Susan Sarandon Interview, Enchanted

MoviesOnline sat down with Susan Sarandon at the Los Angeles press day for her new movie, "Enchanted,” directed by Kevin Lima ("Tarzan,” "Eloise At Christmastime”) from a screenplay written by Bill Kelly ("Blast From the Past”) and featuring original songs from the reunited team of acclaimed composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz ("Pocahontas,” "Hunchback of Notre Dame”).

A classic Disney fairytale collides with modern-day New York City in a story about a fairytale princess (Amy Adams) from the past who is thrust into present-day by an evil queen (Sarandon). Soon after her arrival, Princess Giselle begins to change her views on life and love after meeting a handsome lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) and his ambitious girlfriend, Nancy (Idina Menzel). Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?

Susan Sarandon (Narissa) brings her own brand of sex appeal and intelligence to every role – from her fearless portrayal in "Bull Durham” to her Oscar-nominated performances in "Thelma and Louise,” "Lorenzo’s Oil,” "The Client,” and "Atlantic City,” and her Academy Award-winning and SAG Award-winning role as Sister Helen Prejean, a nun consoling a death-row inmate, in "Dead Man Walking.”

Sarandon made her feature film acting debut in the movie "Joe,” which she followed with a continuing role in the drama "A World Apart.” Her early film credits include: "The Great Waldo Pepper,” "Lovin’ Molly,” "The Front Page” and the 1975 cult classic, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” In 1978, she played Brooke Shields’ mother in Louis Malle’s controversial "Pretty Baby” and went on to receive her first Oscar nomination in Malle’s "Atlantic City.” Sarandon’s additional feature credits include "King of the Gypsies,” "The Hunger,” "The Sweet Hearts,” "Compromising Positions,” "The January Man,” "White Palace,” "The Buddy System,” "Sweet Hearts Dance,” "A Dry White Season,” "The Witches of Eastwick,” "Bob Roberts,” "Light Sleeper,” "Little Women” and "Safe Passage.”

Sarandon starred opposite Paul Newman and Gene Hackman in "Twilight”; with Julia Roberts in the poignant comedy "Stepmom”; in the erotic farce "Illuminata,” directed by John Turturro; Tim Robbins’ drama "Cradle Will Rock”; Wayne Wang’s "Anywhere But Here”; and Stanley Tucci’s "Joe Gould’s Secret.” She also provided one of the voices for the hit animated feature "Rugrats in Paris” and served as narrator for Laleh Khadivi’s documentary "900 Women,” about female prison inmates. She also starred in HBO’s "Earthly Possessions,” based on the Anne Tyler novel and directed by James Lapine. On Broadway, Sarandon appeared in "An Evening with Richard Nixon” and received critical acclaim for her performances Off-Broadway in "A Coupla White Chicks Sittin’ Around Talkin’” and the thriller "Extremities” and in the Off-Off-Broadway production of "The Guys.”

Sarandon has been seen in Brad Silberling’s "Moonlight Mile” with Dustin Hoffman; in the comedy "Igby Goes Down” with Jeff Goldblum; and in "The Banger Sisters,” with Goldie Hawn and Geoffrey Rush. She was also in "Children of Dune” for the Sci-Fi channel and in "Ice Bound” for CBS and Miramax TV. She appeared in "Shall We Dance” with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez and "Alfie” with Jude Law. Recently, she has been in Cameron Crowe’s "Elizabethtown,” starring Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom; Jon Turturro’s "Romance & Cigarettes” with Kate Winslet and James Gandolfini; Ann Turner’s "Irresistible” with Sam Neill and Emily Blunt; opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Seann Williams Scott in the comedy "Mr. Woodcock”; and opposite Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah.” Upcoming projects for the prolific actress include "Bernard and Doris,” opposite Ralph Fiennes, "Emotional Arithmetic,” "The Lovely Bones” directed by Peter Jackson, and the live-action "Speed Racer” directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski.

