Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg Interview, The Lovely Bones

The haunting aftermath of a crime and the stirring restoration of a family unfold from the unexpected vantage point of the beyond in “The Lovely Bones” – the story of a life and everything that came after.

Based on the beloved, best-selling novel by Alice Sebold and directed by Oscar winner Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy), the film centers on Susie Salmon, who was just 14 years old when she was murdered in December 1973 on her way home from school. Following her death, she continues to watch over her earthbound family while her killer remains at large. Trapped in a wondrous, yet mysterious hereafter, Susie finds she must choose between her desire for vengeance and her yearning to see her loved ones heal and move on. What begins as a shocking homicide unravels into a suspenseful and visually inventive journey through the bonds of memory, love and hope – towards a surprising and emotional reckoning.

MoviesOnline sat down this weekend with cast members Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Saoirse Ronan, Rose McIver and Mark Wahlberg to talk about their new film. Here’s what they had to tell us:
 
 Q: Stanley, why was there a choice made to have Mr. Harvey wear contacts? Was it to make him look slightly inhuman?
 
Stanley: No, it was not to make him look slightly inhuman. I didn’t think that my eyes were the eyes that should be the eyes of this guy. And also, he needed to be more quintessentially American looking, so the skin tone was changed, hair was added and the eyes seemed to be appropriate for him. If you look at the scene with Mike Imperioli and me, where he comes in and asks me questions, I’m hoping that the eyes look sort of normal. In those close-ups, like the reflection in the mirror where he’s sitting in his car, then the eyes take on a different quality because of the way it’s lit and because of my horrible thoughts behind it.
 
Q: Saoirse and Rose, how did you go about bonding to play sisters?
 
Saoirse: We met in Pennsylvania. I had just come off another movie, so I went straight over to meet everyone. I think we met the first day.
 
Rose: We spent a lot of time at the Salmon house. We did a little bit of getting to know each other, and getting to know the dog that was going to play Holiday.
 
Saoirse: We just bonded for those two weeks. Rose and I have a six year difference in age, but we feel like we’re very close in age, and we bonded from the beginning. We got on very, very well. She’s one of my best friends.
 
Rose: And, neither of us have sisters, so we took each other.
 
Saoirse: Aww. Isn’t that sweet? But, yeah, it was great because, even though we don’t really have that many scenes together in the movie, we got to hang out when I was in New Zealand, and we still keep in touch and everything.
 
Q: Rachel, did you read the book to get any more of your character’s background, to know where she was coming from for the film?
 
Rachel: The script was very beautiful, but it’s a huge bonus to have a novel as well, which gives you the interior life of your character and their backstory. So, for me, it was a huge extra help and great fuel for the imagination. I went back to it many, many times, to get the feeling of Abigail.
 
Q: Rachel, was there a lot with your character that didn’t make it into the film?
 
Rachel: There were lots of things that we shot that couldn’t make it into the final movie. It would have had to have been a mini-series, if you wanted to get all of the characters’ stories in.
 
Q: Susan, how did you decide on your character’s look for the film?
 
Susan: That’s just a great period. It was very collaborative with the designers. That’s just such a really fertile time, in terms of style and everything else. I remember those eyelashes. The fun part was working out how to clean your house with a drink and a cigarette. That was a new area for me.
 
Q: Was that just how she dealt with the grief?
 
Susan: Obviously, she’s been self-medicating for years, in anticipation of some grief. Maybe she mourns in another movie, but not in this one because that’s not my job. My job is to keep things moving forward. It’s a really great choice to have somebody who is completely inept being the one that tries to keep the house going. If I was a really seemingly solid, knitting granny, you would say she’s really boring. But, the fact that she’s throwing ashes simultaneously, everywhere she’s cleaning, I think that it allows the audience to laugh. When something horrible happens, you do find yourself laughing in weird places, in the midst of grief, and crying in the supermarket when you see a cereal that somebody used to eat. There’s just no way of guarding yourself, one way or another. Everybody grieves differently. There’s no right or wrong way. My function in the bigger picture was to be hilarious. I’ve been there and lost many a child on the set of a film. The big challenge, and I relied on Pete for this, was to make sure it was not too over the top. The lines were so funny that I didn’t really have to work too hard. I needed them to just make sure that I wasn’t really a caricature. She’s so real.
 
