Category: Interviews

Smashed opens in the UK this Friday (Dec. 14) and Stylist magazine caught up with Mary where she talks about how she landed the part of Kate, alcoholism and horror films. Click on the link above to read the interview in full.

What drew her to the character of recovering alcoholic, Kate?

“I was craving the role,” she tells Stylist. “There aren’t actually that many roles out there for women and while I’ve had a lot of fun flying around in horror films I was getting sick of the niche and reputation I was becoming known for. When I saw the script for Smashed I didn’t think that I would be considered for such an incredible part. For one thing, I’d been having a hard time even getting meetings for smaller independent films because people thought I was too nice and not interesting enough. But once you’ve had a part like Kate, and once you’ve finished filming, I think it’s understandable that you don’t want to go back to playing the girlfriend or the wife.”

Mary also talked about how she had  to examine her own life in order to relate to her character:

“I’ve always been a massive people pleaser – someone who tries to keep a happy face and put a positive spin on everything,” she says. “I’m very aware about that fault in myself and I know that I paper over certain things that aren’t so great in my life much in the same way that Kate does with her addiction. Seeing that in me helped with Smashed, though, as it gave me some degree of insight into what Kate might be going through.”

As for all the Oscar and award buzz she’s getting?

“I can’t buy into any of the Oscar hype. It’s such an outside chance and completely not what I was seeking from the role that I prefer not to even think about it. I think often in Hollywood there can be two types of roles for women – the strong and the sexy – and because I’m definitely not the sexy I was always more likely to be cast as the strong. Hopefully the more vulnerable side of Kate’s character, the side which makes the audience love her, will mean that I can move in a slightly different direction, though.”

With Smashed being released in the UK on December 14th, Empire Online recently caught up with Mary where they interviewed her on the film. Be sure to check out the video interview below:

Just like the headline reads, The Guardian sat down and interviewed Mary about her film Smashed. Below are some highlights from the interview. Be sure to read the FULL interview by clicking on the link above:

“I really didn’t have any fear about the humiliation factor,” she says. “That was something I was excited to get the opportunity to explore. My fears were about pulling it off.” Her extensive research included attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for several months. “I came into it very quietly: I didn’t say I was an actor. If they asked me to speak, I’d tell them I had come to learn about AA. I never pretended to be anything I wasn’t. But I also didn’t want to stand up and say: ‘Hey guys – I’m making a movieee! Anyone wanna tell me their story?'”

Her empathy for the character is unwavering, whether she’s rallying herself unconvincingly for her pupils or staggering down the street after waking up on a discarded mattress. One particular scene stands out: Kate’s breakdown after being refused alcohol in a convenience store. The scene ends with her sobbing as she urinates on the floor. “Most of the work in that scene is done before you get on set,” she explains. “It was all to do with Kate reverting to a point in her childhood when she wanted something really badly but couldn’t have it. As a little kid, you’ll try everything. You go from cute to cross, you start throwing things and then you burst out crying. She’s reaching back to that.”

Also, I’ve added a new pic of her from the interview into the gallery.

Back in early November, I mentioned that there would be a free screening of Smashed courtesy of Backstage.com and now, their interview with Mary discussing the film has gone online. You can see the Q&A below: