Meg kicks it up a peg
'Girl next door' Ryan relishes taking on sexually daring role in In The Cut
By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun
TORONTO -- Director Jane Campion says people's opinions of Meg Ryan's abilities as a dramatic actress should change after they see her in their new psycho-sexual thriller, In The Cut.
"I think people will realize she's up for anything that she likes," the Aussie-based Campion told reporters during film festival interviews yesterday. "I really hope she does some theatre, 'cause she's just such a good actress, classically."
Ryan's role has her as a solitary New York City English professor who becomes involved with a brash, sexually aggressive cop (Mark Ruffalo) investigating a murder in her neighbourhood. It required a lot of nudity and sex scenes.
The actress best known as the star of such romantic comedies as Kate & Leopold, You've Got Mail, Sleepless In Seattle and When Harry Met Sally says making In The Cut wasn't a conscious effort to ditch her "girl next door" image.
"That's not a conversation that I'm interested in, 'cause you all do that," Ryan, 41, told reporters. "I don't cultivate an image, that's your job. I know there are plenty of people whose job it is to do that, but I think an audience sees that. They see an attempt at cultivation and it seems so inauthentic."
Ryan does admit that taking the role was daunting.
"It was scary, but not that scary because it's Jane and I knew I'd be in great hands," said Ryan. "To me it's like one of those movies from the '70s that's honest and so raw and so new and you're not able to categorize it easily. This is a genre movie, but not really. It hangs its hat -- sometimes -- there. It's more a character exploration."
In fact, Campion (The Piano) developed the film, which is based on Susanna Moore's novel, with friend and previous collaborator Nicole Kidman in mind for the lead role. But when Kidman bowed out, Ryan let it be known through her acting coach that she was interested.
"I liked the idea of its being Meg," said Campion in an interview with The Sun. "It's such a surprise, too. I was surprised that she was so keen to do it. It's not like she's had a career of doing daring dramatic roles. But things had changed in her life and she wanted to look at life in a different way."
Ryan also liked Campion's approach to sex in film.
"The way she treats the sexuality in her other movies has been really cool and interesting and not exploitive," she said. "I love the sex scenes in this movie. I think they're really, really not coy, and they're really honest. I think they're actually the least shocking thing about the movie. The ideas are really big and beautiful and worth talking about, more than the sexuality."
Ryan went so far as to say that Campion is revolutionary.
"In this movie, (sex) is used in such a smart way. I love how it's sort of de-evolutionary, meaning they start and they're just f---ing and then it devolves into a kiss. It's a movie about intimacy and about grief and sadness and soul connection and about love versus romance. All these unbelievably great things."
Ruffalo, who had already been cast as the Detective Malloy when Kidman was still involved, said Meg wasn't on the horizon, even in anyone's mind.
"Everyone's first reaction was, 'Meg, in this part? I don't see it.' And then she won it. The good old-fashioned way -- by auditioning," he said.
Ryan herself says she had such a positive experience making In The Cut that going back to work in standard Hollywood fare may prove difficult.
"I'm afraid about that -- this was such a great experience."
The movie opens in Toronto on Oct. 22.
REEL HAPPENINGS
Mark Ruffalo's sex scenes with Meg Ryan in In The Cut almost led to one drastic measure by director Jane Campion, but the film's budget intervened. Ruffalo plays a very knowing sexually aggressive cop, and as research Campion was going to have him meet with a gigolo, with a sex therapist. "But he was too expensive. It was a $1,000 an hour," Ruffalo told reporters yesterday. "We're all in the wrong business."
'Girl next door' Ryan relishes taking on sexually daring role in In The Cut
By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun
TORONTO -- Director Jane Campion says people's opinions of Meg Ryan's abilities as a dramatic actress should change after they see her in their new psycho-sexual thriller, In The Cut.
"I think people will realize she's up for anything that she likes," the Aussie-based Campion told reporters during film festival interviews yesterday. "I really hope she does some theatre, 'cause she's just such a good actress, classically."
Ryan's role has her as a solitary New York City English professor who becomes involved with a brash, sexually aggressive cop (Mark Ruffalo) investigating a murder in her neighbourhood. It required a lot of nudity and sex scenes.
The actress best known as the star of such romantic comedies as Kate & Leopold, You've Got Mail, Sleepless In Seattle and When Harry Met Sally says making In The Cut wasn't a conscious effort to ditch her "girl next door" image.
"That's not a conversation that I'm interested in, 'cause you all do that," Ryan, 41, told reporters. "I don't cultivate an image, that's your job. I know there are plenty of people whose job it is to do that, but I think an audience sees that. They see an attempt at cultivation and it seems so inauthentic."
Ryan does admit that taking the role was daunting.
"It was scary, but not that scary because it's Jane and I knew I'd be in great hands," said Ryan. "To me it's like one of those movies from the '70s that's honest and so raw and so new and you're not able to categorize it easily. This is a genre movie, but not really. It hangs its hat -- sometimes -- there. It's more a character exploration."
In fact, Campion (The Piano) developed the film, which is based on Susanna Moore's novel, with friend and previous collaborator Nicole Kidman in mind for the lead role. But when Kidman bowed out, Ryan let it be known through her acting coach that she was interested.
"I liked the idea of its being Meg," said Campion in an interview with The Sun. "It's such a surprise, too. I was surprised that she was so keen to do it. It's not like she's had a career of doing daring dramatic roles. But things had changed in her life and she wanted to look at life in a different way."
Ryan also liked Campion's approach to sex in film.
"The way she treats the sexuality in her other movies has been really cool and interesting and not exploitive," she said. "I love the sex scenes in this movie. I think they're really, really not coy, and they're really honest. I think they're actually the least shocking thing about the movie. The ideas are really big and beautiful and worth talking about, more than the sexuality."
Ryan went so far as to say that Campion is revolutionary.
"In this movie, (sex) is used in such a smart way. I love how it's sort of de-evolutionary, meaning they start and they're just f---ing and then it devolves into a kiss. It's a movie about intimacy and about grief and sadness and soul connection and about love versus romance. All these unbelievably great things."
Ruffalo, who had already been cast as the Detective Malloy when Kidman was still involved, said Meg wasn't on the horizon, even in anyone's mind.
"Everyone's first reaction was, 'Meg, in this part? I don't see it.' And then she won it. The good old-fashioned way -- by auditioning," he said.
Ryan herself says she had such a positive experience making In The Cut that going back to work in standard Hollywood fare may prove difficult.
"I'm afraid about that -- this was such a great experience."
The movie opens in Toronto on Oct. 22.
REEL HAPPENINGS
Mark Ruffalo's sex scenes with Meg Ryan in In The Cut almost led to one drastic measure by director Jane Campion, but the film's budget intervened. Ruffalo plays a very knowing sexually aggressive cop, and as research Campion was going to have him meet with a gigolo, with a sex therapist. "But he was too expensive. It was a $1,000 an hour," Ruffalo told reporters yesterday. "We're all in the wrong business."
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