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TV Spielfilm (Germany)
April 3-April 16, 2004; Issue 08/2004
TV Factory Hollywood
By Michael Scholten
Translation courtesy of Iolite at the SD-1.net Boards. Scans by Lugia.
How long is a normal day of filming on the "Alias" set?
JG: That depends on the tongue twisters in the script – and the stunts. But it can be up to 16 hours.
MV: Jennifer has to be there all the time. Additionally there is time for fitting the costumes, make-up, press interviews and the daily training. It's much easier for me; I often have Tuesdays and Thursdays off. I go have a drink or play hockey then.
How do you balance the TV series and your movie career?
JG: There is no balancing. The TV series is my work. Nine months a year. Movies are like a summer job for me.
Does this mean that we have to wait a long time for the planned movie "Elektra"?
JG: Yes, unfortunately. We will film it either this summer or in summer 2005. I can hardly wait myself until it starts.
Michael, before "Alias" you've done a lot of movie work. Is the TV work now a step backwards in your career?
MV: No. Ten years ago movies and TV were clearly two separate media but luckily that's not the case anymore. The great thing with TV is you can be sure you're able to pay your rent every month. I haven't auditioned for a role in the last three years but earn money on a regular base. In the past I've made movies but have been without work for up to 18 months in between.
Jennifer, why do you make movies in your summer break instead of relaxing for three months?
JG: I've auditioned at castings for so many years and was craving for great roles, but never got them. Thanks to "Alias" I am now taken seriously. It is as you've been almost starving over the years and then suddenly you're allowed at a delicious buffet. You don't know what to pick first.
Michael, do you also get more roles offered since you work at "Alias"?
MV: Yes. Producers short-list me now for roles after all – the roles I would like to play are normally still cast with Ethan Hawke or Matt Damon in the end though.
Alias creator J.J. Abrams is writing a new script for "Superman". Did he already hire you for the role?
JG: Oh, god!
MV: This would be probably the worst casting in the history of feature films.
Why? In her new movie "13 Going on 30" Jennifer is wearing colorful panties as well.
JG: That was fun. I play a grown woman who reverts back to a teenager. My colleagues at "Alias" convinced me to take the role. They thought that I act more like a 13-year-old than the agent I normally play.
MV: That's right. She's totally off her trolley on the set. (Translator's note: I'm not 100% sure about the translation of that phrase but the German is also very direct – alternative: she's totally nuts on the set)
JG: When the camera isn't running and I have to read serious lines, I always behave quite ridiculous.
But sometimes also romantic. How was your first film kiss for "Alias"?
MV: It was badly needed. Sydney and Michael worked so closely together that it would have been totally unnatural for the audience if they wouldn't have gotten together eventually (Translator's note: the meaning of the German is closer to "if they wouldn't have jumped each other" but that's not a literal translation). Even my mailman Susie grumbled one morning: "Damn, you idiot. When do you kiss her already?"
JG: Mailman Susie …
MV: Yes, really. I just said: "Susie, I don't write the scripts. I just play them."
In the meantime you're privately also a couple. Jennifer, you've split with your husband in May 2003 and made some headlines.
JG: I'm still trying to process the split with dignity and keep private matters out of the press. But the price for Alias's popularity is obviously that paparazzis are allowed to sit in the trees in front of my house.
Is it correct that there is a fight scene between you in season 3?
MV: Yes, right in the beginning. And I find it sad that Jennifer had so much fun with it.
JG: (grins)
MV: She kicked me in the guts. I was just lying on the floor and thought: Jesus, this woman kicks like a mule.
Are men dreaming about a strong woman?
MV: I'm not. I think it is great if a woman makes career and is independent but I don't want her to knock me out.
The viewers prefer you sexy over powerful, and as it seems so does your author and director J.J. Abrams.
JG: I repeatedly call JJ and tell him: You can't just write a scene where I have to run around in a bikini.
Didn't you get used to it yet?
JG: It's better now. The series has improved my self-confidence. I see my body with different eyes now. Every time I have to wear something tight for the series I think: "Oh, god!". But when I see the episode a few weeks later I notice: "It doesn't look that bad." I can wear these things now more easily than a year ago.
The magazine Maxim has declared you as the most beautiful woman in the world. Are you treated accordingly on the set?
JG: Yes, of course. Every morning I prance around in front of the crew and say: "Don't forget I am the most beautiful woman in the world." Bulls***. They would laugh at me.
© TV Spielfilm (Germany) 2004
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