Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr Interview, New in Town

MoviesOnline sat down with Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., and Siobahn Fallon Hogan to talk about their new movie, “New In Town,” a romantic comedy directed by Danish filmmaker Jonas Elmer from a screenplay by Kenneth Rance and C. Jay Cox. The film was shot on location in Miami, Florida and Winnipeg, Canada and also stars “Juno’s” J.K. Simmons.

Zellweger plays Lucy Hill, an ambitious, up and coming executive living in sunny Miami. She loves her shoes, she loves her cars, she loves jogging along the beach, and she loves climbing the corporate ladder. When she is offered a temporary assignment in a small town in the middle of subzero Minnesota to restructure a manufacturing plant, she jumps at the opportunity, knowing that a big promotion is close at hand.

What begins as a straight forward job assignment becomes a life changing experience as Lucy discovers greater meaning in her life and most unexpectedly the man of her dreams (Connick). Hogan plays Lucy’s personal assistant, Blanche Gunderson, who embodies the town’s warmhearted community spirit and develops an unlikely friendship with Lucy.

Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., and Siobahn Fallon Hogan are fabulous people and we really appreciated their time. Here’s what they had to tell us:

MoviesOnline: Renee, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the weather. Plus talk about what you and Harry both had to endure in the film with the cold and all?

Zellweger: It was highly entertaining and very educational. I didn’t know cold like that, it was a whole different kind of experience. It was a marvelous exercise in developing new survival skills. It was a whole new language for the biological things that happen.

Connick: Yes, nostricles being the first of many.

Zellweger: Who knew that panty hose could be so very important, three or four pairs at a time. I never imagined that I would rejoice at the pantyhose laid out on the bed by wardrobe every morning. They were essential. I would not be here today were it not for the Hanes, I promise this.

MoviesOnline: Working with Siobahn, she is so funny on screen, I was wondering if she was funny when you weren’t shooting? Did you have any moments when you couldn’t keep a straight face?

Zellweger: She got us in trouble. Look at her, she is trouble, trouble.

Hogan: It was great.

Zellweger: I’m telling you we got scolded because we needed to concentrate and focus. This girl is non-stop and they keep flying out. It’s really difficult. I think the most challenging part of this experience was trying to focus, concentrate, and not laugh when she was coming up with whatever it was that was becoming this gorgeous character. We had a really good time. I don’t think there was a day when we weren’t laughing till our eyelids were frozen together from tears.

MoviesOnline: I wanted to know if there were any other aspects of working in the city that stuck with you? It’s a pretty quiet place in January.

Zellweger: Not with us.

Connick: It’s not a question of sticking with you, it’s a question of sticking on you, and it’s so cold. You should know. Why you would live in that town? The people are amazing but let’s just be real. It’s not human to live in a town like that, that’s just crazy cold. That’s colder than you can even conceive. Don’t go to Winnipeg between October and March.

Zellweger: Not without four parkas, and you really do need them all at once, you do. There were so many things about that place that were so charming. I loved the ice sculpture downtown. That was great. Waiting for the snow to compile and harden I suppose, that took probably 30 minutes. That was fantastic. The tenacity of the people was just so impressive. To me, you looked outside and think “Where is the road?” because you can’t see the road. “I guess there is no driving today.” But that’s not the case. Everybody just gets up and they get on with it like it’s normal. It’s just commonplace that your face freezes within two seconds of stepping outside of the door.

Connick: But again, for the record, it’s not normal. There is no semblance of normalcy about that at all.

MoviesOnline: Siobahn, what about you?

Hogan: Well, I’m from Syracuse so I didn’t think it would be that much of a challenge. When they gave me the packet that said “How to prepare for Winnipeg,” I chucked it. But then they would give us these hand warmers and neck warmers and I’m not one for details. I put it on my neck and the camera was behind me on Renee and they said “We can see something on your neck.” I’m like “Oh, it’s my neck warmer.” I peeled it off and I feel water trickling down the back of my neck because I had blisters all on my back. You’re supposed to put them over your sweater. I went out all the time. I said “This is not going to stop me.” I learned that you have to bend your knees when you walk because it’s so icy you don’t want to fall and break something. I loved the people and it was great. It’s a great city.

Connick: Who walks with their knees not bent anyway?

Hogan: Really, bend the knees!

