Juliane Moore On Making "Trust The Man" With Her Husband Bart Freundlich
By Cole Smithey
Julianne Moore is a mainstay of Hollywood A-list actors. So when she chooses to act for her writer/director/producer husband Bart Freundlich for the third time, there’s anticipation in the air. Julianne first worked with the then 26-year-old Bart Freundlich when he directed her in his first feature film "The Myth of Fingerprints," followed by "World Traveler."
The feisty redhead initially attracted widespread attention in the suspense horror movie "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" (1992) which led to Hollywood blockbusters like "The Fugitive" and "Jurassic Park." Ever the formally trained stage actress Julianne did Louis Malle’s theatrically based film "Vanya On 42nd Street" before she gained independent film credentials in Todd Haynes’ fascinating dramatic social satire "Safe" (1995). "Short Cuts," "The Big Lebowski," "The End of The Affair," "Magnolia," "Far From Heaven" are just a handful of wildly divergent films embellished with Julianne’s lasting characterizations of thoroughly believable women.
At our interview in Julianne’s hometown of Manhattan, she wanted to keep to the subject of her new movie "Trust The Man," a New York-centric romantic comedy about two couples on the brink of self-destructing. Julianne plays Rebecca a prudish wife to Tom (David Duchovny), whose best friend Tobey (Billy Crudup) lives with Rebecca’s best friend Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Elaine needs Tobey to grow up and commit to building a family with her, and Tom must make a decision between keeping up an affair or saving his family. In the end the women characters must decide if they can trust their men.
CS: Is it a bonus to be able to work in your hometown and go home at night?
JM: Yeah, it is. It was a nice thing just to be able to walk to the set. On the days when I wasn’t working I’d walk to the set with the kids, and to their basketball games. Everybody wants to work at home.
CS: I understand you’re very good at keeping your life compartmentalized between work and your home life, but was there ever any spillover making a movie in your home town with your husband directing?
JM: There’s never any spillover character-wise. Spillover happened with Bart because he was busy directing and we had to move right after we wrapped the movie, and it was Christmas. It was very challenging in terms of time management. I don’t think I could do that again.
CS: Your husband Bart said that the scene in which you choke on an enormous piece of cake while standing in your kitchen in an evening gown was autobiographical.
JM: Yes, that happened because Bart’s birthday is January 17. It’s always around the time of the Golden Globes and I always have a big cake in the refrigerator. I’m usually eating it and usually nervous because you don’t eat for a while around the time of the Golden Globes. So I was waiting for him to get ready and standing there breathing and eating at the same time, and because I was nervous I sucked it into my windpipe and started to choke. Bart came out and there I was in an evening gown in the kitchen hunched over a coconut cake choking! I told Bart that someday he should put it in a movie because it’s so ridiculous.
CS: How did Bart approach you to act in his movie?
JM: He had somebody in mind initially for this who turned it down. He had always been open to my doing it. We were in bed one night and I was leafing through the movie again and I finally piped up and said, "You know, I would be really sorry if I didn’t get to do this. I really like this movie and I like the part a lot, and if it’s OK I’d like to take the part." So, I approached him.
CS: What did you like about the movie?
JM: I think the nice thing in this movie is that it’s about how men can prove to be heroes in their own lives. It celebrates the regularness of ordinary life and for relationships, which is above all the most important thing. That’s the thing people talk about. They talk about their marriages, their boyfriends, their children, and their families.
You hopefully get the opportunity to get married, show off for your wife, take care of your kids, support each other’s careers—all of that is the stuff that really truly matters to us.
CS: You’ve played a lot of different types of characters in different genres. Are there certain roles that you haven’t gotten to yet?
JM: I never think in terms of a type or a genre. It’s always just about the material. It’s always something different.
CS: What do you think about the generally receptive popularity of New York-based movies?
JM: I think of all of those Doris Day movies that were set in New York. All those sophisticated romantic comedies like "Sabrina," "Breakfast At Tiffany’s," and "The Apartment" were set in New York. The thing that’s appealing to me about New York is how community oriented the city is. Once you live in New York you realize that it’s just a group of little villages, and people kind of stay in their area. You get to know the magazine guy, and you know the deli guy, and your friends on the street. You feel very supported.
You have two kinds of American movies, the small town American movie and the big city American movie, and both of them celebrate whatever community is there.
CS: This is the third time you’ve worked with David Duchovny. What do you like about working with David?
JM: He’s tall. (pause, laughs) We’ve vacationed together a couple of times and he and Bart were both wearing striped shirts, and there was a point when we were by the pool that I almost put my arms around him. I screamed when he turned around. David and Bart are kind of similar. He’s so funny. He’s also a very dedicated family man. He’s smart and talented and a pleasure to be with. I love working with him, and I think we make a believable onscreen couple.
CS: Do you feel the same way about Billy Crudup playing your brother?
JM: Yeah, I do. Did you notice that he dyed his hair a little bit red, which is really cute because the last film that we did together ("World Traveler") I was modeling myself on Billy. I dyed my hair dark to be more like Billy, and in this one he dyed his hair.
