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A love triangle without villains: Interview with Piper Perabo |
by Jenny Stewart
Actress Piper Perabo burst onto the Hollywood scene in 2000 playing a bar-top dancing waitress in the rowdy "Coyote Ugly." The sexy role could have secured her parts in other Hollywood blockbusters, but Perabo took a different turn. She followed up her "Coyote" success by playing Paulie, an emotional teenage lesbian unapologetically in love with her female roommate in Lea Pool's "Lost and Delirious." Going the indie route paid off -- Perabo's performance was hailed by critics, and it got her a lot of lesbian fans.Five years later, Perabo's playing lesbian again. In the British comedy "Imagine Me & You," Perabo plays Rachel, a recently married British woman who falls instantly in love with Luce (Lena Headey), a woman she meets on her wedding day. Perabo recently spoke with PlanetOut Entertainment Editor Jenny Stewart about "Imagine Me & You," playing two high-profile lesbian roles and why Philip Seymour Hoffman makes her sweat. You played a lesbian a few years back in "Lost and Delirious," a role that garnered you a lot of attention. This is another high-profile lesbian role. Was there any hesitation to play two lesbian roles sort of back to back? Not at all. In fact, up until now, "Lost and Delirious" has always been my favorite piece of work. I feel like I accomplished what I set out to do, and that the characters were drawn the way I wanted them to be, and I was really happy with the result. So when this script came along, it was so well written, I mean -- I was so excited when I read it for the first time -- playing in a same-sex relationship again just, it just wasn't a deterrent. When I saw the film, it surprised me that while there are some really passionate lesbian kissing scenes, there weren't really any of the almost prerequisite steamy lesbian sex scenes. I found that interesting in that it seems that a studio would almost insist on including that. I'm curious if it was ever discussed or if it was ever in the script? It was never in the script, and in some ways, I think that just for this story, it makes sense. Because Rachel is so aware of the boundaries she's crossing, and that she's betraying her husband by falling in love with somebody else, and I think she's so . . . she feels so bad that she's going to hurt him, even though she knows that that's the decision she's going to make. I think she's so aware of how it's hurting him that it makes sense not to have a big sex scene, because she's so aware of the pain she's causing to the person she thought she was in love with. That brings me to the next question. The other thing I found interesting about the film is that at no point does Rachel panic about her sexuality. The only panic she has is over hurting her husband, who's this really great guy. I think if the movie was made even five years ago, they would have felt they had to include a subplot about her questioning whether or not she's a lesbian. But in this film, in 2006, her sexuality is just secondary -- I thought that was interesting and was wondering if it was going to be a new trend -- in which the focus is not on someone's sexuality. Totally, and if not even secondary, like . . . third or fourth or . . . fifth! And one of the things that I loved about the story when I read it is that I really sort of believe that, you know when you actually fall for someone, nothing else [pauses, excited] you can walk into a room and when you see that person, everything sort of just changes. I mean, that's the way it is for me, anyway. I don't really consider the ramifications until much later, if I ever even consider them at all. Yes, and for her to focus on how she was hurting her husband, Heck, rather than focus on "Oh, my God, am I gay?!" was sort of a relief. Speaking of Heck [played by Matthew Goode], he was so likable and such a great guy that at first I was concerned that there would be almost no sympathy for Rachel and Luce. But then I thought that that aspect was much more like real life -- the pain that some women go through when they're married to really nice men and then fall for a woman. Yes, and it's just so much more realistic. I mean, I hate it when you go to see a movie and what they're doing is making someone a bad guy and it's so obvious they're just making the person a bad guy. And it's so not fun to watch the story unfold, especially when you're dealing with smart people. Because in your real life, usually there's not one obvious "bad guy," I mean, there is a reason she fell in love with Heck -- he's an amazing person; he's just not "the" person, you know? And that's just how life is. It's complicated, and it can be hurtful. So you've played the two lesbian characters, Paulie and Rachel. Did you see any similarities or just differences? I think that Paulie falls in love in that kind of full-on, heroic, romantic way where you charge forward without, sort of, regard for almost anyone else's feelings, where you're so sure of how you feel that you're not taking anyone else's feelings into account. And I think that Rachel is much more grown-up in the fact that she's really aware of that fact -- that she's fallen in love with someone and how that affects them and how she even talks about it with Luce and how she tries to sort of open a dialogue about how she's feeling. I think Paulie and Rachel deal with love really differently -- Paulie in that this is this wonderful, heroic romance and Rachel in a more grown-up, sensitive way. So it wasn't like you drew on Paulie at all when you went to play Rachel. I didn't even consider it. They're such different women and the way they approach love is so different. And the paradigm that they believe the world is set up in is sooooooo different. And the only similarity is that they are both in love with a woman. OK, so what about you in real life? Are you more like Rachel or Paulie? [Laughs] Sadly, I'm more like Paulie! Yeah, I try to be more like Rachel, but I get a little . . . one-track-mind and I just . . . That's sort of surprising to me. And the theme of "Imagine Me and You" is love at first sight. Have you ever fallen in love at first sight? I think every time I fall in love it's been at first sight. I imagine there was a lot of stiff competition to play Rachel, especially from other British actresses. And just like Renee Zellweger in "Bridget Jones," they ended up going with an American actress in the lead. You know, it was hard to get the role; in fact, it was hard to get [director] Ol Parker to come over to meet me. I don't know how stiff the competition was because I wasn't in the casting sessions in the U.K., but also because nowadays, all the actresses aren't sitting in a room and reading one by one, so you really have no idea at all who you're up against! It's funny you mentioned Renee, because I went to the same voice coach that she used in England, and I went there a month early to work on the accent.
So now you've played two lesbian roles opposite two sort of unknown actresses, although there are a lot of gay women out there who remember Lena Heady from when she played young Sally in "Mrs. Dalloway." If you took a third lesbian role -- which it seems like you will -- which actress would you choose to play your girlfriend? [Immediately] I really like Thandie Newton. And I really like Maggie Gyllenhaal, too. I think she's sort of a handsome beauty which I think, well, I think she's kind of knockout and I really like her acting. I think those two could create really full characters that I would like playing opposite. You've been acting since you were young. What else would you like to do if you weren't an actress? I think I'd like to be an English professor. I really like reading, and I did a lot of drama when I studied theater in college and really loved that sort of ok-ish research. Speaking of college, is your favorite book still "The Awakening" or have you moved on? Hmmm. God. That is such a fucking good book, isn't it? I just read a really good book called "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts, which is soooo good, but you know what? I think "The Awakening" is still my favorite book, 'cos I get all nostalgic about it. What are you filming now? [Excitedly] I'm making a movie with Diane Keaton called "Because I Said So," and I am just so . . . Diane Keaton is so awesome! I look like such a dork on the set, because I, like, follow her around and just watch her. And if she has a new bag, I want that bag, and I always try to see what she's listening to -- she's just so cool I can't even tell you. She's such a magnificent woman; I am in awe just to be working with her. And she's great in the movie. Which other actors are you in awe of? Philip Seymour Hoffman. Have you seen "Capote"? You know, I haven't seen it yet. OH. MY. GOD. You have to see it! He is just incredible in that role, I am just nuts over him. I sat near him at a Knicks game once and I had to switch seats because I was actually sweating, I was so nervous to be near him.
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