Pauley Perrette Online
The Film Q&A with Pauley P. (August 2003)
Q: The Price of Kissing has found an
audience on video, and I certainly hope that Hungry Hearts will also get some
sort of general release. But a lot of independent films have been known to get
lost without distribution deals. Do you have to be more subdued in your expectations
when you do an independent project? Or do you have any expectations at all?
A: My point in doing a
film is the experience of doing it, playing the character. Not having to be
me, wearing someone else's skin and clothes, saying some one else's words, being
in their world. It's a form of escapism, same as drugs, only alot safer.
I get in love affairs with my characters.
I think of them as real people. And then often you think they deserve to have
their stories told. So you want the film to be seen. Especially independent
films. I do not care for giant budget movies, the whole thing comes off as money
to me, like driving around in an sports car, dripping in jewelry. Flashy, so
it's like, look how expensive!!! and no one really cares about the conversations
going on inside the car.
I want people to see Ash Tuesday, Hungry
Hearts and Price of Kissing, I like them. I like the characters. To get distribution
for an indie it takes alot of work, dedication, and of course, money. What turns
me on about doing low budget indies is the creativity and resourcefulness they
require. You have to figure things out, make it work. When throwing money at
a problem isn't an option, it forces everyone involved to think, be creative
and work together. It's not for the faint of heart or the prima donnas.
Q:
If you could jumpstart any project you wanted, what kind of stories and characters
would you be looking for?
A: I usually write stories that somehow show the blinding hypocrisy and grossness of politics, fame, advertising, business, group think... Everything can be traced back to "The Emperor's New Clothes."
Q:
There's always the chance, on any project
you work on, that the end product might not live up to your expectations. Is
the quality of the work experience more important to you than the finished product?
A: Absolutely.
The work experience is what I'm after. I will not take or wriggle out of a project
that I won't enjoy doing no matter how "big" they say it's going to
be.
Q:
Could you tell me a bit more about Ash
Tuesday? I know you play a rock star in the movie.
A: Ash Tuesday is about a few people kind of wandering around their lives in Manhattan, post 9/11. But it doesn't play off the tragedy or use it to evoke emotions. It's very real. People had to just get back up and go on, with their divorces, their careers or lack of, their loneliness, their aimlessness. For a long time after, there was a coat of ash hanging around as a reminder. It is a very diverse group of people just going about their business, crossing paths, trying to move on. I love my character Gina, love her.
Q: Did you go to Ash Tuesday's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival?
A: Yes, I did, it was great. We went a few days early to check out a couple of Ramones documentaries that were playing as well.
Q: In
some cases, you've worked with directors that were pretty new to the game. How
do you decide to take the plunge with them?
A: I
love working with new directors. There's so much drive and effort. It still
comes down to the character for me, but if it's a character I really want to
play, I would never not do the project because of a new director.
Q: From the clips I've
seen of Hungry Hearts, it seems like you really had to stretch the boundaries
of your acting to inhabit your character. Was it ever hard to reach those heights
and shake it off at the end of the day?
A: No, because
it's not me, really. Cokie (my character) was all screwed up and on pills and
a depressed crazy maniac, I wasn't (not that I'm sane, though). I liked her,
I cared about her. It's about telling someone else's story, speaking for them.
Q: What are some favourite
movies of yours, or anything you would recommend to other people?
A: Anything that doesn't make me feel like a chump. Don't throw your budget in my face with no substance. I love really tediuos documentaries. I like an occasional comedy. I usually don't like for everything to be worked out in the end, people to fall in love, achieve their dreams, learn the lesson...I just don't think life is like that. I don't like to make lists, because I know I'll forget stuff, but off the top of my head...
Last year, ADAPTATION
blew my mind, loved it. I just saw "Memento," loved it. I've seen
"Almost Famous" a million times. The documentary "American Movie"
I think was one of the best things out in a while. "The Wall" was
such an important movie for me. I have seen it hundreds of times, it shaped
my youth, but so did "Spinal Tap." I've seen "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
hundreds of times, as well as "Say Anything". Okay, this is so random,
I'm just gonna put down "Movies I Like" knowing right after I send
it, I'll think of more. Also, I see very few movies, I do not go to movie theaters
because I am deathly afraid of them I am usually about a year behind on films.
Anyway,
Movies I Like: (in no order)
Adaptation, The Wall, Cool Hand Luke, Living in Oblivion, This is Spinal Tap,
Breaking the Waves, Ms. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Fargo, Barton Fink, Welcome
To The Dollhouse, True Romance, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Player, DeathTrap,
Mute Witness, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, Steel Magnolias, Sid & Nancy, Heavenly
Creatures, Angel Heart, Almost Famous, The Madness of King George, The People
Vs. Larry Flynt, Wag The Dog, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Shawshank
Redemption, Trainspotting, Boogie Nights, Better Off Dead, Gia, State of Grace,
Almost Famous, American Movie, Jacob's Ladder, Mute Witness, Rush, Glengarry
Glen Ross, Jagged Edge, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Ring, Run Lola Run, Schindler's
List, Murder In The First, Fatal Attraction, Flatliners, Spanking The Monkey,
Reservoir Dogs, Footloose, Rush, Memento,The Game, The Lost Boys, Crazy People,
Falling Down, The Usual Suspects, The Jerk, Swimming With Sharks, American Beauty,
The Sixth Sense, Fletch, Election, Things Behind The Sun, The Royal Tenenbaums,
Citizen Ruth, Raising Cain, About Schmidt, The Shining, Serial Mom, Carrie,
The War of The Roses, Edward Scissorhands, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Immortal
Beloved, Muriel's Wedding...