Interviews – Page 28 – MaryEWinstead.net

New Smashed Interviews, Photos and Captures!

on October 16, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

A couple of new interviews with Mary discussing Smashed have shown up online and you can now check them out below. First in her interview with Red Eye Chicago, Mary talked about her night out with Aaron before filming, Megan Mullaly, and more. I’ve also added a photo of her from the interview and Melanie made some caps. It’s a really great interview, so be sure to see it!

Interview with Red Eye Chicago

Interview captures

Second, here’s an excerpt of an interview Mary did with James Ponsoldt for Hollywood Chicago. Click on the link above to read it in full where Mary also talks about Scott Pilgrim and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter:

HollywoodChicago.com: James, given that this production was a nineteen day shoot, what was the most important element in the pre-production that contributed the most in making that shoot successful?

Ponsoldt: Probably the most valuable thing was casting great actors, the bulk of your work is done once you get great actors with great imaginations, and allow them the autonomy to be collaborators, and the script on the page is a blueprint with beats, that they could say and do whatever they wanted. Mary was one of my biggest collaborators, because she is the center focus for 98% of the movie. We spent a long time developing the character.

Winstead: James and I spent several hours a day talking about her back story. Even though in some films you feel pretentious doing a back story, but with this I needed the details to flesh her out, because it was a complex role. Everything was going to be useful to me as an actor. Also it was valuable to talk about my own life and history, and to compare how Kate felt when something similar happened to me in my life. It was marrying all those small details, so by the time I was on set I felt I was Kate, or understood he enough to feel I could be her.

Finally, below is another new interview video Mary did with VelvetRed TV talking about Smashed

Interviews Movies Smashed

More New Smashed Interviews, Smashed Q&A Interview from Film Independent Event Online

on October 12, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

Here’s to everyone that’s checking out SMASHED this weekend! More great new interviews with Mary has been released where she talks about drinking, Twitter and more in each of the interviews. First, here’s part of her Q&A with Moviefone:

How have you enjoyed the reaction the movie’s been getting so far?
It’s been amazing. I mean, I don’t think I’ve really heard a negative reaction yet, which I know I will. I’m ready, you know? [Laughs] Because somebody’s going to hate it. But it’s been so lovely, everybody’s been so warm and kind. And there’s been a lot of people coming with their own personal stories of recovery. It’s been just amazing to hear their stories, and to hear everybody’s reactions to it.

How much does a role like this stay with you afterwards? Did it change your drinking habits at all?
It definitely stayed with me, the message of it stayed with me. But alcohol’s not something that … I mean, I can barely have more than two drinks. It’s just never been something that’s been a vice for me at all. So it didn’t really make me think about that so much. It more made me think about other things in my life that I do have issues with, and it does make you think about what you’re not accepting, what you’re covering up, or trying not to accept in yourself.

Yahoo! Movies is next:

TA: Why is “Smashed” such a passion project?

MW: I searched for a part that was going to stretch me as an actor and force me to become better. I was becoming a little stuck. I thought I was going to have to work my way up to something like this, I was going to have to do a couple of smaller roles, in a couple of smaller indies, and prove myself in that world. After I auditioned for this part, I thought, “Well, at least I’ve auditioned for these people now. I’ve made an impression. Maybe when they make another movie they will look at me.” The fact that I got the part was above and beyond.

Thelma Adams: In the course of this movie, your character, Kate, discovers she’s more than a party girl; she’s an alcoholic. Do you have any addictions?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: The Internet and television and social media. I’m always on my cell phone. At home, my husband and I both have our computers out, and we have the TV on, and our cell phones, and we’re constantly using all three at the same time.

TA: How do your fans feel about “Smashed”?

MW: They’re excited. I have a couple of fan sites and they follow my every move; every single photo that comes out ends up on their websites. There’s nothing stalkerish about it. They know this is a passion project, so they’re all really excited about that for me.