MoviesOnline: I’m a city girl and after watching this film I would totally date a country guy. You had great chemistry. Can you talk about that?

Zellweger: It was all fake. No. I don’t know. I grew up with country guys. I probably know more pickup truck fellas than I do city fellas.

MoviesOnline: Do you have a preference?

Zellweger: You shouldn’t ask me about dating. Oh goodness.

MoviesOnline: Did you two have fun working on set together?

Connick: It was incredible. I heard a lot in the questions yesterday ‘What drew you to this?’ and really it was that I read the script. I loved it by the way, I thought it was fantastic, but it was the prospect of working with Renee. It was the idea I had about working with her that really made me want to do it. Unfortunately, none of the things I had thought would happen happened but still, the idea of it was great.

MoviesOnline: Harry, you are noted as being a real guy or a people’s guy. I wondered if Ted was close to you or did you have to do research?

Connick: I’m not even close to that guy. If I could be that guy, I would be a hero with my wife. That’s the kind of guy who is a real guy. I don’t have that kind of restraint or mystery. I’m much too emotive and spontaneous or impulsive. There are a lot of things about him I would like to be. I didn’t really do any research. I know who that guy is, so it was a matter of building upon things that I thought about or fantasized about in my head.

MoviesOnline: How did the script start out?

Connick: It was originally “Jew in Town,” right? Jerry Seinfeld was supposed to star in it? [Laughs]

Hogan: No, it was “Nude In Town” and that’s why they wanted me.

Connick: First I think it was “Winnie the Pooh In Town.” Then “Jew In Town” and then “Nude In Town.”

MoviesOnline: Harry and Renee can you talk about any experiences of being new in town? Also talk about being new in a job?

Connick: When I moved to New York when I was 18, I was definitely new in town. I was coming from a much smaller place, although it was still a big city, but you have all these dreams. You think you’re going to make this and that happen. You get up there and nobody cares. You have to readjust how you think about things. I know that feeling pretty well.

Zellweger: Every four months new in town. Wherever the next location is and wherever you get sent the first order of business is to plop the bags down in what is going to be home for the next four to six months. Then you hoof it around and try to discover what’s going on in the community. You find what your patterns and surroundings are going to be for the next six months. So yes, perpetually new in town. On set there is an immediate intimacy to some degree because you come into a project with a whole lot of people with common goals. It’s this big huge cooperative effort that everyone is really passionate about and it’s very exciting. It’s very strange because you become like a high school class or something by the time you wrap a picture. It’s very strange to leave it behind. It’s a very strange nomadic circus life I guess. You are perpetually new in every respect.

MoviesOnline: Renee and Harry could you talk a little bit about working in the romantic comedy format? Is there a rhythm to that format when you make those films? Discovery? Hating each other? Is there a real rhythm to each of those kinds of films?

Connick: I don’t think of it in terms of being a rhythm only because that would impose some sort of structure before we even got started. I look at it in terms of I read the story and try to interpret or figure out as much as I can. I think the rhythm happens when you start working with the other people. There is a certain rhythm that Renee brings that another actress wouldn’t bring. There is a certain rhythm I bring. I think the rhythm is inherent in the casting and writing. They are all completely different for me.

Zellweger: I’m not sure if it would differ in this particular genre than say if you were doing a drama. I guess it’s about the play really. It’s about the exchange really and what’s honest in it. Hopefully, if the writing is good, and the dialogue is believable, it just comes together naturally. I felt so lucky on this. I knew we were going to have a great time having met the cast before we started. You don’t know how its’ going to ultimately come together until you start. You get out there and give it a shot. We share the same sense of humor, which is sort of miraculous.

Hogan: Sort of sick.

Zellweger: And it was really, really unfortunate for the director and crew who want to keep it going. I think that came into play quite a bit. We have the same appreciation for the moment that could be. It was just play really.

MoviesOnline: Can you talk about the challenges of the hunting scene and getting the frozen zipper to cooperate?

Zellweger: It stuck on its own. It stuck. That was unfortunate in the latrine.