Q: Mark, can you talk about why you wanted to do this film?
 
Mark: My biggest reason for wanting to be a part of this was Peter Jackson. I’m a huge fan of Peter’s.
 
Q: This situation is every parent’s worst nightmare, and you’re a father yourself. Where do you go to portray that?
 
Mark: Because of the way I approach work, I wasn’t all that thrilled about the subject matter because I have a beautiful little girl and two beautiful boys. I don’t have the God-given talent that Rachel has, to just snap into it and have these floods of emotion coming out of it and then turn it all off. I basically had to live in that head space for the entire time. I just thought it would be a beautiful movie, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play [this character].
 
Q: Stanley, was this role particularly hard for you to do and drop, at the end of the day?
 
Stanley: It was hard, in every respect. I was very reticent to take the part, at first, because I have kids and I can’t really read or watch anything about kids getting harmed. I don’t like things about serial killers. There’s so much serial killer information out there and there are constantly documentaries, but a lot of it is just gratuitous and is almost pornographic. But, this was not that. This was a beautiful story about an exploration of loss. I had long conversations with Pete, Fran and Philippa before we started working together, and I felt very safe with them. I felt that there would be nothing that would be gratuitous, and we were going to create a person together, being Mr. Harvey, that was a real person. The more real he is and the more subtle he is, the more terrifying he is. The more banal he is, the more terrifying he is. At the beginning, it was very hard to leave it and drop it, at the end of the day, particularly when you’re fresh off your research and your research is repulsive. Eventually, f who he is and you find him, then I could drop him, at the end of the day. But, there is no doubt that it was, without question, the most difficult thing I’ve ever done as an actor. I looked forward to going to the make-up trailer, taking everything off and having a martini, at the end of every day, and at the beginning of every day too, as a matter of fact.
 
Q: Rose, can you talk about working with Peter Jackson and what it was like being a part of this project?
 
Rose: I’m a New Zealander and we’re pretty proud of Pete, and the opportunity to work with him was obviously very exciting and a real honor. I read the book when I was 13 and I was a huge fan of the novel, myself. I was Lindsey and Susie’s age, reading it in high school, and it just really resonated with me. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to play Lindsey, but when I read her in the script, I felt like she was very much that character that she was in the book. I don’t think I’m hugely similar to her, necessarily, but I really respect and admire her, so that made her captivating. And, she got to age from 11 to 19, which was really interesting, and a wonderful challenge to take on.
 
Q: How challenging was it for you to do that scene in Mr. Harvey’s house?
 
Rose: I didn’t know it was going to be as easy as it was. When I met Stanley, I thought, “This man’s too nice. He’s not going to be Mr. Harvey. How am I going to be scared of him?” But, when we were shooting that, it was in New Zealand. It was very contained fear. Whenever we’d cut, we’d go back to normal, but I certainly was actually really terrified. The idea of Lindsey putting herself in that position and, having already lost her sister, putting herself at stake and being so vulnerable, it’s brave, but it’s dangerous. The nature of the script made it a very easy emotion to tap into.
 
Q: Can you talk about taking the rape aspect out of the film?
 
Stanley: We talked before we shot, when we were getting to know each other, and we talked about that and how far it should go. There were pieces in the script, originally, that were a little more graphic, but as an exploration of where this movie could go and what you really needed. In our conversations, we all agreed that you don’t need to see this. I did an interview this morning and somebody said that a lot of people were upset that they don’t see the rape and the killing. I don’t get that. I think anyone who’s disappointed, in that regard, should just go on the Internet. They’ll find a lot of stuff like that. It’s so much more interesting, what Peter did, in leaving it to the audience’s imagination. Our imagination of rape and murder are much greater than what anyone could ever put on film.
 
Susan: Susie is the narrator and she disassociates at that point. To show what happened is to lose that whole element of her confusion and her displacement.
 
Q: Saoirse, were there any moments on set where your character overtook you?
 
Saoirse: For me, there was always one scene that stuck out and that I got very emotional with, and I was drowned in the scene for quite a long time. It was the barley field scene, near the end of the movie, when Mr. Harvey’s victims come to take Susie to Heaven. That’s one of my favorite scenes in the film, and definitely my favorite scene to shoot as well. It was so emotional and touching. I think we did it for a day, or maybe even more. I think everyone on set felt the same way. We were all very touched and emotional, so I always remember shooting that.
 