More interviews plus the Film Independent video under the cut:

Continue reading More New Smashed Interviews, Smashed Q&A Interview from Film Independent Event Online

Interviews Movies Smashed

New Smashed Interviews

on October 12, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

Some great new interviews with Mary have come online where she talks about SMASHED which is out in theaters in New York and L.A. starting today. If you live in L.A., they’ll be a Q&A session with the cast. More info about it here. The film will also slowly be rolling out in several other cities. Click here to view when it’ll be released in your area. If the film does well at the box office this weekend, the film could expand nationwide.

Time.com has named Mary an Oscar contender. Click on the link to read the full interview:

You play a very convincing drunk. How did you train?

I didn’t grow up around anyone who was an alcoholic, and I’ve never had any issues with alcohol. So I went to a lot of AA meetings. I found out how much I related to alcoholics’ struggles—to look into the mirror and recognize your faults, to try to love yourself.

There’s also a great interview with Mary & director James Ponsoldt on Examiner. Mary was asked what drew her to the script:

“Everything about it. Mainly just the way the characters were drawn so well. They were all so fully flushed out, so real, so complex. They were all just so human. That was the main thing to me that was exciting.”

And finally, here’s some of her interview with Indiewire:

Did you feel like you had to prove something in taking “Smashed” on?

I felt like I had to prove something to myself, because I think like a lot of actors I sat around for years and years going, “Man! If I could just get that role that showcases what I could do, then everything would change.” But I was so complacent about it. I wasn’t really doing anything to make sure that happened. So by the time this time in my career rolled around, I was ready to just go out there and do it for myself. It wasn’t really about showcasing something for other people anymore. It was just to the point where I wasn’t feeling good about what I was doing. Not that I wasn’t happy to have the jobs that I had, and the work that I had — I was very grateful and happy to do it — but I wasn’t feeling like I was stretching as an actor, or growing as a person, so I felt like I needed to do something just for myself. Just to prove that I could stretch beyond my perceived limitations.

Since “Smashed” played at Sundance, you’ve been courting this amazing wealth of buzz. Has it had an effect on your career? Do casting directors see you differently?

I think it’s slowing shifting. People are slowly seeing the movie, but not everyone has seen it yet. I mean my hope is that a lot of young filmmakers will see it and be inspired to make more films like this and, you know, will want to work with me, because that’s really who I want to work with — kind of new interesting people who are forging their own vision and want to sort of go on their own road in this industry. That was why I took this film to begin with, was to try and get in that world.

I feel like the industry is sort of changing and there’s got to be a sort of revolution happening, and I want to be a part of that. I’d like to do a lot more small, performance focused films.

Time.com also named Mary an Oscar contender. Click on the link to read the full interview:

You play a very convincing drunk. How did you train?

I didn’t grow up around anyone who was an alcoholic, and I’ve never had any issues with alcohol. So I went to a lot of AA meetings. I found out how much I related to alcoholics’ struggles—to look into the mirror and recognize your faults, to try to love yourself.

And finally, there’s a great interview with Mary & director James Ponsoldt on Examiner. Mary was asked what drew her to the script:

“Everything about it. Mainly just the way the characters were drawn so well. They were all so fully flushed out, so real, so complex. They were all just so human. That was the main thing to me that was exciting.”

Film Reviews Interviews Movies Smashed

New Video Interviews with Mary Talking About Smashed, Upcoming Album, and RS Reviews Smashed

on October 11, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

Ah! Such good interviews and reviews to post! First, in an interview with Celebuzz, Mary revealed that her upcoming ’60s French pop album that she’s working on with Dan the Automator will hopefully be done by the end of the year and that there’s no pressure for her: “It’s mainly for fun,” Winstead tells Celebuzz. “I don’t consider myself a singer, so that takes the pressure off.”

There’s also a new video interview with Mary done by Made in Hollywood which you can see here.