Susan Sarandon is a fabulous person and we really appreciated her time. Here’s what the Academy Award-winning actress had to tell us about her new Disney movie, "Enchanted”:

Q: You were wonderful in this. Did you go back and look at every Disney villain?

SUSAN SARANDON: I liked the gal in "Snow White." I thought she was really elegant and styling and completely imbalanced. The fact that she has the same issues because someone, you know, threatens [her] and because she is so vain and self-involved. There is this young girl coming up that she wants to get rid of and she has kind of this relationship with the henchman. And, also, I always thought [Queen] Narissa has just got this great set-up. She's got real estate. She's a party girl. She's been entertaining and the stepson is not too bright. So she has been managing the world. And suddenly this alliance might change her position in society so she just decides she has to get rid of her. That kind of held with "Snow White." What was her name in "Snow White?" I don't remember. She doesn't have a name, does she? But she has that fabulous... you know all these high collared girls. Even when I did "Igby Goes Down," I wanted a little bit of a high collar for that horrible mother. There is something about that that empowers you immediately, the way you walk and everything.

Q: When you first saw the evil queen in "Snow White" as a child, do you remember your reaction?

SUSAN SARANDON: No. No, I don't. I remember being more terrified of the Dancing Broom in "Fantasia" though and absolutely distraught, of course, over "Bambi," that whole thing. I am the oldest of nine. I don't think we got out much. I don't remember, you know. All of the Disney stuff I saw on TV really more than in the theater. I don't think I took a lot of trips to the theater. I'll have to ask my mother about that. Certainly in my family, one of my boys identified with Peter Pan and the other one loved Captain Hook. So I think it is a personality thing. Because the evil ones definitely have better scenes, better clothes, more fun than the princesses, the good ones that never get angry and are very sincere. So it is interesting who gravitates toward what when you see those cartoons.

Q: Why do you think the princesses still resonate with a new generation of girls today?

SUSAN SARANDON: I don't know. My daughter was never into that. She was a cross-dresser until she was about 10. She was always wearing boy’s clothes. [Laughter] I used to waltz with her to the "Cinderella" theme. We liked the music and everything, but she .. I don't know... I think she is very romantic and I think the whole idea of dancing and everything stops and the people all move away is a classic moment that every girl loves. But I don't think she ever felt ... the princess dresses she really couldn't move in them. She was Pee-Wee Herman one Halloween, unfortunately the year he got busted. [Laughter] She was always in suits. For her sixth birthday she asked for a white tuxedo. You know she never went there as the Princess thing. And I don't think I did either. I don't know why little girls love ... I guess it’s all sparkly and big and it feels good. I remember my first communion when I got my first stick-out slip. I thought that was very cool. That is my only experience with something getting even close to a Princess outfit. I don't know.

Q: Was it fun to do the voice? I know you’ve done a "Rugrats" voice.

SUSAN SARANDON: And "James and the Giant Peach" and "The Simpsons."

Q: Did you record the voice first and then do the live action or the other way around?

SUSAN SARANDON: Oh yeah, they do it the other way around. They started working on the cartoon and they filmed us doing the cartoons, doing the voiceovers to be able to animate the cartoons. And we started out with a lot of shouting. Then when I went back and I saw it, I said they are much cooler than these bad girls there. They are so bad they don't even have to raise their voice. Every now and then they have some kind of momentary lapse where they freak out, but really, it’s much more seductive and evil that she relishes. She's not so much out of control, she's really having a good time being horrible.

Q: Was it fun the first time you were able to take that animated character and bring it to life?

