Post by Librarian on Sept 18, 2005 12:32:58 GMT -5
This time it's family, not shoes, for Parker
By Glenn Whipp, Staff Writer
Sarah Jessica Parker was looking for the anti-Carrie Bradshaw, a woman so different from her iconic "Sex and the City" character that she'd be able to make a clean break from the long-running show and turn the page.
So when she was offered the tightly wound, socially inept, practical-to-a-fault Meredith in the upcoming holiday drama "Family Stone," Parker jumped, even if it meant plunging into a character that made her uncomfortable at times.
"She would do a lot better with some people skills," Parker says of Meredith, who is out of her element when she visits her fiance's large, close-knit family for a Christmas none of them will forget. "There were some hard, emotional scenes."
Not to mention the scene where she gets drunk with the carefree brother (Luke Wilson) of her boyfriend (Dermot Mulroney) and, in the spirit of things, performs some sloppy, free-form dancing.
"I'm a patron of dance," Parker says. "I love to see it. But I don't dance - not in front of people, anyway. Not even at weddings."
Parker says she wasn't alone in forsaking any qualms. The ensemble cast, which also includes Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Claire Danes, was willing to do almost anything for writer-director Thomas Bezucha, whose only other credit is the little-seen but well-liked 2000 drama/romantic comedy "Big Eden."
"Not once did anyone ask for a line change," Parker says. "Not one comma. People loved Tom. He's just really qualified. I've worked with people who have much more experience, but he has the innate gifts. Claire Danes joined the movie two or three weeks in, and she said she'd never in life seen a happier set."
I can't wait to see this film! I loved "Big Eden".
www2.dailynews.com/film/ci_3038271