Best known for harrowing roles in distressing movies ("Breaking the Waves", "Hilary and Jackie", "Angela's Ashes"), Emily Watson has changed tack in recent times. After playing the blind lover of a serial killer in commercial hit "Red Dragon", she's now playing Adam Sandler's girlfriend in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Punch-Drunk Love"...
How did you become involved with "Punch-Drunk Love"?
I was in LA promoting another film in the summer of 2000 and I met up for lunch with the director, Paul Thomas Anderson. He said, "I'm doing this film with Adam Sandler and I'm writing a part for you." And I said, "Fine." He asked me what I wanted to do next, and I said "I'm not interested in weeping and wailing and crying and dying." He was in a similar frame of mind, because he had made "Magnolia".
What was your initial reaction towards your character, Lena Leonard?
I was baffled. In a funny way there's not much there. I am so used to really challenging 'acting' roles, whilst with Lena everything is veiled and very subtle for lots of different reasons. Her language is oblique and strange and sideways. In a way she's somebody's dream, she's not really a real person. The film is about how you see the world when you're in love. You don't necessarily see somebody's psychological baggage, you see the person walking out of the light.
What was it like to act opposite Adam Sandler?
Paul and I learnt a lot from Adam - he just opens the door and sees what falls through. He's very instinctive. To me he's a very, very American comedian, who speaks a language that I don't understand. Whilst I am sort of a serious European actress, with no sense of humour and all that! We had a respect, fascination, and nervousness and curiosity around each other - we weren't acting that.
Why is Paul Thomas Anderson such a good director of actors?
He doesn't tell you what he wants. He lets you battle yourself into doing something. We struggled to communicate at first. I wanted him to direct me, to be an actors' director, and he would just say things like, "These are not the drawings you are looking for." I understood him in a subtle way.
You have to give yourself up to this. You have to let yourself be quite stupid, and chuck everything out and see what happens. If you practise that, it gets easier.
