Meet
Reese Witherspoon's
Inner "Monster"
by Lynn Barker
 If
you were a petite, barely over 5' tall actress, wouldn't you want to portray
a 50 foot woman? A challenge, right? And, talented actress/producer Reese
Witherspoon just loves a challenge. Later this year you'll hear her voice
in DreamWorks Animation's fun new 3-D film Monsters vs. Aliens
as she gives audio life to "Ginormica", a regular gal transformed
into a gigantress who teams up with other large misfits to save the earth
from invading aliens.
We interviewed
Reese before the holidays about her first role as a voice actress and,
since the film is based on some of the 1950's B-movie monsters, we wanted
to know if she had a fave movie or monster from that era. And, hey, since
she is famous, she must sometimes feel as "visible" as a 50-foot
woman so can she relate in a strange way? How is Ginormica a good example
for girls?
For our interview
near UCLA in Westwood, Ca., picture Reese in a sleek black outfit consisting
of cami, jacket and pants. Big gold hoop earrings accessorized the look
and we noted a new hair-do?
AGW: Oh, you
changed your hair since Four Christmases.
Reese: No,
it's just curly. It's fluffy like a newborn chicken.
AGW: Uh, okay
(what an image). How did you get your head around doing the voice for
an animation film?
Reese: It's
sort of an interesting process. I had seen some of the DreamWorks animation
movies over and over again at my house with my children. I went in and
had a meeting with (studio head) Jeffrey Katzenberg and he walked me though
the process of what they do and I ended up seeing the (story)boards for
this movie and I got very excited. It all revolved around this great image
of my character sitting on the roof of a gas station which was really
cool. So, we signed on and, I guess, about a year later, I started doing
recordings which I like to call 'actor in a box' (laughs) but it was great.
I'd never really done voice-over work before. It really is a very director-focused
medium because they always have to inform the actors where they're at
(in the story). Otherwise, I'd be incredibly lost. The narrative is always
changing. I think, in the beginning, I was the fifth lead and then it
evolved and evolved and they were like 'oh, no. You're the lead' (she
laughs). I'm like 'oh, okay'.
AGW: You are
a gorgeous, petite woman so how did it feel to play a forty-nine and 3/4ths
foot tall woman called Ginormica? (Reese laughs). How did you act that?
Just make your voice bigger?
Reese: They
walked me through the process as she was growing and growing and what
it was like and they had to constantly give me the perspective too because
Insectosaurus (another cute "monster" character) is much bigger
than me and then the alien robots are even bigger (laughs) so it was constantly
like 'look up and there it is!' or 'project further'. And she gets her
strength and really enjoys having that super power. She gets stronger
and more deeply involved with the voice work.
AGW: Any favorite
'50's B-movies? Also, any 3-D experiences? Of course 3-D now, is so much
better.
Reese: Yeah.
I like The Blob and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and
Godzilla, stuff like that. I saw Jaws in 3-D and I saw
Captain Eo and Spy Kids 3-D, anything that comes out
for children....and Jaws (laughter).
AGW: Any childhood
memories of 3-D?
Reese: I just
remember being really nearsighted when I was little. I had those giant
glasses so I had to put the 3-D glasses over the glasses (laughs, boy
we can relate) and that makes it kind of difficult and a little bit confusing
but we took care of all that. It's not going to be like that anymore.
AGW: What
did you like about this character? Tell us about Ginormica.
Reese: What
I really liked about this character is she starts out as a regular girl
who is living her life. She thinks she's got all the purpose in the world.
She's about to marry a great guy and she's gonna move and have a very
quiet, nice life and she gets hit by a meteor and goes to be forty-nine
feet, eleven inches tall and really doesn't want to be that way. She just
wants to go home, wants to go back to normal but when she starts to really
realize her strength, and that she has incredible self-possession and
strength of character. She really decides she doesn't ever want to go
back and I really love that kind of idea that someone can discover themselves
through something happening in their life and having something really
important happen. It can show them that everything they thought before,
that seemed to fit into a certain idea of what she was gonna be, is totally
changed forever. Then, she realizes who she really is so I can definitely
relate to that for sure.
AGW: Any funny
stories about playing Ginormica?
 Reese:
The running. There is so much action in this movie that they had to run
through the movie so (the directors would) be like (breathless voice)
'okay. Now you're running, now you're being chased by a giant, alien robot!
Now he's over your left shoulder. No! He's over your right shoulder! Now
you're on your giant roller skates which are really cars strapped to your
feet!' so I had to do all that and I guess that was kind of a funny thing.
And, to get really good energy, I'd always have to eat an entire pack
of M&Ms.
AGW: How do
your young kids feel about mom playing this almost fifty foot woman?
Reese: They're
really excited. We were literally on the website for days and days and
my child quizzes me like 'which one's this?' But, hopefully, it's the
kind of movie that's going to give monsters a good rep because these are
some awesome monsters and they're not scary at all and maybe we can reframe
this issue (laughter). I think they're going to be really excited because
it's one of those great movies where they have a lot of great messages
with the monsters. They feel like they're outsiders, that no one likes
them. They learn to really value themselves and save the world.
AGW: So, then
is there a message in the movie about being different or finding your
place in the world?
Reese: Certainly.