Connick: That was a funny scene. Renee comes from a small town in Texas. It was funny to see her out there carrying a shotgun and wearing overalls. It was adorable really, to me, and again it was just so cold. It was to the point where we weren’t even laughing about it. We were just trying to get the hell out of there and back to the hotel. The great thing about that scene for me was Renee’s commitment to the funny of the whole thing. She didn’t help me at all. You can see that Renee is petite. I’m a little bigger than the average guy I guess. I ended up picking her up and it’s not like she helped a little bit. She didn’t help at all. That’s what made it so funny for us. We thought it was funny when we did it and we got a good vibe out of that. It’s funny, it doesn’t seem like all the attention is on me right now. Focus! [Laughs]

Hogan: Was there an earthquake?

Zellweger: I thought it was your charisma.

Connick: I refuse to be upstaged by Mother Nature. Back to me.

MoviesOnline: I love how everyone learns something at the end. I was wondering if each of you had any preconceived notions about corporate CEO’s or country folk that turned out to be not as you expected?

Connick: It was a great reminder for me. What happens from the east coast, to California, all the way to the west coast of New York, is basically what gives us what we have everyday to use. It’s all those people in the middle. I live in the New York area. Out here we don’t think about all these people, at least I don’t, I think about them to a degree. But this movie really made me focus on the people who make our lives livable. They produce our food, clothing, and transportation. I was on the road doing a Christmas Tour the last two months and I would go out. These are the people that see me play in concert. They are taking their money to spend on a ticket to see me? Nobody is that good. It is humbling to see that and this movie made me recognize again that these people are not statistics. They are people. Although I’m ignorant to business and how business affairs work, there has to be some common ground between firing everybody, because there is not enough money to pay them, and realizing that these people have livelihoods. There has to be some better way. Hopefully, in this new era we are about to embark upon in the next week or so, we’ll start finding some of those answers. These people don’t have anything. They are losing everything they have. We are in the entertainment business. People say “How is it working out there in the cold?” Man, we working.

Hogan: Also, when I got the script and my character talks about Jesus and it’s not done disrespectfully. It’s not politically correct or incorrect. It’s so beautifully done. I couldn’t believe it because I’m Catholic. I have three children and I raised my kids in the Catholic faith. It’s clearly a Christian character. I though this was such a huge part of the population that Hollywood veers away from because it’s not hip. I just thought it was a gift that the producers were brave enough to do it. I’m so proud to speak about Jesus three times in there, not mock it, and have it be something that the community is proud of and it’s not a weird thing.

Connick: Did you deny him on the third time?

Hogan: I did not! He’s a Catholic too! You dirty son of a… I said when I first got this “Harry, I know this church in New Orleans. I’m the PTA Vice President at the school. I don’t want to be President because that’s too much responsibility. There is a school we helped there, St. Rita’s, in Katrina.” He goes “That’s where I went.” The big phony. He sang for the Pope. Actions speak louder than words.

MoviesOnline: Any thoughts on small town folk and corporate CEO’s?

Zellweger: No. I’m not surprised. I’m a news junkie. It’s one of my favorite things about this job. It sends me all over the world and I get to look at things from different perspectives all the time. It’s a thrill to me to be stuck on top of a mountain in Romania and turn on the Belgian news. I love it. Nothing surprises me. I wasn’t enlightened in any way by these circumstances. It happens all the time. I know this woman. Lucy Hill. Initially it’s about numbers, what works on paper, and a profit margin. It’s sad but it exists. It’s a big part of what is going on right now and it saddens me. Like Harry said, I have my fingers tightly crossed. I watch so closely everyday. No, I didn’t have any revelations with respect to how businesses are run. My father was a victim of those circumstances in the late 80’s. I’ve lived it and experienced it. I didn’t have any new thoughts on it. Because I don’t work in that profession, I shouldn’t comment on it beyond a plebian, pedestrian of television news and newspaper articles. I grew up in a small town. I know this community. I know communities of people like this who are not simple in that way. They are as head strong and determined in their perspectives as anyone who comes in and doesn’t understand those perspectives. They make decisions about how they want to live their lives and what is valuable to them. I recognized this community of eclectic folk. I recognized the values, the support systems inside small communities like that, and generations of families who have contributed to those communities for years, years, and years. It’s nice to be in it again. It’s a little colder in this particular community. No new thoughts.

MoviesOnline: People knew you were in town Harry, so during your down time did you go to the clubs and jam?

Connick: I really didn’t because there were two reasons. I was there to do work. I tried to prepare as much as I could. It was so freaking cold that I never left the hotel. It really wasn’t a whole lot going on. Is that safe to say? The music scene?

