{"id":1955,"date":"2009-05-28T10:28:28","date_gmt":"2009-05-28T10:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/power-up.space\/?p=1955"},"modified":"2009-05-28T10:28:28","modified_gmt":"2009-05-28T10:28:28","slug":"interview-with-amy-adams-for-the-dvd-release-of-doubt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/?p=1955","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Amy Adams for the DVD release of Doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Amy Adams Q&A<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

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Currently one of Hollywood\u2019s most sought-after actresses, Amy Adams first came to international attention after her role in 2005\u2019s Junebug<\/em> as a good-natured southern belle afforded her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Since then, her star has risen inexorably, featuring as a Disney princess in Enchanted<\/em>, a flighty actress in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day<\/em> and Tom Hanks\u2019 secretary in Mike Nichols\u2019 prestige drama Charlie Wilson\u2019s War<\/em>. She\u2019s also appeared in comedies Talladega Nights<\/em> and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny<\/em> \u2013 a trick she will repeat in 2009 in the Ben Stiller sequel Night at the Museum 2<\/em>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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For the moment, Adams, 34, takes on her most dramatic role to date, in Miramax Films\u2019 Doubt<\/em>. She plays Sister James, the sweetly innocent nun who gets caught up in a scandal at a Brooklyn Catholic school in 1964, when she shares with her colleague, the dragon-like Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), her concerns that a priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), has behaved inappropriately with a pupil.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>Her second film with Hoffman, following Charlie Wilson\u2019s War<\/em>, Adams will reunite with Streep in 2009 on Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie & Julia<\/em>. Below, she discusses working with such luminous actors, her meteoric rise to fame and how she still buys towels from Target. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: How did you prepare for Doubt<\/em>?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: How did I prepare? Panic! No, I\u2019m kidding\u2026we had three weeks of rehearsal. John didn\u2019t get on my case but he said, \u2018You should really talk about it more because you came in really prepared!\u2019 I was so like the girl who wanted to make a good impression on the first day of school. I knew all my lines and knew everything about the play. I knew other people\u2019s lines! I\u2019m usually pretty prepared but I think I\u2019m <\/span>\u00fc<\/span>ber-prepared. I spent weeks with this material. I knew there was going to be no hiding and I better bring something to the table. So I prepared.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Had you seen the play before?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: Yes. I felt a great responsibility to the play but at the same time, the script is different and opening it up, provides a different feeling. My character in the film and the play are similar, but because of the way the scenes are broken down, it\u2019s a different path. I had to really let the play go. I was like, \u2018Yes but in the play\u2026\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: How did you find wearing the habit?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: The bonnet got a little painful but I liked wearing the habit. You knew it was going to fit! There\u2019s no zippers. It\u2019s all fastenings with ties and buttons. It was many layers and it helped you feel\u2026it forced a certain posture and walk. The shoes were so comfortable. I\u2019m typically in high heels and these were orthopaedic shoes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Do you see your character as na\u00efve?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I just didn\u2019t see her as na\u00efve. I saw her as somebody who grew up in this time, which was 1964, and chose to be a nun, pretty early on. And to the world she might appear na\u00efve but I think she\u2019s just trusting. I don\u2019t think that was an uncommon thing at that time. It was a time of great change, in the church. I think by the end, she\u2019s definitely an older person sitting with Sister Aloysius. I just see her not as na\u00efve\u2026she is trusting and open. And I believe that when you watch the film, you bring your own personal experience into it. A lot of people go into the film and realise what it\u2019s about and automatically want to assume the priest is guilty. The same goes if you decide if Meryl\u2019s character is malicious. I\u2019ve watched the film now several times and I intentionally went in with different opinions every time. You have to try this. You have to see the film and decide that he\u2019s guilty. It becomes a totally different film than if you decide he\u2019s innocent. It\u2019s an interesting thing.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Prior to Doubt<\/em>, you\u2019ve had an amazing couple of years. How has that been?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: It\u2019s been great. I enjoy the work, so that\u2019s been really good. I\u2019ve been really busy. I miss my friends and my family. So I look forward to a time when I can have more balance. But because of taking the long road to the place I\u2019m at now, I\u2019m really enjoying taking advantage of the opportunities that have been put in front of me now.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: You were recently on the cover of Vanity Fair<\/em>. How did that feel?<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A: It\u2019s great, and I don\u2019t mean to in any way diminish it, but when I started acting, I never really imagined doing any covers. So I don\u2019t judge the success of myself with how many covers I\u2019ve done or what covers. Although, that was an amazing thing. And Vanity Fair<\/em>, they\u2019ve grown with me. For me, it was really special. They did the first piece on me, for Catch Me If You Can<\/em> \u2013 I was in Vanities. Then I was inside the Hollywood issue when Junebug <\/em>came out, then I was on the Hollywood issue when Enchanted<\/em> came out, and now, with Doubt<\/em>, they put me on the cover. So it feels like I\u2019ve grown up with them a little bit. