John Krasinski and Ginnifer Goodwin play good friends who've always been there for each other since they were young in Something Borrowed, a romantic comedy based on the novel by Emily Giffin. Something Borrowed finds Goodwin playing Rachel, best friend and maid of honor to Darcy (Kate Hudson) - who just happens to be marrying the man (played by Colin Egglesfield looking a lot like a young Tom Cruise) Rachel's secretly been in love with for years. As the wedding date approaches, the situation gets complicated due to unexpected declarations of love.
Together for the LA press day of the Warner Bros Pictures romcom, Krasinski and Goodwin talked about the appeal of the project and how they approached playing characters who never speak up about their true feelings until pushed into it.
On the appeal of Something Borrowed:
Ginnifer Goodwin: "I loved the challenge of finding sympathy for this character and trying to represent her in a way that the audience could find sympathy for her, because I actually judge her harshly and think she makes piss-poor decisions at every turn. I don’t necessarily believe that she deserved to have true love in the first place, given her actions and her lack of responsibility taken."
On relating to people who are just too paralyzed by fear to speak up and can’t make decisions:
John Krasinski: "Yeah, sure. It’s definitely particular to each situation, but whether it is a long history, or someone that you’re intimidated by, or someone that you didn’t think you ever had a shot at, at the end of the day, I think we’re all living through high school, every day."
Ginnifer Goodwin: "We’re all still terrified of rejection."
John Krasinski: "So, I can totally relate to it."
Ginnifer Goodwin: "Absolutely! It took me realizing that a broken heart has never actually killed anyone to find the courage to ask for what I want, in just about every situation. That was part of my own growing up."
On the challenge of creating a character in a film versus a television series:Ginnifer Goodwin: "It’s a challenge to work a character’s arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow and develop a character. Ultimately, I do leave movies going, '“Oh, I wish I had done x, y and z with my representation, my form of expression and with the choices that I made.' I don’t necessarily have those regrets when I’m on a TV show because there’s time to go home and realize it could go in some other direction and shift the focus."
John Krasinski: "I don’t think there’s any comparison to what is more fun to do. It’s definitely The Office, only because I’m given many more opportunities to flesh out these characters and this decision and this relationship so slowly and intricately. That’s amazing. It’s like saying that you can have the color red, or you can have 18 versions of the color red and pick your exact choice. Here, you just have to get something on screen. They’re two totally different challenges. This was fun, for sure. I basically had to blurt out my feelings in one scene, and you couldn’t even see that it was coming a mile away. It was actually pretty easy. It was like, 'It’s now or never,' which is what the character was going through."
Can cheating ever be forgiven and would Kate's character ever be friends with Ginnifer's character again?
Ginnifer Goodwin: "Gosh, I’m not sure they should be friends. No matter how much love is there, these aren’t two people who are actually good for each other. They don’t help each other grow. They stifle each other’s growth."
John Krasinski: "It’s almost like the cheating was a catalyst. In a lot of relationships, when you’re an adult, you realize that you’ve actually just been repeating a pattern. When someone breaks that pattern and it makes you realize what’s right or wrong about the person, you’re like, 'Oh, my god, we’ve never really been that close.' You’re happy to write it off because there’s no conflict and no effort. But, when you actually have to confront it, that’s probably why a lot of adult relationships don’t survive."
On why their characters were ever friends with Kate Hudson's character, Darcy, in the first place:
John Krasinski: "History. I know more people who have gone through it than I actually went through it myself. But, if you did go to high school and then college, there’s definitely a solidarity with someone that is from your hometown and knows your mom, and all that stuff. There’s this weird politeness that we have, as a society. You don’t want to make it hard for anybody."
Ginnifer Goodwin: "Darcy and Rachel were friends from the time that they were little bitty girls. Rachel always found her self-worth in what was left over from Darcy’s sunshine. She didn’t really know any better. She was always under Darcy’s thumb, and she didn’t understand that she deserved more. It took something like this to break the pattern. I think they got something from each other. I think that Darcy made life fun for Rachel. Where Rachel is an incredibly passive person, Darcy gave her life, in many ways, that Rachel would have never claimed for herself. But there’s just so many negatives to that relationship that, ultimately, I’m not sure the pros outweigh the cons."
