Heigl dresses the part in ‘Unforgettable’
LOS ANGELES — How did Katherine Heigl step into the shoes of a woman whose obsession with perfection might lead to murder?
“I always sort of approach every character from the wardrobe. I don’t know why. That’s just my super shallow way,” Heigl, 38, said with a laugh at the Four Seasons about tuning into “Unforgettable’s” demented Tessa Connover, a divorcee who just won’t — and perhaps can’t — let go.
Tessa’s appearance, Heigl emphasized, “sets the tone for me, in her perfection and the way she would hold herself, and the hair,” ironed to be perfectly straight.
“All of that was how I started to dive into Tessa’s personality. There’s something about the way the clothing, the shoes, the hair, the makeup changes the way you hold yourself, the way you express yourself.
“Then, right from the get-go, I just really wanted (it sounds strange) for there to be some sympathy for Tessa.
“Tessa was just so wired so tight, I felt compassion for her and I wanted to have moments where we could do that. So that she wasn’t just maniacal, she wasn’t just insane.
“She was heartbroken and insecure and afraid and aging and not knowing how to deal with any of it. So yeah, it started with the clothes.”
Producer and first-time director Denise Di Novi thought it vital to show “that the ex-wife is not always the great, good guy. That the new wife” — Rosario Dawson’s Julia Banks — “is not always the bad guy. Turning that on its head felt really fresh and exciting.”
The constant critiques Tessa endured from her demanding mother (“Charlie’s Angels” veteran Cheryl Ladd) suggest why she is so damaged. Is Tessa in denial about what she’s gone through in her life?
“Oh, absolutely! Huge denial,” Heigl said. “She’s repressing so much, she doesn’t even really allow any real emotion to come out when her mother hurts her feelings or makes her feel small. Nothing.
“She contains it all. Somebody who does that — I’ve done that on occasion where I just sort of stuff it down, stuff it down. Then you have — well, I usually don’t try to kill people, but ...”
(“Unforgettable” is in theaters now.)