And Rolling Stone gave Mary an amazing review for her performance in Smashed:

Addiction dramas are as common as reality shows and often just as rank. The standard bearers for movies about alcoholics range from The Lost Weekend and Days of Wine and Roses to Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas Cage at his staggering, Oscar-winning best. Smashed joins the ranks of the winners, mostly because of an unmissable and unforgettable performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Her character, Kate Hannah, is married to Charlie (Breaking Bad’s exemplary Aaron Paul) a wannabe composer who likes to get wasted as much as his wife. Charlie, who basically hangs out with his buds all day, believes he can handle his drinking. Kate, who teaches first grade at an L.A. school, is soon disabused of that notion. After projectile vomiting in front of her class, she tries to get off the hook by lying to the principal (a very fine Megan Mullally) and claiming she’s pregnant. It’s only when the school’s vice principal, a recovering alcoholic played with deeply affecting restraint by Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman, gets Kate to an AA meeting that she sees the need for a change. Kate gets help from a sponsor (The Help Oscar winner Octavia Spencer in a lovely turn), but finds herself increasingly estranged from Charlie. She needs to do this on her own. Smashed covers a lot of familiar ground, but writer-director James Ponsoldt deftly dodges gooey sentiment. Winstead and Paul are dynamite, artfully walking the tightrope between pain and denial. And Winstead, too often relegated to the action-horror game in The Thing, Death Proof, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is a revelation. With resonant intelligence and healing humor, she reveals Kate right down to her nerve endings. Don’t forget Winstead when making a list of the year’s Best Actress contenders. Yes, she’s that good.

Film Reviews Interviews Smashed

New Interviews and Reviews with Mary Discussing Smashed

on October 11, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

A couple of new interviews with Mary, as well as some reviews about Smashed have been put online. Here’s a review from the NY Daily News where they gave the film 3 stars:

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World,” “The Thing”) is amazing in an intimate, unexpectedly weighty drama about a young woman whose alcoholism pushes her to seek treatment. Kate is a first-grade teacher whose hangovers make her sick in front of her class and whose life is making her sicker.

After one night too many of booze and drugs, Kate halfheartedly tries therapy — partly out of curiosity, it seems, but also out of an inchoate sense of desperation — even as her husband (Aaron Paul) lazily holds back his support. Winstead and director James Ponsoldt add something gripping and modern to the cinema of recovery, a well-mined genre that can still, it seems, yield thoughtful surprises.

Moviefanatic has a great video interview with her where she also discusses about playing different characters and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Hypable gave Mary’s performance in Smashed a great review:

Winstead is an utter revelation as Kate, with a truly phenomenal and engrossing performance that is one of the best I’ve seen in some time. Going from warm, charming and relatable to terrifyingly uncontrollable at the flip of a dime, Winstead masters all asked of her character in an absolutely wondrous display of talent from a true up-and-comer. Paul is perfectly placed against this dynamic performance, as Winstead works marvelously against him, making for a believable pairing throughout.

There’s also a brief interview with Mary on Backstage.com:

Continue reading New Interviews and Reviews with Mary Discussing Smashed

Gallery Updates Interviews Movies Smashed

New Photo Shoots and Interviews

on October 10, 2012October 11, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

More press for Smashed continues! The L.A. Times talked with Mary, director James Ponsoldt and co-writer Susan Burke about the film, and here’s what Mary had to say:

“It’s just that things sort of shifted for me,” Winstead said in an interview at an L.A. cafe. “I was always really fulfilled by working in whatever capacity I could. I just loved being on set and working. And then one day it just sort of stopped being fulfilling… and if I have this amazing opportunity to work in this awesome industry and I’m bored, that means I’m doing something wrong. I’m not taking advantage of the opportunities that have been given in the right way.”

Ponsoldt viewed Winstead’s experience in genre films as a plus. Drawing a connection to her previous roles, the director said, “In a lot of ways, that goes perfectly with a person who’s struggling. If the character felt fragile or weak you would pity her and she would feel broken. You would feel sorry for her and you’d never see yourself [as] that person. It was really important that when this person gets knocked down, you’re willing to believe she’ll get back up.”