On working out their characters' relationship with Kate Hudson:Ginnifer Goodwin: "We got along immediately. We become friends the moment we met. We’re both girl’s girls. Neither one of us is competitive with other actresses. We have the same life priorities, so as different as we may be, we’re exactly the same in the most important ways, so we became fast friends. That part wasn’t difficult. We never had to work on representing the chemistry between us. And I turned to her a lot, during the movie, for advice. She’s really an artist, in this genre. She is an artist in many genres, but I definitely feel like she understands the math of this genre in a way that I don’t, so she was a great resource. This role was a stretch for her. It was interesting because she did it so convincingly well. She’s as free-spirited and vivacious as you would want her to be, but without all of that horrible oppression that comes with Darcy."
John Krasinski on shooting Steve Carell's final The Office episode:
John Krasinski: "Brutal, in no uncertain terms. I only say that so clearly because it wasn’t so clear when it was happening. I think I was under the impression of my logical brain saying, 'This is just what happens. People move on and they have contracts that expire and it’s nothing personal.' Then, you realize that a huge part of your show, a huge part of your every day life and a huge part of the energy around you every day is gone, and it’s just sad to lose a friend like that. So, it was tough, but it’s all fantastic. Our energy level on set is tremendous. We all feel incredibly excited about what’s to come. Everybody was talking about a spin-off, two and a half or three years ago, and this is our spin-off. This is the show sans Steve. It’s The Office 2."
"I definitely cried on the last day. I wasn’t expecting it. The last scene of the day was our goodbye of characters. We hadn’t said goodbye, and so that was an incredibly existential black hole. There was way too much happening. So, there were definitely tears."
Ginnifer Goodwin on saying good-bye to Big Love:
Ginnifer Goodwin: "Everybody asks if it was bittersweet, but it was just bitter. That’s the best job I’ve ever had, and it’s the best job I will ever have. I miss it, every day. Oh, my gosh, we all burst out crying. When we found out that it was going to end, we actually shut down production for two hours. It was towards the beginning of a work day, and even the crew that have been with us for years and years and years burst out crying. Everyone had to go recover and call our mommies before we could get back to work. It was really an amazing day, actually, because everyone said, 'We will start working again when everybody feels that they are capable of working again, so take whatever time you need to digest this.' And then, on the last day, they tried to make it festive. Our producers threw a humongous party for us. It was the night before Christmas, so they actually brought these Dickensian Christmas carolers to set to try to cheer us up, and we’d just ball through the day and have to cut and clean up again. I miss it. There was nothing like that job."
On being a part of The Muppets:
John Krasinski: "I did a small part in that movie, and it was an honor like I’ve never had before. That was my very childlike self and my 31-year-old self, at both ends of the spectrum, being totally thrilled to be a part of that."
"I think I’m playing myself, really. I don’t even know if it’s deciphered. It’s just a quick little thing. I’m not a major part of the movie, but it was just so much fun to do. And I really hope that this movie triggers a return of the show. I think The Muppets, in general, are a presence that are not only missed, but vital to everything else that’s happening. They’re a great added piece of the pie."
Ginnifer Goodwin on what's up next:
Ginnifer Goodwin: "I just shot a pilot for ABC, so please light a candle that we get picked up. It’s an hour-long drama called Once Upon a Time and I play Snow White. It has been explained to me, in no uncertain terms, that I am not allowed to talk about what happens and what it’s about, but I can tell you that it was written and created by [Edward] Kitsis and [Adam] Horowitz, who were instrumental to the creative success of Lost, and we have the Lost blessings of the godfathers, who are helping us along the way. It’s a really special project. I wasn’t planning on going right back to television, but I was frustrated with the lack of substantial film scripts and asked to read the television pilots, and realized that’s where all the good writers are going. It’s really as original as it gets. It’s a study of time. It’s set in multiple times. They are running with the success of the Lost form of storytelling."
* * * * * *
Something Borrowed hits theaters on May 6, 2011.