Zellweger: It’s huge. It has a great history.

Connick: But I’m talking about the music scene. I don’t remember there being a lot of club opportunities to play.

Zellweger: Huge underground.

Connick: I don’t remember if Harry said “There is a jam session over here.” I probably would have gone. I don’t’ remember there being any coinciding with my time there.

MoviesOnline: You were talking about the working relationship and mentioned drama. You recently completed a drama that you are particularly keen on us hearing about. Can you talk about “Living Proof” and why that’s an important project for you?

Zellweger: Yes, Harry just starred in a made for Lifetime special that I co-produced with Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, from “Chicago.” It’s about Dr. Denny Slamon who discovered a gene target therapy drug, which actually is a treatment that one of my best friends and publicist Nanci Ryder received in 2000 and it saved her life. Ironically, Harry has been doing cancer charity contributions and appearances for years. Ironically, he was the original entertainment at the Fire & Ice ball.

Connick: That was a fundraiser for Dr. Slamon. That’s a strange coincidence.

Zellweger: Harry invited us to his Super Bowl gathering last January. He made red beans and rice, I came with this big idea. I would really like him to play the part of Denny Slamon. I think he’s good. He’s a really obvious, natural born entertainer and performer. We don’t need to bring up your talent as a songwriter and performer in that respect. I think he’s a great actor. He’s got charisma, presence, and he’s got all the qualities you hope for in a leading man. I haven’t seen enough of him on screen personally. I thought he would be marvelous in the part. I had no idea about his history with cancer charities until we discussed the script. He brought up all these different connections he personally has to these charities. It was very exciting. Then he said yes and I was just thrilled.

Connick: I was pretty blown away too. Renee and I were talking on set and we were talking about art. She said “What do you want to do as an actor?” I said “I don’t really have any particular goals. I would like to be able to stretch. Sometimes I find the opportunities aren’t as readily available as I would like.” I think you have to be present in this community to really develop a full career. I got a day job where I go out and play music. I’m not here all the time. I think sometimes I may be off people’s radar. Renee says “Well, how would you feel about playing such and such?” I read the script and coming from Renee, who is somebody I infinitely respect, I was blown away she asked me to do it. I felt I could do it, but to know she felt I could do it, that made me feel on top of the world. It was a great honor. I’m glad that Dr. Slamon’s story got told. We were talking about when I’m on the road. Every single night I meet people who say “I’m here because of that drug.” I had people asking me for medical advice. They were asking about drug interactions between this drug and other drugs. I said “Do you know that I’m a jazz piano player? I can’t help you.” But the point was that they were aware. If it saved one woman’s life then my job is done. Everything else is [?] as we say in Louisiana.

MoviesOnline: What was it like working with Jonas [Elmer]? Did he teach you swear words? Are you high heels or low heels yourself?

Zellweger: No, there is no in between. There are sneakers and work shoes. Jonas was a lot of fun. How would you describe Jonas?

Connick: Very fine. You are dealing with two regional accents. Renee had basically a normal accent but all the people in Minnesota. Siobhan’s crew had theirs. I had a southern accent. A lot of times he would come up to me and go “Is that funny?” He’s great, very smart, and really adhered to the vision he had. He’s very strong at the helm I think.

MoviesOnline: Did he teach you anything?

Hogan: I think hoogly [sp?] was for cozy? I remembered one.

MoviesOnline: Do you do anything green at all?

Zellweger: It sounds like martyrdom to turn the lights off or recycle. I was raised in a household where we were very frugal. I had no idea that my father was so progressive in his thinking. He wasn’t green but we were just being cheap. All those things now translate into green. We were saving money.

MoviesOnline: What is something about small town life that you still really enjoy?

Zellweger: Familiarity. I like familiarity. I like that you have real interaction with people in a community. I love that you know your banker. I live in a small town on the east coast and the mail man comes in the house, puts it on the thing, and leaves a note that says “Don’t forget this, your thing came.” I just love that because you feel supported, like you have a place. I miss that sometimes when I’m away and on the road.

MoviesOnline: Do you have a red carpet joke moment?

Zellweger: Yes, I don’t want to bring it up. It follows you around for years. Let’s not perpetuate that shall we? Let’s let it die!

“New in Town” opens in theaters on January 30th.