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Jennifer Connelly: A Beautiful Mind Interview
By Prairie Miller
Star Interviews
January 1, 2002
Jennifer Connelly, who just grabbed the American Film Institute Best Supporting Actress Award for A Beautiful Mind and is under similar consideration right now for a Golden Globe, can boast supportive expertise in more ways than one. Aside from playing the real life nurturing and long suffering wife, Salvadoran born Alicia Larde, to Russell Crowe's schizophrenic math genius John Nash in A Beautiful Mind, Connelly proved herself a beautiful body to lean on for Ed Harris' tormented artist in Pollock and Jared Leto's strung out Brooklyn junkie in Requiem For A Dream. Connelly described during this interview another very supportive role she plays in real life, raising her four-year-old son Kai and helping him to come to terms with his own eyewitness experience of the 9/11 destruction of the World Trade Center.
*I have a question....
JENNIFER CONNELLY: Uh oh!
*Don't worry, this will be pain free! You've just won the AFI Best Supporting Actress award, and your name is being heard a lot these days whenever awards are mentioned. I was wondering...
JC: What I'm gonna wear!
*Um, not exactly! But have you given any thought to that possibility?
JC: I feel flattered that people are even talking that way. I don't know who wouldn't feel the way I do. Like that would be dishonest to say, oh that stuff is totally irrelevant. But that said, it's all speculation and conjecture. It just feels like very shaky ground.
So I feel it's much safer and more comfortable, and sane, to stay with what I know, which is this movie. Honestly, when I read the script I thought, this is such a beautiful script. Like I love Ron Howard, Russell Crowe is a great actor, and this woman Alicia is beautiful. What I wouldn't do to be in this movie. But they'll never cast me! But they did. And I really felt this way about the movie, from the inception. So I just stay with that. I had a great experience working on A Beautiful Mind. It was just such a blessing. I mean, who wouldn't take this role? Wait, I shouldn't speak for anyone else. But I felt that way. I know that sounds like hogwash, right? But it's really true.
*But this is a role that screams Oscar. That notion never crossed your mind?
JC: I took the role because it was a great role. You know, who can even think that way, about awards? I don't know, I'm not really scheming in that way. I'm not really calculated in that way, when I make choices.
*But the studio is going to be campaigning for you to win, it's already happening. And you're going to be bugged a lot more than this for answers.
JC: I guess you know more than me! Because I do this, and then I go back to New York and I'm with my son. You know, I like work in his school, and I belong to a parents' coop. So I have a very different existence at home, that keeps me kind of out of the loop of how the politics in the movie industry works. So this is all kind of new to me.
*When you used to watch the Academy Awards on TV as a young girl, was there any star that came up on the stage that inspired you to become who you are today?
JC: I don't know...I always looked up to Meryl Streep. A lot. I just think she's such a phenomenal actress. I still think of her from time to time.
*In what way?
JC: Like when I'm working, I'll start thinking, what at this moment would Meryl do? That's all I can say about that. But you know what else? I think God, I love my son so much. And you know Lauryn Hill? She had that song that she did, where she sings this song to her son. And I just thought, what a beautiful thing for a mother to be able to do for her son. So I've had this thought, like that would be the greatest thing, just to be able to do something like that in a public arena, for my son. So, I've had that thought.
*While we're on the subject of beautiful things, you are quite beautiful to look at. Does that ever get in the way of the parts you want, because they think you're too pretty for a role?
JC: I don't know. They probably wouldn't tell me! So no, that's probably coming more from the other side, which makes it hard for me to comment on. It's all about perceptions, isn't it? That's so funny... But you know, people can do remarkable things when it comes to changing themselves. Like actresses can transform themselves in incredible ways. But I have felt that my earlier films were not a representative of what I wanted to communicate, and the kind of films I wanted to make and what I felt I was capable of doing.
So I have felt restricted by that at times in my life, and how I was identified by others with those earlier films. And I'm really happy that I feel like I've changed that perception, and that I'm working now on projects like A Beautiful Mind.
*How do you make movie choices?
JC: I make choices from my gut, and my heart. So that's sort of where it came from, my decision to be in A Beautiful Mind. It was kind of a...no brainer!
*Your character Alicia has to go through some pretty heavy duty highs and lows in A Beautiful Mind. How were those moods worked into the story?
JC: It was scripted that way. And I was very grateful that Ron wanted to preserve that, in the interpretation we were filming. But I think all that was essential to this character. Otherwise, she'd be the kind of heroine that none of us could relate to.
