The Reese Witherspoon-produced Penelope didn't fare particularly well at the box office last weekend, but nothing else really did, either, in the post-Oscar letdown. It's also gotten some harsh press that it doesn't deserve, because it's actually a very cute little fable about a girl with a disfiguring curse who learns to accept herself as she is. It's a low-budget fantasy that occasionally betrays that, feeling a little herky-jerky and slipshod at times, but the strength of the performances by Christina Ricci, Catherine O'Hara, Peter Dinklage and James McAvoy all help to make it a good way to spend a couple of hours, especially if you've got daughters to entertain.
Ricci herself has some more reasons why you should check it out, especially since her captor from Black Snake Moan also found it moving. Check out what she had to say after the jump.
Why you should see Penelope:
I just felt that this message was a really valuable one, and one I hadn't really seen put out there in a long time. I think the message movies have kinda disappeared a little bit. Movies geared towards kids used to always incorporate some sort of moral or be teaching them something. I feel like all the movies geared towards kids these days don't really have that strong of a message anymore. I also feel so sick of all the negative messages that are out there for young women, and I would jump at the chance to be a part of something that sends what I think is the right message.
Everyone I've spoken to in the press has responded well. Test screenings have gone really, really well. I think this is one of those movies that a certain group of people will immediately be attracted to, but then I feel like this is one of those movies people will talk about, and will spread in popularity. This movie isn't a fairy tale. She uses the fairy tale structure in order to employ a lot of metaphors that are really telling a very realistic and human, universal story.
Funnily enough – I like saying 'funnily' even though I know it's not a word – I happened to see it in Toronto sitting next to Sam Jackson, because he took me to the premiere, and Sam was moved. I think if the baddest man in town is moved by something, it's probably a good endorsement.
Everyone seems to like it, so I don't feel like it's a risk for me to say “I'm sure you'll like it.”
On The Pig Nose:
Everybody on set loved when I had the pig nose on. They thought it was so cute and so awesome. When I'd go on set for the scenes when I'm not wearing it, they'd double-take and go 'aww, where's the nose?'
It took about an hour and a half to put the prosthetic on, and then go get normal beauty make-up on over that. The hair and makeup trailer in the morning is actually kind of fun. The only thing that got old is that I had to not talk at all when the nose was being put on my face. Being silent for that long, I had a problem with because I'm a compulsive talker.
How does Penelope compare to Trixie in Speed Racer?
Larry and Andy wanted to make a film that's very much about the underdog and staying true to who you are and what you believe in, and that's what Speed is going through in Speed Racer, and I get to play a really awesome, strong girl that I think people will really like. She's sort of like the girl I've always wanted to be. She kung-fu fights, she does gymnastics, she races, she flies a helicopter, but she has a special outfit for each activity and she's also incredibly girly and always has lipstick on. That, to me, is what I would hope all women felt that they were completely within their rights to do. It's similar to Penelope, she's a very, very strong girl. The things she does she has no qualms about. She has enough strength that, despite all the things that are supposed to keep her from going out and living her life, she does it anyway. They're both very strong women. The one thing that's missing is that Trixie obviously does not have any self-esteem issues.
Why does she pick the weird projects she picks?
It could be the message of the movie, it could be a story that I feel hasn't necessarily been told yet. It could be a director that I really wanted to work with and I don't care what script it is because it's Martin Scorsese. I can't really explain why the things that I've been in have been so different-seeming to everybody, because it's not like I made a decision to be in these different kinds of movies, it just kind of happened that way.
I've always loved fantasy. I was always a big sci-fi fantasy geek when I was a teenager, secretly, in my room. I've always wanted to do a fairy tale., or a fantasy film or science fiction. I think I'm naturally attracted to things that are a little bit out of this world.
On the profession:
Unless it's a specific accent or something about physicality needs to change, I'm generally not such a conscious actor. Usually it's a mix of being on a set and being surrounded by a certain production design that really informs you of tone, and then reading with different actors and getting a feel of what the story is and who they are. Then your hair and makeup has a huge impact on the way you behave, so generally, I don't do a ton of preparation.
I'm willing to let people do to me whatever they need to to get across a specific message in a film. I won't just do anything I'm told, but if it has merit and it has value to the story and what we're doing to the character, then I'm very, very open. I don't want to sound like a good-time girl that will do anything, but it never crossed my mind that wearing a pig-nose would not be a good thing.
On why Catherine O'Hara is so awesome:
I was so excited when they cast her. She's one of my favorite actresses ever. I think I saw Waiting for Guffman five times in the theater. She's just as much fun to work with as she is to watch. She's such a wonderfully warm and open person that she actually one day sat down and, after Simon and I gushed to her about how much we love her and I told her that her drunk is the best drunk I've ever seen in my entire life, she actually sat down and showed us how she created her drunk – where this comes from, then she saw a man do that once so she added that to it. She really broke down her drunk and showed us how she did it. She encouraged us to be braver and to take more chances and be more improvisational and also, she was like “go out there and look at the world and work on your drunk.” It was awesome. It was just amazing to have someone of her talent who really will talk to you on such a straightforward level about acting.
On how to cope with paparazzi:
I think it's a little bit sick in a way. I'm definitely guilty of having picked up those magazines, I read them on planes. But at the same time, I think they can be really cruel, and I think one people don't necessarily understand about gossip, about actors is that it can actually have an effect on their career. People tend to think an actor's career doesn't seem as real as somebody's job at a big company or their career as a CEO or any other thing. The fact is that sometimes these people, when they're really mean or slanderous, are hurting the way in which somebody supports themselves and their families. In a way, it's a little bit irresponsible, culturally.
I have a very different approach to paparazzi than most people do. I've decided that the best approach is that they're human beings, too. They may be doing something that irritates you, but the best approach is really to be friendly and nice. When there are four cars following you, I like to view it all as a caravaning team. I'll talk to them. I'll pull up and roll down my window and ask “is there anything specific you're out here for today, because I'm just going to run errands.” They'll be like “no, no, we just want some fashion shots and blah blah blah.” I find that if you're nice to people, they are generally nice back. It's going to happen anyway, so why allow it to drive you crazy? It's really not that big a deal, unless you have something that you really don't want people taking pictures of.
What's her dream project?
My dream project would be that Wally Lamb book “She's Come Undone,” but I'm not sure they're ever going to make that into a movie. I know that they were going to years ago, but I'm not sure if i's ever going to happen, but that would be my dream role. It's such a beautiful story and specifically one you don't hear very often – the way in which this woman grows up and expresses her pain is something that's very different from what we normally see in film, and it's not seen in film very often because it is considered, in our culture, particularly disturbing. But this is a woman who is in an incredible amount of pain. I'd love to show somebody expressing their pain in the way that she does. It's also a survivor story because it goes through and shows how she heals and evolves and becomes someone who's good to herself and other people. Those are my favorite stories.
