BULLOCK. Teams up with George Clooney in Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi thriller.
LOS ANGELES—“I’m over 40, and I’m shocked that I’m offered more than I’ve ever been offered before—and I’m not going to question it,” a laughing Sandra Bullock reacted when told that in a welcome development, actresses over 40 years old are getting more parts and bigger films. The actress credits films written by and about women like the hit comedy, “Bridesmaids,” which was penned by Kristen Wiig, who also starred, and her writing partner, Annie Mumolo.
Of “Bridesmaids’” blockbuster status, Sandra commented, “The outcome said, maybe people want to see a different tone coming from women. Those movies changed the landscape for those of us who are looking for a buddy film, which I was looking for, a year before ‘The Heat’ came along.”
“Bridesmaids” featured the breakthrough performance of Melissa McCarthy, who co-stars with Sandra in “The Heat.” We hope the huge box-office success of this female cop-buddy comedy does indeed augur well for the trend of more roles for women in Hollywood.
“The Heat” was also written by a woman, Katie Dippold. She will also write “The Heat 2.” By coincidence, Paul Feig directed both “The Heat” and “Bridesmaids.”
Cop comedy
Asked to talk about what she considers her biggest achievement, the Oscar and Golden Globe Best Actress winner for “The Blind Side” replied, “That I still get to work—and do things that no one in his right mind would consider doing. I’d go, ‘God, I’d love to do a two-hander female cop comedy. I think that and, somehow, it happens.”
She added, “I have always wanted to work with Alfonso Cuaron. Then, I got to have this extraordinary experience with him!” She was referring to “Gravity,” where she finally got to be directed by Cuaron. George Clooney also stars in the sci-fi thriller.
Sandra continued, “So, my greatest achievement is that, I’m still here—and I’m still afforded the luxury of working with artists that I’m blown away by on a daily basis. That spills over into my personal life. I get to dream things, and they happen—and, I get to share that with a little person (her adopted son, Louis Bardo Bullock). I want him to know no boundaries.”
On whether she is very competitive like her “The Heat” character, uptight and straight-laced FBI special agent, Sarah Ashburn, Sandra answered, “I’m competitive with myself, not with other people. —And you know that, in this business, you’re rejected all the time.”
More important
Sandra Bullock, being rejected? “Oh, all the time,” she claimed. “Are you kidding? I don’t take it personally. It’s just work. That’s how I remove myself from the dings.”
On her and Melissa’s roles (the latter plays a foul-mouthed, rogue Boston cop named Shannon Mullins), Sandra said that it was the reverse in real life. “I’m very A-type. —I like for things to be on time and as scheduled. But, there’s the other side of me that will go completely ballistic if someone is doing something that’s wrong, or harming another human being. And I do have the mouth of a truck driver! But, now that I have a child, I don’t bring it home.”
“I like people like Melissa’s character,” Sandra volunteered. “I’m always drawn to people who are very honest. Even if it might hurt your feelings a little bit. I like people who are unafraid to try and right wrongs, even if they’re swimming upstream. I like people who aren’t worried about the rest of the pack liking them in order to do their job or to be the person they are.”
Does she sing like Ashburn does after drinking booze? She quipped with a grin, “I don’t. Ever. No matter how much alcohol I might take in, I will never, ever sing! I will dance like an idiot, but I will not sing—unless I have to sing poorly!”
Maybe that answer explains why she decided not to play Miss Hannigan in the film remake of the musical, “Annie.” Instead, Cameron Diaz has the role.
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