I think the fact that we see Alicia struggle, we see her kind of fall apart into self pity, rage and doubt and see her break down and go through her own kind of chaos, that lets you really understand her as a human being. And love her that much more.
*How do you put yourself into that state of mind to be ready for anything on set?
JC: I listen to a lot of really loud music in my trailer, and sing really loud. Or sometimes I'll pick a yoga posture. And if that's the posture I've chosen for a scene, I'll sit in that posture for a long time while they're lighting the scene. Or else I'll just meditate.
Just sort of anything that keeps me...there. You know, on the set, in the scene. As opposed to in my head, or in some other realm. So then I can, as in this case, listen to Russell, and just be more available.
*How did you come up with this very self-styled and original acting method?
JC: It's sort of something that came to me over time, by trial and error. Or what made the most sense to me, and seems to be comfortable. And maybe by the next time I see you, I'll come up with some other cockamamie scheme! We'll see.
But it's just what feels comfortable. Because you just have to do it. You can't keep thinking about it. So it's in the surrender to it. And especially when you have the opportunity to work with great actors, like Russell, you want to be there. You know, he has a lot to give. He gives his fellow actors a lot to work with.
So if I were in my head and distracted by what I want to achieve, I wouldn't be there to be flexible, and respond to him. And that's what really makes a scene come alive, is the work between the two people.
*What is it like for you as an actress, to generate all those emotions and go to those places?
JC: It's interesting. Because with something like that, you can never quite predict exactly how it will translate, or how it will come out. And I found that it never really works, if you set a standard that you have to fulfill in a particular scene. So what I generally try to do is do all my preparation, and think about what this means in any given scene. You know, what this means at this time, and what's at stake here. And where I've been, where I'm going, and how I would respond.
So it's a question of all this stimulus that's coming in, and my emotional state at that time. And then I just kind of keep myself as limber in every way that I can, so that I can be as available as I possibly can on the day that we shoot. You know, physically, emotionally and spiritually. And just kind of show up, and see what happens. And I think in that surrender, I found that more fruitful than any kind of like conceptual straining.
*Have you ever had to play a caregiver role like this before?
JC: No. I'm a caregiver to my son off the screen, but beyond that, no. And never to anyone who's been ill.
*Is it true that Russell would often go off the page, and just start improving with his character?
JC: To me, it didn't feel like he was just rambling. It was within limits, any improvisation we did. And it was even discussed beforehand, you know, about trying something different. But always with an actor like Russell, it's a question of making yourself available to an actor like that, who is so present and so spontaneous.
But I'll tell you, we never did anything twice the same way on this movie. And that's more so than any other movie I've ever worked on. And I think that came about because of Russell wanting to experiment with different choices. It was a question of having these different ideas. And not really knowing where to go with a particular scene, and the interpretation of it. And maybe levels of emotion.
You know, we were so passionate about these scenes, and all these different ideas about them. But it was really nice, because Ron was so accommodating. In that sense, it was like a dance. We'd go through each other's ideas, and kind of tinker around.
*This is the second time in a row, after Pollock, where you play a real life character. How does that impact on the way you create the character, in contrast to somebody who is totally drawn from fiction?
JC: Well, it was hard to find that balance initially. Because when I first set out on my research for this, I thought, well I'm playing this woman Alicia Nash, who's alive. So I can talk to her. Then in talking to Ron, I realized that he really wanted to make a film that was a kind of fictionalized version of their story.
So A Beautiful Mind is just inspired by them, and in no way makes any claims to be a documentary. And Ron wanted me to create a separate character who was just informed by the events of Alicia's life and her personality.
That's a strange balance to hit, so it took me a little while to let go of just wanting to be her, and embody her. But it was fun, to take elements of her life. You know, like that she was born in El Salvador, and lived there as a child.
And then figure out how to incorporate that, even though I wasn't doing an accent, or anything like that. And making her an outsider in a way, like in the way that she dressed, or always having some kind of foreign element. So it was kind of fun, trying to maintain some of that, but making our own version.
*Did you get to talk to Alicia?
JC: I did talk to her anyway. You know, I didn't give up on finding some sort of gem in talking to her, that I could use. Also, just for my peace of mind, I think I would have felt strange. I mean, it is still Alicia's life.
So I wanted to talk to her, kind of out of respect. I also wanted to have the opportunity to say to her, look. I'm playing you, more or less, with some license. And is there like anything that you want me to convey about you, that maybe I wouldn't otherwise? Or is there anything that you really don't want me to convey about you, and out of respect, I'll do that.