That said, I added a new photo of her with James to the gallery.

Also, I’ve added a new photo shoot with Mary taken last week when she was interviewed by the NY Daily News. Thanks to Dominika for the pics. Be sure to head to the gallery to see the full shoot:

Also, below is a video of Mary being interviewed at the Hamptons International Film Festival:

Interviews Movies Smashed

Interview Magazine Interviews Mary About Smashed

on October 10, 2012October 11, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

The interviews keep on coming! Check out this just released interview with Mary featured on Interview Magazine. Click the link to read the interview in its entirety:

KEELY WEISS: How has the journey of this film been for you? The hype has been building steadily ever since Sundance.

MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD: I mean, even getting into Sundance, I was screaming and jumping around the room because to me that really was just the pinnacle of everything we were trying to do. We just hoped people would see the movie in some capacity, that it would find some audience and maybe at least a small distribution company would pick it up or something, and every step of the way it’s just been growing to bigger and bigger proportions than I expected. You end up doing more press for a little film like this than you do for the really big ones, which is not quite what I expected, but I’m happy to do press for a little movie that you’re really trying to get people to see. I’m not one of those actors that hates press and gets really groan-y about it—I always like talking about films—but it’s just been a really refreshing experience to get to promote this film because it’s very easy to talk about.

WEISS: This film is pretty much entirely focused on your performance, and I imagine that must have been a lot of pressure, but it also must have been very liberating.

WINSTEAD: Yes, yes, both. When I got the part I had the realization that, you know, I’ve really never done anything like this before and I’ve got a lot to prove to others and myself, so it was a little bit scary. It was a huge challenge. But everything about it was so liberating, just playing a part where there’s no makeup and I didn’t have to be pretty at any moment—or anything other than whatever was most truthful for the character.

WEISS: How do you see Kate as a character?

WINSTEAD: I love Kate. She’s a good person who makes mistakes, who picks herself up again and continues to try to be a good person and continues to make mistakes [laughs] and continues to pick herself up again. I think those are the kinds of people that we all root for and that we all love because nobody’s perfect. Anytime I’m given scripts where I’m sort of the fantasy girl, it’s hard for me because that’s not real and I don’t think it’s a great thing to put out there consistently.

Interviews Movies Smashed

Screen Crave Interviews Mary About SMASHED and Acting Drunk

on October 10, 2012October 11, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

It’s no secret that in Mary’s upcoming film Smashed, Mary’s character is an alcoholic. Screen Crave sat down with Mary and discussed playing a drunk and working on the film. As always, click on the link above to read the full interview:

Can you talk a little about playing drunk and not overdoing it?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: It’s really daunting. Even the best actors – it’s just really hard. The whole thing about being drunk is that you’re out of control. If you’re acting you’re in control because you want to know what looks right and believable. It defeats the whole purpose of making it authentic. James (director/co-writer) found a book called The Power of the Actor, which is just a great book on acting. It has an entire chapter dedicated to playing drunk.

I used the author’s method and it worked really well. It’s almost like hypnoses, in a way. You take yourself through all the steps of what it feels like to be drunk and it plays a mind trick on you. You feel loose and out of your body. It helps me let go of the fear of worrying about whether it feels real or not. I felt really loosened and buzzed for sure. One of the author’s tricks is that you pretend that your left leg doesn’t work or your tongue doesn’t work. Something about you doesn’t work and you’re trying to compensate that and hide it.

When Smashed debuted at Sundance, the big buzz about it was you. Did you ever think, ‘God I should’ve done this sooner’?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: (Laughs) Yes and, well, a similar thought. I always wanted to go there. I wanted to get one of those indie movies where you can really get a great performance and it goes to Sundance. That’s what I wanted. I rarely got those scripts and when I did, I didn’t get the part. I just think I wasn’t meant to do it sooner. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to play a role like this five years ago. I just don’t know. Back then I would like to have thought that I could, but maybe I couldn’t. And if I tried, it might’ve not worked out as well as it did this time. The years of working and growing as an actor – it all just came at the right moment for me. I felt like I was confident enough and ready enough to do it.

