by Paul Fischer
 in Election  in Pleasantville |
Reese WitherspoonThis is Reese Witherspoon's second sitting for the StarTalk pages. It's been a busy year since we discussed Pleasantville, with roles in Cruel Intentions and Election (still to come are Best Laid Plans and American Psycho). In Election Reese plays Tracy Fink, a driven high school student - the kind of kid you always stayed on the good side of, even while you tried to stay out of her way - whose brief affair with a teacher leads to a battle of wits and will with said teacher's best friend (Matthew Broderick). Reese is expecting her first child, with soon to hubby Ryan Phillipe (her Cruel Intentions co-star). As for Election, Alexander Payne's film paints both the black and white of all the characters, which is where we'll begin this CrankyCritic Star Talk |
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| Cranky
Reviews: Election |
Matthew
Broderick StarTalk Reese's Pleasantville Star Talk |
Cranky
Reviews: Pleasantville |
Cranky
Critic: How would you define Election if you had to give it
a genre listing? It's a dark comedy, It's strange comedy. A coming-of-middle-aged
movie...
Reese Witherspoon: How about a comedy about the nuances of everyday
life? About the ennui of everyday life and the reality of that. But also,
In terms of tone, I think it's very similar to an early Coen brothers
movie. Not that [writer/director] Alexander doesn't have a unique voice,
it's very different, but it has a similar sensibility.
Cranky
Critic: What was it that turned you on to this script?
Reese Witherspoon: I have a real weird process. I read this script
and I heard Tracy's voice in my head as I was reading the script. There
have been a logical wonderful scripts that I just can't believe I've passed
on because I can't hear the voice. In a way I'm just really careful, unless
I feel something really personal about the character, I can't really participate.
Cranky
Critic: The characters you've played always seem to have a completely
hidden side; they're basically good on the surface but really bad underneath
(or vice versa)? Is that a real kick to play?
Reese Witherspoon: It's deceiving. It was actually great because
this character was like so many people that I knew and grew up with. I
think everybody knows one of those horrible people that you just can't
stand, who is so perfect that you just want to kill 'em '... but you can't
because they're so perfect and they'd always get you in the end. It's
great to be able to bring that to screen and have a character who is,
for all intents and purposes, likable but you just can't stand em.
Cranky
Critic: Did you have someone in your high school just like this that
everyone stayed away from?
Reese Witherspoon: No. There were similar people that were similarly
driven in that way. There was this girl in junior high school I couldn't
stand because she was so perfect and she always had all the boyfriends
and she was like the smartest girl in school. [grinning] Oh, I hated her.
She was always rude to me but always in a back-handed way. Anyway it's
kind of my little revenge [laughter]
Cranky
Critic: How much of her is in this flick?
Reese Witherspoon: Well... certain elements. I wore my hair similar
to how she wore her hair. It's funny things that you're attracted to in
a character. I couldn't put my finger on why I understood exactly girl
who this girl was but I'm sure it's something subconscious that really
drove me to have her speak in that particular way and have her look in
that particular way.
Cranky
Critic: You shot this in 97 and released in 99?
Reese Witherspoon: Yeah, fall of 97. I shot this right after Pleasantville.
Cranky
Critic: You think this means trouble for the film, that it's coming
out now? A delayed release usually means bad news.
Reese Witherspoon: I think it's hard movie to grasp because it
has young people in it but it's not a teen genre film. Essentially this
movie's about a guy going through mid-life crisis in a small town. Y'know
it's always hard when a film of this nature is trying to make its way
through the studio system because it's not a typical studio film. It doesn't
have Kevin Costner and Michelle Pfeiffer. It's just two
actors in, essentially, a black comedy. Even for a black comedy it has
a very different kind of tone. We're hoping that it will have similar
audience to a movie like Rushmore or something of that nature.
Cranky
Critic: All the women seem to be dealt a uniformly dealt a pretty
rough hand, starting with your character.
Reese Witherspoon: Well do you think it's rude to men because all
the men seem to be so stupid? [laughs] My teacher Mr. Novotny is a horrible
lech who thinks he's genuinely in love with a high school girl. Matthew's
character obviously has a few things lacking morally and ethically. And
then you have this jock character who's just a total dolt but a sweet,
sweet guy. These are not movie characters. These are people who you know.
You know the dumb kid everybody liked but you couldn't figure out why
because he was so dumb. You know that Matthew's character who is so frustrated
with his own life that he decides he's going to fix by taking it out on
someone else. I really saw it as these types of characters that you could
encounter everyday in your life
Cranky
Critic: There are sex acts In the film that are not semi-nude or explicit.
Was that because of your age or because the director wanted it that way?
Reese Witherspoon: I think our director didn't think it was necessary.
It's all very implied and you get the point. I was certainly old enough
to do them and I was very thankful that I didn't have to.
Cranky
Critic: And since you brought it up, are there any high school teen
types you haven't played yet, or are you ready to move up to college girls?
Reese Witherspoon: I try not to think of these roles as teen stereotypes.
I really look at them like a character. I thought Tracy, for a woman of
any age, an actress would like to play this kind of character who's obsessive
compulsive and Type A personality. I felt the same way abut my Pleasantville
character and the character I played in Cruel Intentions. I'm sort
of in that kind of stage of my life right now where I'm playing young
people but hopefully it will evolve and the characters will get a little
bit older.
Cranky
Critic: Are you going to take it easy now, with the pregnancy?
Reese Witherspoon: yes, unless anyone Is casting big, pregnant
ladies as 17 year old girls [laughing] Which is altogether possible...
Cranky
Critic: Both Ryan (Phillipe) and you have said he were going to get
married. Is it going to be this year?
Reese Witherspoon: Yes. We're doing it very soon.
Cranky Critic: Care to tell us when?
Reese Witherspoon: No. [laughs]
Cranky Critic: Are you planning to have a quiet little ceremony?
Reese Witherspoon: Yeah. It's all planned.
Cranky Critic: And where it is home going to be, then?
Reese Witherspoon: Los Angeles to start. And then we'll probably
be moving back to somewhere where kids don't have cell phones and credit
cards [laughs]
Cranky Critic: Montana.
Reese Witherspoon: Yeah, someplace like that.
Cranky Critic: Are you going to be surprised about the baby or
do you know the sex?
Reese Witherspoon: I don't know what we'll probably find out.
Cranky
Critic: If you had your choice, what would be the perfect role in
the perfect movie that he would do next
Reese Witherspoon: I don't know. I would like to do a very romantic
movie; I would love to remake Splendor in the Grass, or something
as equally tragic as it is. You know, romantic. That would be nice.
Cranky
Critic: Are you only looking to choose scripts would you can hear
the characters voice In your head or Is your ambition to be a list star
and get 15 or 20 million dollars per movie?
Reese Witherspoon: What would you do with 15 million dollars? There's
only so many pairs of shoes you can buy. But I think when you realize
that you're going to do this for a living you come to the realization
that your movies have to make money. Maybe not all of them, but it's important
for you to have some longevity in this business. People do need to see
the things that you're doing and ultimately we actors are doing them for
people. If nobody sees them it kind of defeats the purpose. I try to trust
myself and try not to make too many compromises. I don't think you can
get out more than that.
Cranky
Critic: Does that mean if Spielberg said he wants you for Jurassic
Park 3, you would say no?
Reese Witherspoon: You don't say "no" to Spielberg. [laughs]