*How did Alicia react to you?
JC: To tell you the truth, she's a lovely woman. But it became more about just having a nice lunch together. And she gave me her blessings. She did want to know what Russell Crowe was like! Yeah, so things like that.
*How do you see yourself as an actress?
JC: I've never really felt as an actress, that this is like playtime or dress up. I guess I feel like there's more at stake. Maybe it's just my personality. You know, I'm always sort of trying to read in between the lines. That's the way I do things, I guess. So...
*Did you start out as a model?
JC: If you could call it that. I mean, when I hear the word model, I think of grown up women doing their thing. Like I was ten. You know, on those packages of Danskin tights and leotards!
*When did you decide that you were an actress instead of a model?
JC: I did my first movie when I was eleven, which was Once Upon A Time In America. And it was kind of by default. You know, just because they cast me, and not because I had aspirations to be an actress.
*What were your childhood aspirations?
JC: Then I was like, oh I'll be a vet when I grow up, and I'll help the sick animals. I was that kind of kid. But when did I know I was an actress? You know, I still don't feel like I have the hang of it. For me, it's kind of a work in progress.
And now I feel more invested than ever, and committed and passionate, since the birth of my son. I had a lot of years when I was working, that I took acting for granted because that's what I did. But I felt like a kind of walking puppet adolescent.
So it took me a while to really come into my own, I think. That's an interesting way to grow up, being so watched from the outside, and without really having time alone. You know, it was all very externally precocious, but emotionally, it became pretty stunting for a certain kind of personality. Like my own!
*Is it true that you're going to be in an Ang Lee movie?
JC: I am. I'm doing The Hulk with Ang Lee next. I believe we start filming in early March.
*You've done comic book characters before. Are you a comic book fan?
JC: Well, that's not the reason I want to be in The Hulk. It's really because of Ang Lee, and talking to him. I thought The Ice Storm was such a beautiful movie, and I thought Crouching Tiger was great. I think Ang Lee is uncommonly smart and talented, and sensitive.
I really respond to his sensibility. And I liked the way he talked about what he wants to do with the project. You know, about expanding on the script, as opposed to just a refined thing as the essential element. In which case, you lose more of the humanity, and the less pointed meanderings in life that are soulful.
So I like that about Ang Lee, and I liked the way he talked about the movie. He's very ambitious about this project, and his vision is such that at times I could even follow all of his ideas, and what he wants to do.
*What does Lee have in mind for The Hulk?
JC: I think it's really brave, and it's kind of risky. But his motivation is so pure and great. It's kind of like an artist grasping for something that he's never done before, and that he wants to try. And I just thought, that's what it's all about.
You know, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But you're trying to make something. So Ang Lee is almost a visionary. It's just my opinion, but I think he's great. And the star is not going to be running around in a muscle suit!
*Were you ever a Hulk fan?
JC: Yeah, I used to watch the TV show when I was a kid. I had my own little tiny black and white TV.
*Is your son as excited about The Hulk as you are?
JC: He didn't know much about the Hulk, because that's more my generation. Then we went on the Internet and like got some pictures of the Hulk. So he is starting to get kind of excited about it.
But he's a city kid, so right now what he's most excited about is that we're going to be in Los Angeles, and we'll be staying in an actual house. You know, that has an outside space. So that's kind of on his radar screen right now.
*Are you saying that once he gets a taste of a back yard swimming pool...
JC: There'll be no turning back! Yup.
*How old is your son now?
JC: He's four. Going on fourteen!
*You live in downtown Manhattan, and your son directly observed the World Trade Center destruction. Is he over it at this point?
JC: I don't think so. My son and his classmates are still making drawings. And a lot of the kids down there have lost family members, or saw it happen, like my son. So they are still drawing pictures of the towers, and they're still building block towers, and then knocking them down.
And the kids are going into the school cubbies and saying they're stuck, and calling for rescue workers on pretend cell phones. So that sort of thing is still going on. It has diminished a little bit, but it's still going on.
*Would you groan if your son told you he wanted to go into movies when he grows up?
JC: Hmm...He's certainly got the personality where he'd be just fine in movies. But I would never push him into anything that wasn't his own choice. And I'll protect him as long as I can, and as much as he'll let me.
You know, if anything, he's going to be a director. Because I can see it already in his play. When I play with him, he gives me lines to say, and where to put my arms, or how to pose. And then he tells me I'm not doing it right!
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