By John Wildman
AFI FEST Daily News Staff

Vinessa Shaw (TWO LOVERS)

You have seen her opposite Tom Cruise in EYES WIDE SHUT and Will Ferrell in MELINDA AND MELINDA. She has done admirable time in both Westerns (3:10 TO YUMA) and Horror (THE HILLS HAVE EYES). And while she may not have immediate name recognition to the average filmgoer, Vinessa Shaw does have name recognition to people with names like Woody Allen, James Mangold, Kathryn Bigalow and (the late) Stanley Kubrick.

James Gray joins that grateful group of directors having utilized Shaw’s talents in TWO LOVERS. In the film, she plays the third member in a love triangle that includes Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. While they may have the more showy sides in the tormented romance triad, Shaw once again delivers a spot on performance as the proverbial beautiful forest that Phoenix’s character can’t see for the trees.

How did you become part of TWO LOVERS—through an audition or were you approached outright for the role? What drew you to want to play this particular character?

TWO LOVERS
screens 7:00 PM November 1 @ ArcLight 10 and 3:30 PM November 6 @ ArcLight 10.
Vinessa Shaw will attend the first screening and participate in a Q&A afterward.

I was actually very fortunate with the whole casting process for the film. The way James hired me was not in a typical Hollywood fashion. Apparently, he had spoken with the producer, Donna Giolotti about finding a young Claudia Cardinale-type for the role of ‘Sandra’. I think it was a week or so later and Donna told James she found the young Claudia in 3:10 TO YUMA. He then went to the premiere of the film and within a few days I had read his amazing script, met him at a nearby pizza place and said I would be honored to do this film. This scenario rarely happens and I couldn’t believe it happened to me.

What drew me to ‘Sandra’ was her purity and honesty. I especially liked how she relates with ‘Leonard’. She had a wonderful combination of being shy, yet direct. She is upfront with how she feels about him without being too pushy. Amazingly, she never judges him when he’s being so clearly unavailable. She’s even-tempered, very compassionate, and kinda awkward too!

Did you have any awkward experiences getting fixed up on dates from your past that you could draw on for your initial scenes with Joaquin Phoenix?

Unfortunately, I’ve only had bad dates, not awkward ones. I never really liked nor understood the idea of dating. Either you like somebody or you don’t. Dating itself is awkward.

What is it about films you do that are set in New York (TWO LOVERS, MELINDA AND MELINDA, EYES WIDE SHUT) that make it necessary for your hair to go darker?

Ha! Ha! Well, actually, my hair was blonde in EYES WIDE SHUT! For MELINDA AND MELINDA, ‘Stacy’ was supposed to be sexy and mysterious which makes it funnier when she flips out in the end. It was all about the character not being quite who she seems. For TWO LOVERS, I think James wanted ‘Sandra’ to be less glamorous, simpler, and an obvious contrast to ‘Michelle’.

This was not only reflective in her hair color, but also in her make-up and clothes. ‘Sandra’ is just a more earthy and grounded character, which in essence matches her look.

To date, you seem to be putting together a somewhat eclectic filmography, spanning all genres and choosing roles that seem to place a considered distance between the character in your latest film and the character you played in the film prior. How much forethought and strategy has gone into those choices?

All I really can do is be the kind of actress that I want to be. There’s no stability in the film business, so no one can ever truly strategize. I like challenging myself. I want to play characters who have something to say about humanity and can actually teach me something in the end. I choose the characters I play without judgment. I don’t care where she comes from or if she’s evil or good. Just as long she grows and I grow by the end of the film. I think because of that, the roles I end up playing are from all different genres and all walks of life.

Your mother was and is an actress who has been successful and worked consistently through the years. What was the key lesson she taught you about navigating your way through the industry?

She taught me that acting is what you do, not who you are. I didn’t know what she truly meant by that until I rode the ups and downs of this business. I think it’s so easy to get confused with work being your identity.

It’s important to have a deeper sense of self and understanding of life so that you don’t get swept up by the disappointments, or the successes. Because I was 12 when she first told me this, I don’t think I possibly could’ve understood. I didn’t have experience as an actor yet. I think now I see how right she was.

Be honest here. In the real world—who is Joaquin going to choose? You or Gwyneth?

Gwyneth, of course!!