Regina Leader-Post

A COLOSSAL UNDERTAKIN­G

Anne Hathaway mixes things up in B.C.-shot film

- BOB THOMPSON bthompson@postmedia.com

Anne Hathaway lives in two different movie worlds. She co-stars in Hollywood movies and headlines independen­t films.

For instance, Hathaway joins Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett in the caper spinoff Ocean’s Eight which will arrive in multiplexe­s next summer.

More immediatel­y, she’s the featured attraction in the lowbudget picture Colossal. In the odd creature comedy, Hathaway plays Gloria, who begins to believe monster incidents in South Korea are connected to her U.S. breakdown.

Dan Stevens portrays Gloria’s boyfriend who throws her out of his Manhattan apartment after her excessive drinking and disregard for what’s around her.

Jason Sudeikis plays an old flame who re-enters Gloria’s life when she moves back to her small-town family house for refuge.

Hathaway, who gave birth to baby boy Jonathan last March, talks about being a mom, her new movie and filming it in Vancouver and Langley, B.C.

Q Were you concerned about the mix of genres in Colossal?

A I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I was never worried about that.

Q Did you have faith in (Spanish filmmaker) Nacho Vigalondo?

A I did. I thought he could pull it off at the budget level discussed. And I like to take chances. That’s just the way my compass points. Q Did you work out how to play Gloria with the director?

A I really don’t think we had discussion­s how to play her. Mostly, we worked on moments in the film, especially the ones that resonated with me. We just felt a kinship to who she is.

Q Do you understand her?

A She felt familiar to me. I recognized aspects of myself in her and I recognized people I know in her. She felt honest to me in a world that’s surreal, and I love that about her.

Q Is she dysfunctio­nal or is everybody around her dysfunctio­nal?

A Dysfunctio­nal is such a funny word and a funny concept. In the richness of indie cinema, I think we can acknowledg­e everybody’s dysfunctio­nal and it’s fun to explore.

Q What is Gloria’s strength in that realm?

A Gloria is struggling, and she’s met with judgment, but she’s not actually a judgmental person, so she doesn’t judge herself. That’s one of the most infuriatin­g things about her. She’s thoughtles­s but without being unkind. Q How was collaborat­ing with Sudeikis and Stevens? A Jason (Sudeikis) and I have known each other for a long time. I didn’t know Dan (Stevens), but I was surrounded by these great men playing not so great men which speaks to who they are. Q Do you like taking creative risks?

A You’re giving me too much credit. It’s not as though I have a career manifesto. I like what I like, and as I get older, I know myself better. At this point, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to stand behind things that I don’t believe in. Q Did you enjoy filming in Vancouver and Langley?

A I did. My brother and his husband have a new baby so it meant I got to see them lots because they live in (Vancouver). Q How has being a mom changed your approach to work?

A I don’t know that my focus has changed as much as it has expanded. Based on what people had told me I was expecting this seismic shift but it’s turned out to be mostly the same. Q How so?

A I’m fascinated and thankful that I still get to do what I do, but now have this whole other universe.

Dysfunctio­nal is such a funny word and a funny concept. In the richness of indie cinema, I think we can acknowledg­e everybody’s dysfunctio­nal and it’s fun to explore.

 ?? NEON ?? “I like what I like, and as I get older, I know myself better,” Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway, 34, says of taking creative risks in the roles and projects she chooses.
NEON “I like what I like, and as I get older, I know myself better,” Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway, 34, says of taking creative risks in the roles and projects she chooses.

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