Weeds actress continues to flower
Star is busy; just don’t ask Parker to drive a car
NEW YORK — Weeds actress MaryLouise Parker was her usual charming self during a recent interview at a Manhattan hotel suite.
She couldn’t help but speak her mind on various subjects including her busy schedule.
The 48-year-old co-stars in the spy comedy Red 2 and the action fantasy R.I.P.D., both opening in theatres Friday.
In the Red sequel, Bruce Willis’s black-ops agent Frank Moses returns to active duty again (he was RED: Retired, Extremely Dangerous) with his girlfriend Sarah (Parker) and his buddies Marvin (John Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren).
Their assignment is to locate a weapon of mass destruction before it gets into the wrong hands.
New in Red 2 is Catherine ZetaJones, who plays a Russian agent and one of Frank’s ex-lovers. Anthony Hopkins is a scientist inventor of the doomsday bomb. Korean actor Byunghun Lee plays a hit man paid by the U. S. government to eliminate Frank.
R.I.P.D. (Rest in Peace Department) showcases Parker in a co-starring role as the boss of dead cops (Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds) assigned to track down evil killer spirits. Both portrayals underscore her talent for comedy and drama while her conversation exemplifies an actress who keeps things in perspective.
Here are 10 things Parker revealed in a conversation with Postmedia News.
1. She enjoyed reuniting with Willis and Malkovich on Red 2
“The three of us are an unlikely trio who blend together super well,” Parker said. “It’s a weird mix but it works. It was fun and a relief that we got along so well, especially since we are stuck in a car for a long period of time ... I felt pretty lucky.”
2. She knows her stunt limits were clearly exposed during the Red 2 filming.
“I’m a notoriously bad driver and they knew that so they gave me a car that had a pocket in the bottom of it so someone could sit there and drive the car,” Parker said. Unfortunately, one sequence called for her to drive a vehicle eight metres. “And I drove it straight into a wall. I don’t drive in real life. It’s a mistake for everyone to let me.”
3. She likes to improv. On Red 2, she suggested her inexperienced spy Sarah should resort to kissing whenever she gets in a jam.
4. She respects Willis for more than his acting prowess.
“He’s such a good father to his four daughters and cares about them so deeply and is so good with children,” noted Parker who is mom to two young kids. “My children just love Bruce.…”
5. Reconnecting with Jeff Bridges and getting to know Ryan Reynolds on R.I.P.D. was a good thing. And she was thrilled with her wardrobe in the movie.
“I play the chief of police in R.I.P.D.,” she said. “It was directed by (Robert Schwentke) who directed Red. It was also nice because I was dead, so I only had to wear one costume.”
6. She’s friendly with most of the actors she works with.
“I’ve always loved Jeff Bridges,” said Parker of her buddy. “And Ryan (Reynolds) is a new friend and a wonderful person.”
7. She’s already missing her Weeds character after the series ended last year.
“Nancy was fun to play because she loved that danger and she’d take the peyote and deal the heroin and end up in the trunk of a car, and usually it was her fault,” maintained Parker. “Weeds was a very dark world and I like drama that’s dark.”
8. And yes she would do another TV series.
“I love doing television because it’s a lot of work but sometimes there’s a lot of sitting and waiting involved,” Parker said. “I really like being out there and working and having costume fittings and collaborating. Too much downtime and I just fall asleep. I’m not in my 30s anymore.”
9. She mixes it up as her two upcoming movie roles indicate.
“I play the patron saint of teenage boys in Behaving Badly and the alcoholic mother of a young boy who’s in a detention centre in Jamesy Boy,” reported the actress.
10. She has staying power on stage. Parker burst onto the scene in a high-profile way earning a Tony nomination for her lead in the 1990 Broadway production of Prelude to a Kiss and consistently returned to the theatre throughout her career.
“In September, I’m going to do the new Broadway play (The Snow Geese) directed by Dan Sullivan and I’m really excited,” Parker said.