Lucy Liu

Interview By: Dan Portnoy
DanielPortnoy@TheCinemaSource.com

Actress Lucy Liu has always played well with others. In her latest project Lucky Number Slevin, she's thrown into the mix of a predominantly male cast, one that has the potential to intimidate some actors. Let's face it, sharing the stage with the likes of Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, and Josh Hartnett could have anyone, male or female, shaking in their boots. But not Lucy, who quickly found herself right at home among these heavyweights and was able to add that necessary feminine touch which helped to meld the film together. So no matter who she's plays, whether it's an Angel or a warrior in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, a big part or small, Lucy Liu is able to bring her own brand of charisma to all her roles and this year's Lucky Number Slevin is no exception.

The film tells the story of a man who's trapped in an unfortunate case of mistaken identity. And by mistaken identity I'm not talking about being spotted at the DMV by some stranger claiming to know you, I'm talking about mistaken identity that lands you smack dab in a life and death situation. In Slevin's (Josh Hartnett) case, he is wrongly placed in the middle of a war between two rival gangsters, The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) and The Boss (Morgan Freeman). And what's worse he's got the fuzz on his tail as well as one of the world's most legendary assassins (Bruce Willis). The only luck Slevin has at all, is that he meets Lindsey (Liu), a coroner with the right mind to try and help him out of his predicament. Will he get out of it you ask' The answer is actually pretty simple'go see the film, but check out this interview first.

Lucy was handed the script for Lucky Number Slevin and signed off on it almost immediately. She had already known the film's writer Jason Smilovic and was familiar with the work of director Paul McGuigan. 'I just think it's a very unique and original film. I know a lot of people are comparing it to this and to that but because I know Jason and I know Paul and I don't think they're trying to be anything else but who they are.' And as Jason had placed his label on the first script, the collaboration between Paul and Jason churned out something a little different.

Once things kicked into gear the original script underwent a serious overhaul. 'There weren't just a few changes, there were massive changes'all of the stuff that she has is all new, it was a complete rewrite as far as I'm concerned.' As it turns out, the new and improved script garnered Liu's favor even more than the first and her character was given more depth, more dimension, and more speaking lines which meant that she had better get studying.

As I mentioned above, Liu plays a coroner named Lindsey with some rather flexible moral convictions and doesn't object to a little excitement since her usual pals are, well, a bunch of stiffs. But I'd rather have Lucy tell you more about Lindsey. 'She spends a lot of time on her own, she is naturally curious. She doesn't think that going around and snooping in someone's apartment is snooping. And to me I think that's great because it gives her a dimension of, I wouldn't say innocence, but naivety that sort of allows her'there's no boundaries. And she can go pretty much anywhere emotionally and she can go anywhere physically.' Just the kind of person a man like Slevin needs on his side. And since his luck has been running thin lately perhaps it's time to place his faith in someone else's hands rather than flying solo.

What really made this unlikely cinematic partnership work was the chemistry between Hartnett and Liu. With a story like this, chemistry can either make or break the film, luckily in this case chemistry won. And what's even more interesting about chemistry is that half the time no one ever sees it comin' till its there. 'It's not planned'we just seemed really natural together at all times.' It's a good thing too, lest these two may have fallen victim to the lack of chemistry that has claimed so many other promising films. I'm sure you can think of at least five off the top of your head. But for Lucy, she's just glad everything worked out. 'I'm glad it turned out that way because sometimes there's meant to be chemistry and there doesn't seem to be any.'

So how does one become a coroner, on film that is' Well much of the character comes from within the person playing them. 'I think that there's always part of you that's a part of the character' I always try to bring some sort of heart to whatever I'm doing.' In addition to that heart (and I believe the word heart is a nice segue into the next bit of info) in preparing for her role, Lucy took on a bit of research. 'I did investigate being a coroner and I did talk to somebody and we worked together but that was just for my own piece of mind.' Unfortunately I didn't get to ask if she got to perform any autopsies or partake in any 'hands on' research but we can all let our imaginations wander.

And the fun didn't stop there, no sir, after shooting, the cast and crew would get together and hit the town. And although Lucy would rather stay away from that scene while she's working, she did let them persuade her once. 'I went out once with Josh and the crew, we all went out to a tiny little eatery/bar and we started dancing, they had a DJ there'and that's when we were dancing on the tables and the police came, the Montreal police.' I wonder if more of their extra curricular activities ended up similarly, but then again it's that kind of camaraderie and the ability to have fun that really helps the environment of the set while working. 'It was very relaxed. No one thought that they had to put on a show for everyone. So it was pretty easy in terms of that energy.'

And if you think Lucky Number Slevin is the last we will see of Lucy Liu for a while, you've got another thing comin'. In fact she already has projects in the works extending into 2008; and who knows she may be able to slip another couple in there if the opportunity presents itself. But there's one movie in particular that Liu is especially enthusiastic about. 'I have something that I'm really excited about that was at the Toronto film festival called 3 Needles and that's going to be out in September.' It's about the AID's virus centered around three different cultures and the toll the disease continues to take; a powerful story that makes its way to theaters later this year. But before you begin counting the days to September, do yourself a favor and check out Lucky Number Slevin.