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: How was your Spielberg experience on Catch Me If You Can<\/em>?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A: It was great. I loved it. I\u2019d love to work with him again. It was extremely intimidating, though. I do have this way of when I\u2019m intimidated or challenged, I tend to get tunnel vision and very focused. I try not to pay attention to all of the external voices. I have to shut myself to an extent and really focus on the task at hand. But, sure, I was intimidated. But I\u2019d made my mind up that I was there to work, I was there to be Brenda, and anything else that happened was fine. If he liked me or he didn\u2019t like, I didn\u2019t expect to be friends with Leo, I didn\u2019t expect to work with Steven again, I was there to be Brenda \u2013 I was not there to do anything else. And I had a great experience and they were wonderful. They turned out to be so easy to work with. I was scared – \u2018Are they going to be easy to work with?\u2019 It was a big mystery to me. It always is when you go in. Like going into this with Meryl. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: How was working with her?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: The idea is terrifying. The actual execution is actually a lot of fun. Meryl is a fantastic scene partner, and it\u2019s not as if she saves it all for when the camera is on her. She really gives you a lot to work with. So any intimidation on the set is purely brought on by my own insecurities and has nothing to do with her person.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: You worked with Philip Seymour Hoffman on Charlie Wilson\u2019s War<\/em>, so you knew what to expect with him, I guess\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I had the wisdom to be terrified! I love him. I think we\u2019d be really great together as foils to one another. He\u2019s a lot of fun and he\u2019s got a big heart. He\u2019s just a great guy. And a frickin\u2019 fantastic actor.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: So how was working with him?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: He\u2019s intense and he definitely puts himself through it. I knew with Philip that he wasn\u2019t\u2026he was going to be taking care of himself and going to be a consummate professional and an amazing scene partner. He trusts the other actors he\u2019s working with to do the same. He put that faith in me and that\u2019s fantastic. I hadn\u2019t worked with Meryl before so I was always like\u2026I just wanted to make sure I was a good scene partner. That I was in my character and in the story and really giving them something.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: You\u2019re in another film with Meryl Streep soon, Julie & Julia<\/em>. Who do you play?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I play Julie. Julie Powell, who wrote the book Julie & Julia<\/em>. She is approaching her thirtieth birthday and questioning her life, when she decides to cook her way through the art of French cooking by Julia Child, and write a book about it. And it follows her journey and growth through that year and it parallels Julia Child\u2019s experience in France as she\u2019s composing the cookbook. It parallels these two women\u2019s lives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: What made you choose this?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: A lot of things. I loved the script. I was really curious to work with Nora Ephron. I love her writing. I was just really excited to do it. I also really identified with being thirty and being lost. That was something I identified with very much.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: How did you cope with turning thirty?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: It\u2019s an interesting experience. You really start to take inventory of what you\u2019ve done, or what you\u2019re going to do. You can\u2019t really pretend to be a kid anymore. You don\u2019t really have the same excuses. You have to be accountable now. So whatever damage your parents did, or whatever damage you did, it\u2019s now time to own it all and get on with it, so to speak.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q: You\u2019re also in Night of the Museum 2<\/em>. Who do you play?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A: I\u2019m a new character. All of the same guys return, and additionally we have Hank Azaria and Christopher Guest\u2026and I\u2019m playing the pilot Amelia Earheart. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Did you do any research to play her?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I absolutely did learn about her. They had a clear idea what was needed to serve this story and plot. But I definitely went and did research. There was a lot written about why she said she flew. And she would quote \u2018For the fun of it!\u2019 In Night of the Museum 2<\/em>, she\u2019s definitely an adventurer and a risk-taker and someone who really makes the most of each moment.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: How did you feel being around comedians like Ben Stiller and Robin Williams on set?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A: I\u2019m glad I don\u2019t have to compete! That\u2019s not what I do! For me, it was good fun. I got to watch and figure out where to put my line! Like Ben Stiller and Robin Williams are doing improv, and I just need to say my line and make it make sense. So that\u2019s my biggest goal in those scenes. But I get <\/span>\u00fc<\/span>ber-focused. Ben Stiller and Robin Williams were making each other laugh and I was very serious. I think that made Robin laugh even harder, as I came in completely earnest with my line.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: So you\u2019re the straight man to them?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I enjoy that! But I think I\u2019m much funnier than Ben off screen! I think Ben would concur. I think I actually am! I love Ben. I had a great time working with him\u2026but I\u2019m definitely funnier off screen! Or I definitely think<\/em> I\u2019m funnier off-screen. And I\u2019m certain I\u2019m not funnier on screen.