SUSAN SARANDON: Well yeah. It was so flattering to be asked to be in the family of iconic Disney bad people, stepmothers, and then taking it into something that had never been done before was great. There is a reason though that they dress like that only in cartoons. It is very difficult. Amy had a 100 lbs. dress on or something, 80 pounds. What I was wearing, I mean even a drag queen would find… [laughter]. The shoes were, they would have liked to have had that great height, but I can't wear heels that are that high. The high heels, the high boots that didn't bend in the knee. then balancing the collar. The head dress was really heavy. Being sewn in. Not being able to sit down at any time. All those things do demand of you, I mean you can't be too big with your gestures when you are dressed like that. It was a challenge to make her real. It was fun to do it. I am hoping my action figure is one of those really beautiful things, you flip her over and the hag is underneath. Then there is the ugly one underneath. It was great to kind of surrender to something that is so far from reality. You are kind of hiding behind all this makeup and glitter as opposed to those kind of painful, personal things that you take inside and live with. So it was like a vacation. If you are going to do something like that, Disney is the place to do it because they really have it down and I love the fact that it was hand-drawn and not computerized animation because I always miss the feeling of the human touch in those new ones that are quite brilliant in their own way but kind of freak me out. It was nice that they had those artists doing it. I got to say I don't know if it makes me feel more secure in the world to know that Disney has a sense of humor about itself but it was a nice revelation. Because in the beginning I thought, "Do they realize what they are doing here?" And so I thought that was really great.

Q: Have you ever played anything this broad before?

SUSAN SARANDON: Well, in a way. You know when I did "Rocky Horror Show," I was making fun of every ingenue that I had ever played. So I was kind of doing Amy's part in it. And it was pretty broad but you know again you have to sell it very seriously, but I didn't have all the trappings of something as extreme. The gal I am playing now is very nasty. But I don't think I have ever been that costumed up. I never remember what I have done but I can't think of anything where I have been that completely done up. I don't know. Oh, you know what in "Illuminata," John Turturro's film, I am pretty over the top and all done up as this Sarah Bernhardt-kind of person. That's pretty excessive.

Q: How broad is "Speed Racer?"

SUSAN SARANDON: "Speed Racer" is not broad. I mean "Speed Racer” is broad in its concept and in its technology but we completely just have a monkey in our family, a chimp in our family. [Laughter] They want everyone to play it very straight. But around us, the world and the house, the way it looks, and the costumes and everything are definitely a style. They definitely [are]. It is very visual, it is a very layered film, all this stuff I can't even begin to tell you about. But we played very straight.

Q: They are in post now. Have you seen any of the footage?

SUSAN SARANDON: Uh huh.

Q: How does it look?

SUSAN SARANDON: Incredible.

Q: How do you look in it?

SUSAN SARANDON: Kind of like "The Jetsons." I mean [laughter] it is not my best look. It takes a little getting used to. I have the same hairdo I had in my eighth grade yearbook. But it’s beautiful. It is very saturated color. It unfolds in a way that breaks all boundaries of structure. I can't explain it. Before I left Berlin I saw 10 or 15 minutes and I know they are…I think it going to be ready by May.

Q: Could you talk a little about playing the hag and how long did that makeup take?

SUSAN SARANDON: There were five pieces. One, two, three, four, five [counting while pointing to spots on her face], a wig, and they stipple your neck and your hands and put nails and the whole thing. That took about five hours all together. To get out of it took another couple. So what they did, very mercifully, they said "What we would like to do is do a few really long days so you don't have to keep getting in and out of this because it was pretty wearing to the face. And the hobbling around business was actually physically easier than being in the other thing. It was more comfortable because of course I was just stooped over and my hump did all the work. Once I got used to... I saw the makeup test. By the way, my dog recognized me immediately. [Laughter] My dog was not the least bit freaked out. When I first had the whole thing on I had been sitting there for five hours and they took her for a walk because I had come straight from the airport. I was doing "Mr. Woodcock" at the time and I’d come in to do that. I went straight to the studio and they did this whole thing. They took Penny out for a walk and she came back and just went right up on my lap. How could this be? When I saw those makeup tests, it really showed me how to get the most mileage out of using my eyes because nothing else really moved. And the teeth were difficult to speak through initially. They kind of cut your inner gum. But finding that voice I kept thinking this was like the babysitter from Hell that sounds so nice but she’s really weird. I kept thinking why would she take a bite out of the apple if this woman is cackling at her. She is either incredibly depressed or you know... so we were trying to find some kind of gentle, soothing, horrifyingly weird ....