Q: Rachel, as a mother yourself, what was it like for you to film this?
 
Rachel: As an actor, you have to imagine all sorts of things. I had to imagine that I was a young woman in the 1970's. I had to imagine that I was American. You imagine beautiful things and you imagine ugly things. That’s my job. I just don’t think that something is too dark or problematic to go to. I don’t know why, but I just don’t think that way. I’ve learned to come out of it. I’m a mother in real life, so I can’t go home to my kid in a state of despair and tears. You have to learn to juggle that. Bad things happen in stories. Oedipus kills his dad and has sex with his mom. Bad stuff has happened in stories, since the beginning of time. It’s not a new thing to be a storyteller of a story where there are bad things. There are also very beautiful, uplifting things about this film. I didn’t have any hesitation or ramifications. I guess the uplifting theme of the film is that life is a treasure, precious and a miracle. I just wanted to go and hug my son tighter. It’s hard to remember that life is a miracle. You can’t forget that.
 
Q: Mark, were there any emotional ramifications for you, after the film was done?
 
Mark: I’m still learning to juggle. I would go home and just grab my daughter and hold her, and I would start crying. And, she’d be like, “Daddy, what’s wrong?” She just wanted to play. And, I would try to talk to her about taking care of herself and not talking to strangers. She was three at the time. But, thankfully, I had another movie to go to that helped me get out of that.
 
Q: Saoirse, can you talk about doing those scenes by yourself and what helped you get through them?
 
Saoirse: There were quite a few scenes on my own, I suppose, in the in-between. We actually did go on location as well in New Zealand which was beautiful. It was a great experience to do something like that. But, when we used blue screen, there were different things that they figured out would help me. Of course, how well written the script was, really everything that I needed, or most of it, was in the script already. We would also play music during the day. We played it everyday, during the shots -- music that would reflect the mood of the scene. That would help me so much. We would do that all the time and Pete would talk to me during takes as well and describe what was going on around me so I was able to react to that. It was nice because I never really felt like I was on my own because I felt like I had my little guardian angel there. But no, lots of things like that, but especially the music really helped me.
 
Q: Saoirse, did you read the book before you made the film and what was your reaction?
 
Saoirse: Well I waited to read the book. I hadn’t heard about the book before I heard about the film because, when it came out, I was quite young anyway. But when I did get the role, I waited to read the book after I had made the film because I was a bit too young really to read it. I heard it was a tough read, especially the first chapter. And, after reading it now, I realize that it is quite tough. But I eventually did read it and it was beautiful and I thought that Pete and Fran and Philippa did a great job at adapting it.
 
Q: Did you find Ireland and New Zealand similar?
 
Saoirse:  Oh yeah, completely, completely. I did find New Zealand similar to Ireland because of the people, obviously. I found that ironically, although these two countries were very far away from one another, their humor was so similar and their outlook on things was quite similar as well. When I went over there, I felt very comfortable. I’d always felt comfortable with Pete anyway, but especially when we went over there. I think you felt more relaxed and then so did I. I mean, I’d move there. I love New Zealand. It’s my favorite place to shoot. It’s one of my favorite countries to visit and just the people, the food, the landscape, everything about it I love.
 
Q: For Stanley and Saoirse, that murder scene was horrific and unnerving. Could you give us a little insight into your acting process?
 
Stanley: I have no recollection of it so…
 
Saoirse: Yeah, he’s just blind to it. We didn’t talk about it that much really beforehand. I don’t think Stanley would have wanted to. It was quite a few months into shooting before we actually did the scene. I don’t know about the crew, but both Stanley and I were quite anxious to get this scene out of the way. We went in on the day and, as I’ve said before, everything that I needed was already written for me and Pete was there so I felt very safe. Luckily, Stanley and I are very comfortable with each other and we get on well. I think that was essential in order to get that intensity on screen – that we were comfortable with each other, we could bounce off each other and sort of freak each other out in a way, especially him. I don’t know about you.
 