What was different in your preparation for an indie?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Not just it being an indie, but it being such a complex character and such a real person more-so than anything I had played before. Typically I’ve played things that feel more like they’re in the fantasy realm in some way. The preparation was much more exhausted for this because I’m playing a real person that’s going through something real. I can’t just pretend or wing it. It just wouldn’t be respectful to the material. It was a lot more prep work.

Film Reviews Interviews Movies Smashed

New Smashed Review and Interview with the NY Daily News

on October 10, 2012October 11, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

The NY Daily News recently caught up with Mary and talked to her about the research she did for Smashed, how she hung out with Aaron Paul and her career. Click the link to read the full interview.

It’s a major career leap for Winstead, who’s been acting since she was 13. Now 27, she had a breakthrough playing the love interest in 2010’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” But despite major roles since then in big-budget studio flicks (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and the remake of “The Thing”), she was unsatisfied with the films being offered her.

“When I was younger, I was just excited to have any work at all,” Winstead says. “To be part of making a movie was mind-blowingly exciting. And I don’t want to lose that feeling.”

She insists she’s not jaded. “But I wanted to demand more of myself and the people around me so I can keep growing. Rather than just going from job to job, I wanted to force myself to be better,” she says. “It’s great to work, but I’d like to do something more challenging.”

For research, Winstead attended A.A. meetings with the film’s co-writer, Susan Burke. Winstead found that while she didn’t have a substance-abuse problem herself, the lessons of the 12-step program were nonetheless invaluable.

Winstead has a couple more films coming up, including a reprise of her role as Bruce Willis’ daughter from “Live Free or Die Hard.” And she wants to develop films of her own with her husband, writer-director Riley Stearns.She’d also like to try her hand at the stage, where she admits she has little experience.

“It definitely terrifies me,” she says. “So I’d love to try my hand at it.”

A new Smashed review has been released via Village Voice:

Continue reading New Smashed Review and Interview with the NY Daily News

A Good Day to Die Hard Interviews Movies Smashed

Collider Interviews Mary About Smashed and Upcoming Roles

on October 10, 2012October 11, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

Collider.com interviewed Mary about her role in Smashed, A Good Day to Die Hard and The Spectacular Now. I’ve posted some excerpts below, but click on the link above to read the full interview where she goes more in-depth about Smashed and her other roles.

Collider: How did you come to this film? Were you sent the script and then pursued it, or were you offered the role?

MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD: It was a unique situation. I knew, at that point, that I really needed to do something small. And I had been saying, for a long time, that I wanted to do something small, but it’s one of those things where it’s not really heard unless you say it really loudly. You don’t make any money, so people aren’t actively trying to find you those projects, unless you come out and say, “This is what I want you to do. This is what you have to do.” So, that’s what I said to my team. I was like, “I’ve been having a lot of fun. This has been great. But, this is what I have to do now. I want to do something small and intimate. Just send me those scripts for awhile because my next project has to be something like that.” And this was one of the first scripts that I got.

Are you also in the new Die Hard film, A Good Day to Die Hard?

WINSTEAD: I am, yes. It’s another brief supporting role, but it was also fun. I got to go to Budapest and hang out with Bruce [Willis] for a couple of days. It was nice.

Is it fun to get to be a part of such a big franchise, like that?

WINSTEAD: Definitely! It’s always been a lot of fun for me, just to be in films that people see and they connect to, bit or small. The big ones tend to reach a wider audience, so it’s exciting to feel like you’ve got fans in countries, all over the world, who are watching what you’re doing. That’s really great! The older I get, the more I’m drawn to the smaller films, but I still hope to keep those bigger films in my repertoire. It’s just maybe going to be a shift in focus, but I’ll definitely still hopefully be kicking around in those.