Lauren Graham was last seen on the big screen opposite Billy Bob Thornton in "Bad Santa" where she played a bartender who was sexually attracted to men in Santa suits. In "The Pacifier," Graham's character is much more controlled about her urges, but she still manages to end up with the guy. As Vin Diesel's onscreen love interest, Graham not only gets to bat her eyelashes and play the romantic lead, she also gets in on a little of the action by showing off some smooth hand-to-hand combat skills.
INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN GRAHAM ('Claire'):
Did you have to do any physical preparation?
For my big stunt? (Laughing) Yeah. You choreograph it and stuff but initially it was fun to me. I wanted to do more of that. They had gotten me a stunt person, and they were like, “Noooo! You're not going to be doing that.” And then my stunt person got injured because that's how difficult the stunt is. Really tough. So I ended up getting to do it myself. There's a lot of preparation because they want you to be safe and know what you're doing. It was fun.
How are you with kids in real life?
I'm good. I was a camp counselor for many years… I really like kids because when you do the hours I do on that show, you never see anybody. You never see your own family, let alone other people's families, so it's very soothing to hold a baby.
Can you be a disciplinarian if you have to?
Yeah. I don't know. I'm not a parent, I just play one on TV. Until you do it yourself, you don't know how you'd be. I grew up in a family where there was no yelling and screaming as discipline. It was like, the rules were clear and the worst my dad could say is I'm really disappointed in you. That kind of thing. I don't think I'd be so tough. I can tell them what to do a little bit.
Was it more fun doing "Bad Santa" or this?
I have this character I do every day, so anything is sort of a refreshing change. Anything is such a slower pace. We cram [on “Gilmore Girls”]. We do 12 pages regularly on the TV show [each day]. You never have enough time. I talk so much, my brain is working overtime. I'm memorizing. So any new experience, I get a lot out of. The Billy Bob movie was more of a character to build. Here [in "The Pacifier"], I'm serving the hero and trying to be real and natural and smooch him at the end. It wasn't so much about creating a character. I really love to work so it was fun.
Was Vin a good kisser?
He was a good kisser. He has a beautiful mouth. He's very sexy.
Do you normally go for tough guys like that?
No. I normally go for bookish, skinny Irish guys. (Laughing) But those muscles are so fascinating to me. I went out with somebody once who rowed heavyweight crew, and his legs were like hams. It's not nice to poke your co-star and squeeze them, so I tried to keep it together.
How did Vin do as a parental figure?
I think he did great. The kids came to him. You'd think that he's such an imposing figure, they'd be slightly afraid of him. But maybe because he's fun to climb on, they really clung to him and hung out with him and looked up to him. He had an easy time with that. He has an even-tempered, quiet sort of way about him. He was nice with them.
Will there be a “Pacifier 2?”
I don’t know. I've been at work and haven't seen the movie. Does it leave you wondering where does the duck go from here? Is there an unanswered question? If it takes off, it could be a franchise for (Vin). You can see that guy in another comedic situation and he's the guy to do it. He's our Arnold, after all.
Do you have any more movie projects lined up?
I did this movie with Jeff Bridges called "The Moguls.” It's just another little part. I'm a huge fan of his. It's just a little indie movie. I'm also looking at some stuff now for the summer. It's a little early to know yet.
Who do you play?
I'm a love interest-y person. It's Jeff's movie. He plays a down-on-his luck loser who tries to make a porno film because it's the only way he can make money. But there's no nudity. It's not even as dark as “Bad Santa.” He and his friends think it will be a great business opportunity. It's all these interesting actors like Bill Fichtner and Joe Pantiliano and Ted Danson. It's a sweet loser movie. And I play an ex-Playboy Bunny that says no to the porno movie but yes to Jeff Bridges.