Stanley: I couldn’t wait to finish this scene. I’ll be honest with you. You know, your concern, certainly as a parent or just as a person, you’re concerned working with a younger person with this subject matter. You know that you have to behave a certain way in order to get what you need, in order to get what you need across to fulfill the needs of the screenplay. But, after every take, I would say to Saoirse, “Are you okay?” because it just made me uncomfortable. But Saoirse would ask me if I was okay and it turns out that she’s the one who really I think in some ways made us all feel comfortable because she was so mature. I did ask Pete can we just get this done in one day and he said I’ll try, I’ll try. And, we weren’t able to. We shot another half day the next day and then it was over and I kind of breathed a sigh of relief I have to say. It was one of the last things I did in the movie. I was very happy when it was over. But also, in between takes, you joke around. You have to. I mean, like Rachel said before, it’s your job to go and do that thing and then take it off and go home to your kids or go have dinner. That’s your job.
 
Saoirse: I know I wouldn’t have been able to stay in that place for the whole time because when the camera started to roll, it was extremely intense. It was interesting to see – I think Rose mentioned this earlier – first of all Stanley is such a great guy and to see how he changes, it’s frightening. For someone who gets on well with him, it certainly feeds whatever performance you need to get out. But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed doing the scene.
 
Q: For Susan and Rose, can you talk about your scene with the eggs, the hair and the makeover?
 
Rose: I think Susan just pushed me to see how far it could possibly go. We rolled and rolled and I think Pete and everybody was just having a laugh at me. I think there were about 6 eggs, 7 eggs in the end and a whole peck of oatmeal and she just kind of went to town on her. I think I got some ash in my face and got a drink spilt on me. It was a really humbling experience.
 
Susan: I’m going for an exercise video/make-up advice video. My beauty regimen will be on there. I think at that point we were really….
 
Rose: The Susan Sarandon…
 
Susan: The Susan Sarandon Eggs on Your Face using your kitchen to… And then there will be a cooking part. As you saw, I was also very good at cooking. But, I think at that point – I don’t know Peter if I’m right or not -- but it seems to me like Pete really liked physical business and it was a nice respite from all of the dialogue. So, we just had a lot of fun coming up with as many different things as we could do.
 
Rose: My skin was great the next day. I’m an advocate.
 
Q: Susan, did you tap into what you enjoy in life as you prepared for the role of Grandma Lynn?
 
Susan: I’m always trying to have a good time on set because it keeps me loose and that’s when things happen is when you’re playful. I was that way during Lorenzo’s Oil so I’m completely irreverent because that’s just the way I work. I haven’t really been trained or anything and I find that just to keep myself open, I can’t be bogged down all the time. So, it’s a habit I’ve formed. But certainly Peter wants to work in a non-anxious set. I think that everyone that was [involved] in this project were people who didn’t have to be miserable to get to a place where they could create. Sometimes people spend a lot of energy doing things in a completely opposite way of working where they’re antagonistic to get to a creative place. But, none of these people that you see up here and even on the crew, at least in the United States -- I didn’t have the privilege of going to New Zealand -- it was a good crew. I’ve worked with a lot of the crew on various projects. Everybody was just trying to do their job and do the best they could. Everyone was supportive of each other. There were dogs, there were families around. I was close to my family.

It wasn’t difficult to try to find a place, not of enjoyment necessarily, but just where you felt secure and where people were having nice conversations even when things weren’t going on and in the midst of everything else. Because I think, for me, if you get yourself into a state and you try to hold onto that state, you just get numb. You can’t really feel anything anymore or at least I can’t. So, in the movies where I’ve had to be really upset, I mean sometimes the crew tries to cheer you up, which isn’t helpful right before you’re about to shoot something. They’ll tell you a joke and you’re like “I just need a minute” because they want to make you feel better, but it’s right before the take and that doesn’t work for me.

On this one, I think what’s beautiful about the movie is that it tells you to live your life and be joyful when you can and when you have it, because the scary thing about this tale is that it happens in such a haphazard way and that’s how bad things happen sometimes and that’s the way good things happen too. Everything is serendipitous and there’s no way of knowing who’s going to get sick or who’s going to get hit by a bus and who’s going to fall in love and who’s going to get pregnant. All the things that happen, you know, it’s up for grabs, so it’s kind of an exercise in surrender in a way. I just surrendered to the atmosphere of what was going on and the words were there and the cigarette and booze were there. It’s always more fun to have lots of props and find a way to never let them go.
 
“The Lovely Bones” opens in theaters on December 11th.