Urban Legends: Final Cut

Interview With Jennifer Morrison & Joseph Lawrence

Q : Joseph, how did your Hollywood experience influence your portrayal of a film brat in this film?

JL : Well, my Hollywood experience was sort of an unorthodox one - - you know, I came from a really great family and that gave me a lot support, was around me at all times. And, you know, I never fell into the traps and the pitfalls that unfortunately a lot of people fall into. So - - but it was kind of fun to play the antithesis of that in the Gram character. I think it was - - 'cause this guy kind of got caught up in it and was really affected by it. And it altered his personality growing up in it, so it was fun to jump into that. But our experiences as individuals were different.

Q : So the flip side?

JL : Yes.

Q : Jennifer, how did being an up and coming actress influence your portrayal of an up and coming young filmmaker?

JM : It was really important in kind of figuring out how everything worked for her in terms of kind of paralleling her journey through struggling and trying to make sure everything was put together right. And, yeah, so in that sense, it was very similar, you know. I was working really hard to make sure that I did everything I could to be as successful as I could be and know that I was taking the right classes in training myself as an actor. And she was doing the same thing as a filmmaker and going to school for it. So the same time I was going through college for acting, I was tending to be going through college for film, so it definitely was a good parallel.

Q : Jennifer, you stared in last year's Stir of Echoes. Was that experience different or similar, uh, in any respect to your experience to this film?

JM : Oh, very different. In this film, I was like the person having to deal with everything. In that film, I was thing scaring everyone. [LAUGHTER] So in that film, it was a lot of very tedious technical filming, and lots of time in hair and makeup, and dealing with trying to create a very abstract character. And in this film, I was dealing with a really solid, person - - human being dealing with all of these things. It was actually alive, which was different than being dead. And so in that sense, you know, it was kind of a total flip side and sort of how you're talking about.

Q : Joseph, do you use the Internet at all, and if so, how?

JL : You know, not a big Internet guy, really. I mean, I think it's awesome, but I kind of, you know, missed that. I mean, the only thing that we used the computer for when I was in school was like word processing and stuff. So [LAUGHTER] I'm getting into it though through music, because it's forcing me to become computer, you know, literate. But I'm not a real big fan of it. But my brother is like an insane Internet junkie. He loves it, and he's all over it all the time.

JM : I think we missed it by like two years.

JL : I feel very - - this thing is still just - - I don't know. It's like I missed the boat on that - - you know, I think if I had been three or four years younger, I would of - - you know, 'cause then it would of been - - I mean, we didn't have computer labs. Like there was one old computer in my school room that, you know, we had to like take turns and type [LAUGHTER] our papers out on. And I had those really noisy printers like the, [imitates printer noise]. [LAUGHTER] I mean, I totally missed the boat on that. But, no, I haven't really used it.

JM : My twelve-year-old brother taught me how to instant message the other day.

JL : Mine's making pictures of me on the Internet and putting Afros on me. And it's just [LAUGHTER] incredible. I mean, it's like he's going with like scanners and all this stuff. And it's like a language that is very foreign to me, so, yeah.

Q : Jennifer, how much of a challenge was it working on a movie within a movie? Was it confusing at times?

JM : Yeah, it was kind of crazy. It was funny because there'd be these moments where I'd feel like I was acting like John, you know, and telling everyone how this shot's set up. And everyone's already doing that. The shot's set up, and everything's going on. And there's already the clapper going and all this stuff. And then, I'm like setting up my shot inside the shot, you know. And sometimes I would throw in little things that were little Johnisms, just to humor him. [LAUGHTER]

Q : Joseph, you've had a lot more experience than most of your fellow cast members here. How did it feel being the veteran? Did you give any advice to your fellow actors?

JL : You know, I think they really knew what they were doing. You know, yeah, I've been doing this a lot longer. But, you know, no, I mean, not really. I didn't go out as much as, you know, as some of them did. But we kind of stayed at the hotel and hung out and stuff. But, you know, I think that - - no, the only thing that - - you know, when I work, I love to work. I love to go up there and work. And then by the end of the day, I'm kind of tired, so I just go home and crash. But that was the only thing that really, you know, I kind of did that was different. But everything else everyone kind of knew what they were doing. And I think it shows, you know.

Q : So Jennifer, was it like starring in your first Hollywood feature?

JM : It was really exciting and really scary at the same time. I remember realizing - - I'm one of those people who just dives into everything. I'm like, yes, OK, I can do this, and this is my job. And I just kind of take everything as it comes. And it didn't really hit me until I got to the hotel in Toronto and we went to the table to read and everything. And I was like, oh, my God, like I have to be the reason people want to see the next scene. 'Cause I'm in like every scene. [LAUGHTER] And I was like, realizing that pressure, you know. And so then - - and I mean, I was really serious about my character in the first place. But there's an added pressure to really making sure that, you know, every specific detail of her life and everything was understood in my head, so that when I was presenting something in a scene, it was really right on. There's no leeway for not knowing something at that point. So it was definitely both the pressure and really exciting and fun at that same time.

Go to Part 2