This is the ultimate outsider movie. These are a band of outsiders who
feel always like they're the ones who aren't invited to the party and
they learn to find that as a strength instead of a weakness throughout
the film. The movie has a great mix of comedy and action and also, a great
friendship at the center of it; this motley crew of crazy heroes who end
up finding each other and finding a kinship in each other and watching
each other's backs and caring for each other and helping each other through
the process. So, I think it's a really positive friendship message.
AGW: You've
obviously had offers to do animated movies before. Why was this the one?
Just huge pressure from home?
Reese: I've
had the pressure for years and years. I think the main thing, for me,
was finding a female character that I felt like really spoke to young
women and that was really important to me. I didn't want to be somebody's
girlfriend. Not to say that those roles aren't as good but I loved the
idea of this character being pro-active and driving her own story, changing
her own life through her own will. That's such a great message for young
women and I'm so excited to be doing that and also, it brings the energy
to the party. I'd go in there with such enthusiasm and excitement to be
a part of something like that.
AGW: Which
film to you have to watch at home ad nauseaum (with the kids)?
Reese: Wall-E.
Wall-E's a great movie. My son is just so in love with Wall-E.
It's Wall-E bed spreads and Wall-E doll. He sleeps with a robot Wall-E
that's hard and he sleeps on it like it's a pillow (laughs). So, it made
robots seem soft and cushy.
AGW: You record
your part over a long time. Was it difficult or confusing?
Reese: Oh
yeah. There were definitely some disorienting moments where I had no idea
what was going to happen with her. I remember one day I came in and we'd
had like ten recording sessions and I said 'how does this movie end? Do
I die?' I didn't know what was going to happen and they're like 'oh, right.
We never told you what the third act was' (after the San Francisco chase
scene). Where are we going to go from here? Then I found out there were
a whole two acts after that. We worked on the first act so much to get
it right.
AGW: Any difference
in playing a live action character?
Reese: It's
slightly different. It's more like goofy I would say. You have to be sillier
and goofier but they don't want you to be too goofy. That's very confusing;
the level of goofiness. We had fun. We got to have a day where Paul Rudd
came in, who plays my fiancé and we got to riff off each other.
It's nice to have an actual actor there to work off of.
AGW: You are
usually alone recording in a booth, right?
Reese: Yeah.
The only actor I got to work with was Paul but Paul and I had done a movie
together a long time ago so it was really fun. We got to riff and get
back into out pattern or rhythm that we had before so that was nice.
AGW: Do you
ever feel exposed to the public like the monsters in the movie? Ever feel
like all eyes are on you?
 Reese:
Yeah, sometimes I feel like a 49 foot woman. I go places and I see people
whispering and pushing their children toward me to take pictures or look
cute in front of me so I know what that feels like a little bit but I
wouldn't say it's a detriment. I definitely think it's afforded me a lot
of great things in my life and I'm very, very lucky and blessed to have
everything that I do.
AGW: You were
saying you liked the strong female character in this movie. Are there
any children's' stories or books for young people that you would like
to see brought to the screen in animated form?
Reese: Yeah.
I love that this just creates opportunities for more female-driven storylines
to be in animated movies, particularly if it does well so that's a good
thing and it was great to see Cameron Diaz do so well in the Shrek
series. Those are great characters for young women. But, there's
a dearth of it (strong female characters) in literature too. It's really
hard. Even female writers are writing books about little boys so it's
great to see Stephenie Meyer write a book about a young woman in "Twilight"
and things like that. So, I think the more media outlets that support
that kind of opportunity creates other opportunities for those characters
to be there.
AGW: When
you were doing the voice, did you show up as your glamorous self or just
come wearing anything?
Reese: (laughs)
Well, heck no. They had a lipstick camera on me. I'd be interested to
see the lipstick montage of accumulated hair-dos and different outfits
and different colored lipstick.
AGW: So you
just showed up in jeans and t-shirts?
Reese: Yeah.
I didn't wear my diamonds or my ball gown. It might throw everyone off.
AGW: A lot
of your co-stars in this film are on (or started on) TV shows. Do you
watch them?
Reese: Well,
I love Will Arnett on "30 Rock". That's so funny and I'm a huge
Seth Rogen fan and he's so great in this movie. He's so funny. And, I
worked with Kiefer (Sutherland) a long time ago on a movie so it was great
to see him doing this and being so funny because he's a really funny guy
which I don't think he does as much on "24" (laughter). He's
very serious and Hugh Laurie is obviously on "House". It's fantastic.
I've been on Jay Leno once with Hugh Laurie and he was cracking me up.
AGW: You are
a great role model but who do you look up to?
Reese: I admire
a lot of people who manage to have great careers and a family life and
have managed to keep their feet on the ground; Paul Newman and Joanne
Woodward were a great inspiration. Also people who do great things with
their celebrity and manage to create opportunities for other people who
really need it. I think that's a great thing.
AGW: You've
had a great career so far so how do you see your future?
Reese: Hopefully
still working, making more movies. I love my job. I'm so lucky to be doing
it so, hopefully, I'll just have endless opportunities for the rest of
my life. Acting or producing. That would be good. That's always fun.
Photos courtesy
of and copyright Dreamworks Animation, 2009
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