will audiences of today connect with this story? Do you believe this is something contemporary moviegoers will embrace?
There are two layers of this question. The first, I would say that I am a contemporary girl and I really want young women and young men to go out saying, “Wow, we could really relate to her because she’s our age and she has the same sort of mentality.” The second thing is I think we make the Shakespeare so accessible because we really had no choice but to make it as honest as we could. There’s a part where it was like, “If you can’t understand what the other person is saying, stop the take.” And I hope people come out going, "Wow, I’m intelligent because I got what these people are saying.”
The other layer to this is, unfortunately, the intolerance, the anti-Semitism, the lack of forgiveness and morality. It’s even more prevalent today. It’s not necessarily just more conflicts between Christianity and Judaism. It’s every religion, every race. Even now the way that sexuality is being cut up and tossed around. It seems to be just a part of humanity, our intolerance, and the levels are just growing. I hope people walk out going, “It was 1595. We’re on the brink of 2005. What has really changed and why aren’t we learning? What is going to stop this, if it’s ever going to stop?”
Why do you think that no other director or other writer has tried to bring this particular Shakespeare play to the big screen?
Because they’re scared! (Laughing) They are all scaredy cats. I wouldn’t try to tackle this. Definitely I think about directing, I’ll probably do it later in my life, but this play would not be something I would try to tackle at all. I think Michael is incredibly brave. He knows exactly what he thinks about everything.
I just think it’s flawed because it was a vehicle for anti-Semitism. It’s flawed because how do you combine the lyrical, romantical life of Belmont with this earthy, hardcore Venetian life and actually end up in the end making you feel like, “Okay, that story has a button. That story has a button.” I think Michael both accomplished that and in a really interesting way, also still keeps you thinking. The rash decisions that these people all make and the consequences thereof is my favorite part of it. How everyone is flawed and how everyone, in the end, is dealing with what they did or did not do.
You mentioned a little earlier that it was a nightmare to shoot in Venice. Why?
Just the logistics, in general. Everything has to be done on water. The Italians, I love them and they take their time, which I think as Americans we can definitely learn from. But when you’re trying to shoot a film where the financing is going to be pulled at any second, it’s frustrating (laughing). That the basic gist of it. I loved it, but I understand how for the producers and the director and the rest of the crew working behind the scenes, it really was difficult for them. All I had to do was try not to eat too much pasta so my corsets would fit (laughing).
Speaking of the costumes, do you really love period pieces?
I love the fact that period pieces can give you so much more to get into the character. So it’s not period pieces that I love. I mean, I also love history. I’m a big history buff. When you are hired to do a part that’s in a different time period, you’re basically given free time to learn and teach yourself about that time period. That’s probably what I enjoy. And of course the different hair, the different clothes, it allows you to take on this person in a way that say if I was to play a character that had my hairdo and my style, it really for me wouldn’t feel like acting. I like the disappearing act that one can do.
What’s up next for you?
I’m going to doing the next Merchant Ivory film in India, in January. And that’s set in the 1980s so it’s a semi-period piece (laughing). And then I go to Ireland to shoot the life of Charlotte Bronte in a movie called “Bronte.” I’m excited. That’s another one that’s a period piece and I’m excited. Plus you know Charlotte was not considered a beautiful woman so we’re going to try to give me some funky teeth or something (laughing).
How’d you get hooked up with that script?
I had read it and heard it was around, and just told my agents and managers this is going to be the next thing. I had a very difficult year this year. I haven’t worked since [“Merchant of Venice”]. There have been offers that would come in but everybody, including my co-stars, have been, “You can not take anything that isn’t going to be right.” They felt like my performance in this film was going to be able to set me up for a certain kind of career, that I shouldn’t make any kind of bad steps at this time. So when I read it I just knew that this was the next one, or something that could at least follow in the right direction.