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: You also have Sunshine Cleaning<\/em> coming out\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: Yes, with Emily Blunt. I think it comes out in March. I play a single mother who is somewhat skill-less unfortunately and looking to improve herself and gets into a crime-scene clean-up business with her sister. But it\u2019s the story of their family and how they\u2019re all struggling to get over the death of their mother.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: What is a crime-scene clean-up business?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: It\u2019s a legitimate business. Let\u2019s say somebody shot themselves in this hotel room. That would create a blast and a splatter, and you would have to cut out the affected areas and put it into a biohazard container and take it to a biohazard dump. You have to clean it very specifically.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: It seems you\u2019re finding a nice balance between indies and studio movies right now?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A: I\u2019m working at it. It\u2019s important to me to keep things loose. The actors and actresses that I admire the most are not defined by genre. Like Frances McDormand, Meryl Streep and Susan Sarandon\u2026these were women who were a great positive influence on me and my choices.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: You were born in Italy, right?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I was born in Italy, in Vicenza. My Dad was in the army. I went back a couple of years ago, and it\u2019s one of the most beautiful places I\u2019ve ever seen in the world. I loved it so much. It\u2019s weird \u2013 it seems to be a part of me. I realised when I went back a lot of my personal aesthetic, what I prefer, is very similar to what\u2019s there. Expensive shoes, wine, pizza \u2013 no, I\u2019m kidding!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Did your father being in the military affect your childhood?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: We were moved around some but it wasn\u2019t too much because when he went overseas, we stayed back. We did not go to Germany when he went, so that was good. We moved a lot within Colorado but once I hit Junior High, I stayed in the same school.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: So how did you earn a living as an actress when you started?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I spent more time doing dinner theatre. I spent eight years doing dinner theatre before I moved to Los Angeles, and I\u2019ve been here now for ten years. I loved dinner theatre. For me, it\u2019s always been a profession. It\u2019s not just a dream or a fantasy \u2013 it was how I paid my bills. For me, I didn\u2019t really have the option of losing a dream. It was like, \u2018This is how I\u2019ve decided I\u2019m going to earn a living\u2019. As well as having aspirations of art and doing great things, you always have to balance your practical side and your emotional, artistic side. That\u2019s what I think kept it alive. I\u2019m very practical. So I knew that if I had to take a guest spot, I had to take a guest spot \u2013 because the rent was due. If I had to do a TV series, I\u2019d do a TV series. I never planned when I moved out to LA that this is where I would be. I\u2019m grateful and happy to be, but this wasn\u2019t the masterplan \u2013 \u2018and then I\u2019m going to work with Meryl Streep for two films.\u2019 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Did you splurge your first big pay-cheque?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: It depends. I think your perspective of a large pay-cheque changes over time. So the first time I got what I thought was a large pay-cheque, I got a set of matching towels. I was like, \u2018I can now get towels from Bed, Bath & Beyond\u2019, because I\u2019d taken hand-me-down towels from friends and family for so long. So that was a big pay-cheque for me at the time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: So now you must have great towels?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: I get them from Target. They\u2019re the best towels in the whole world. They are! Thomas O\u2019Brien towels!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Would you still be acting if you were not successful?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A: Yeah, I\u2019d still be acting. I think I was on the brink of moving to New York, because I thought, \u2018If I\u2019m going to be playing smaller roles, I\u2019d rather go to New York and be on stage and maybe go back to musicals and see where that took me\u2019. Just so I could be more artistically satisfied. And then Junebug<\/em> happened, and that kept me here. But I still look forward to doing that, hopefully if they\u2019ll have me.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: Were you surprised it was Junebug<\/em> out of all of your movies that launched you?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A: It is very surprising but I think that\u2019s very common. I think smaller films are willing to take chances on lesser known actresses or people who are known but do not have a bankable known. We\u2019re seeing that this year with Melissa Leo and Rosemarie DeWitt in Rachel Getting Married<\/em>. And they\u2019ll take a chance on lesser name actresses. So I don\u2019t think it\u2019s that surprising. I, of course, was surprised. It\u2019s always great when those films gets seen and reviewed well. So I was very grateful. But I think it\u2019s a very common path. People will take a chance in independent film with lesser-known actresses.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amy Adams Q&A \u00a0 Currently one of Hollywood\u2019s most sought-after actresses, Amy Adams first came to international attention after her role in 2005\u2019s Junebug as a good-natured southern belle afforded her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Since then, her star has risen inexorably, featuring as a Disney princess in Enchanted, a flighty actress in Miss<\/p>\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-game-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1956,"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions\/1956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}