Q: What are you working on now?

SUSAN SARANDON: "Lovely Bones" with Peter Jackson.

Q: How is it working with him?

SUSAN SARANDON: Well we just started. I loved "Heavenly Creatures" and I think this is more in keeping with that. I love this book. Everybody involved is really talented. I’m sure you know that Mark (Wahlberg) just joined the cast. I shot with him for the first time Friday and I know him a little bit from when Tim worked with him. He seems very enthusiastic. There is a nice atmosphere. We haven't been doing too much. I am definitely the comic relief in that one.

Q: Where are you shooting?

SUSAN SARANDON: In Pennsylvania. Outside of Philly.

Q: Have you done any work with Ryan Gosling?

SUSAN SARANDON: Yeah we had been with Ryan for a few weeks, not shooting, just rehearsing.

Q: So what's different? What's changed?

SUSAN SARANDON: I don't know. I haven’t really worked with him. Mark is definitely older.

Q: We are just interested in the film because it is such a beloved book.

SUSAN SARANDON: I loved that book. I read it a long time ago. And I think the Heaven part will be even more interesting in the film because it kind of lost me in the book. So I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with that. Heaven is in New Zealand. [Laughter]

Q: That’s where Jackson does all the magic worlds.

Q: What did you think of the cartoon version of you?

SUSAN SARANDON: I thought she seemed very fit and angular. I thought it was great. I thought there was a hint of me in the dragon and that they managed to conceal a little bit of that. You don't really have any say over your cartoon likeness. I am just so happy to end up on a lunch box or a thermos as opposed to when I was younger and was so anti any kind of merchandising. I’m like "”Yeah, I want that lunch box."

Q: Are you disappointed you didn’t get a chance to sing?

SUSAN SARANDON: Well I would have liked one of those talking songs that Cyril Ritchard and Jeremy Irons [do]. It’s kind of like I-am-so-happy-to-be-evil-and-I-can't-wait-to do this kind of song. That would have been an interesting thing to do. But they already cut another song. I love the music that is in there. They even did another production number that is not in the movie which you will probably get as an extra thing when they put the DVD out. So I guess they were trying to keep it ... you know the cartoon part started out being longer and then that got cut. So I think they just wanted to keep it nice and snappy. I understand ...maybe if I come back ... I understand some of the kids at the screening were like "She's not dead." [Laughter] So I hope they talk to the powers that be in case there’s a sequel.

Q: Are you signed on for another one assuming the film does well?

SUSAN SARANDON: I don't even know. I don't pay attention too much to that. I’m sure. I don't know. I mean "Speed Racer" I remember they really get you down for the rest of your life. Yeah, I’m probably.

Q: Are you signed for anything past "Lovely Bones?" Do you have any other projects?

SUSAN SARANDON: I have an offer for January that I’m trying to see... you know the possibility of a strike has changed a lot of stuff. So there are a lot of things going. So I am trying to decide. I have a go ahead in January, two in March. I haven't been able to think because I have been working and traveling. So now I am down to meeting with directors and really I’m going to have to say yes or no.

Q: What are your feelings about the possibility of a strike?

SUSAN SARANDON: I think it is a very real possibility because I think there are a lot of significant issues with all the emerging technology. You know when Reagan was the head of SAG he pretty much gave up a lot. I think that was a lesson well learned because he didn't have the foresight to see where things were going so now people are being a lot more careful. And I am hoping that everybody isn't real greedy and there is some way to work it out because it should be fair. People are getting paid less and less and producers are getting more and more. There has to be some way to participate later especially for people who aren't at the very top, actors wise. You know those residual checks, they mean a lot to get those checks unexpectedly. You can't just cut that out. It is not right I don’t think. Actors should be able to participate. Writers. So I don't know what's going to happen. I hope they have level headed people trying to talk it through. I know from the last commercial strike that it was tough when you are up against corporate America so we’ll see.

"Enchanted” opens in theaters on November 21st.