Amy Adams on her ‘Master’ character: “This woman scares the s–t out of me”

Amy Adams

Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master fast approacheth, and anticipation has been so heavy that the film’s release date has been pushed up to September 14. The Weinstein Co. has also issued a statement: “We feel that the film is great. It plays great, and we wanted to get out in front of everyone else.” Good news, right? Now Amy Adams has started her end of the promotional trail with a new interview with New York Magazine. We didn’t see much of Amy in the film’s two teaser trailers, but she came out, eyes a blazing, as cult leader Lancaster Dodd’s Lady Macbeth-esque wife in the full-length trailer. Here’s what Amy had to say about her experience filming (and watching) The Master:

Amy Adams

On watching The Master: “I was like, I don’t even know what I did in the film or what I didn’t do, or what I need to do, I have no clue.” Near the end, during a scene between her character, the wife of a cult leader, and Joaquin Phoenix’s drifter, “I just sobbed uncontrollably. It really broke my heart. Oh God, I’m going to cry again if I think about it. I don’t know why it got to me, I’m not a crier,” she insists, collecting herself. “I’m always, ‘Oh, that’s so drama school.’ No. I’m not that kind of person.” When I ask what it was about the scene, she says it was Phoenix’s character, “so solitary, so seeking, so lost. I’d probably need to talk to a therapist to find out why that resonates with me so deeply.”

On her character, Mary Dodd: “I do not want to run into her in a dark alleyway,” says Adams. “Give me [my character] Charlene from The Fighter any day, we can have a beer, talk about it, we’ll have fun. This woman scares the sh-t out of me. Excuse my language.”

On PTA’s odd methods: “You’re the first person I’ve talked to about it,” says Adams, as if expecting a lightning bolt to strike. Anderson’s working methods were new to her. Even for scenes in which she was not scheduled to appear, she was instructed to show up, just to make her presence felt. “It was exhausting, but I love the effect. She’s almost blurry.” Often, she had no idea whether the camera was on her, as during one scene in which Hoffman leads his followers in naked sing-along around a piano; Adams had to sit as demurely as possible, nude except for a pregnant-belly prosthetic.

“It was one of the most surreal evenings of my life, and I’ve had some pretty surreal evenings, up there with giving birth,” she says. “I was in a surreal place, because my daughter still wasn’t sleeping through the night and we were shooting nights. I felt like I was a little on edge, I was a little cuckoo, so I just sort of brought it.” For another scene in which Phoenix is ruthlessly “processed,” Anderson handed her a page of Victorian pr0nography and told her to read it straight to camera. “I’m like, Wait, is Paul trying to break [me] down? Is he doing this to me?”

It all sounds a little, well, cultlike, with the secretive Anderson imposing his will upon a cast and crew systematically discombobulated by working methods designed to keep them subtly off-balance throughout. “I won’t go that far,” she says. “But I do kind of worship Paul. He’s magnificent.”

She was raised Mormon until age 12: “I’m always careful because I still have relatives I care very much about who are involved, but I definitely did see growing up a lot of women that were meant to be quiet and pleasant, and if you had something mean to say it’s probably best to keep a journal.”

[From Vulture]

I think it probably served the film quite well that PTA kept his authors in a surreal mindplace as Amy describes. A lot of directors do that sort of thing, it’s just that PTA’s films tend to be of a more bizarre variety than most. While shooting Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino kept his actors sequestered from Christoph Waltz so that when they encountered Waltz’s Jew Hunter onscreen, they were generally terrified of him. So yeah, freaking out your actors (within reason) can help produce better performances. And I can’t wait to see how The Master turns out.

Amy Adams

Amy Adams

Photos courtesy of WENN

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17 Responses to “Amy Adams on her ‘Master’ character: “This woman scares the s–t out of me””

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  1. Eve says:

    Cannot wait to see Joaquin Phoenix in this — his performance and the movie itself are getting nothing but glowing reviews so far.

    • gee says:

      When he’s good he is SO good.

    • RocketMerry says:

      Agreed, Johaquin and all the rest of the cast are going to be amazing, I so cannot wait!
      And it’s been a while since the last time I was really excited about a movie, so… I just hope it comes out here in Italy too.

      Also, “I’d probably need to talk to a therapist to find out why that resonates with me so deeply”. Lol, isn’t that a nice, subtle dig at the $cientolocrazies? Made me like Adams a bit more than usual.

      • TrustMeOnThis says:

        I caught that too! So excited for this one.

        I read elsewhere that it is only being released in 70mm so you might want to check which theaters near you can show it (it limits the release somewhat).

        This is going to be goooood.

  2. tru tru says:

    I cannot WAIT to see this, I’m glad it was pushed UP!!

    they are gonna bring it, the cast is marvelous!!

    shoot me, but I want to see this and Mike Douglas as Liberace and as Phil Spector.

    this film is at the top of my list though.

  3. Anna says:

    She’s a great actress and I can’t wait to see this film and her as Lois Lane with Henry Cavill.

  4. Esmom says:

    Love her. She seems normal and humble and professional, and appreciative of the opportunities Hollywood has given her. Refreshing attitude.

  5. NM6804 says:

    All I need is my Phoenix and my Hoffman and I’m happy. The fact that this film is getting nothing but positive buzz, is even better! I will not be dissapointed, can’t wait.

  6. marie says:

    I am so excited to see this movie, can’t wait!

  7. JulieM says:

    Yup, this one is on my “to see’ list. Great actors; Amy is one of my favorites.

  8. ronnie says:

    It’s just around the corner!!! Yay!!!!!

  9. ramona says:

    As a religion professor, I am pants-wettingly excited for this film. Pants-wettingly, I say.

  10. Jordan says:

    I can’t wait to see this movie!

  11. IzzyB says:

    This film managed to look electric just from the trailer.

    They made it look amazing while not giving away the plot and every action sequence in it, so very rare nowadays.

    I’m hooked 🙂

  12. Elle says:

    Every time this woman speaks I like her even more. Just a classy woman who seems to get even more attractive with age. Love to know her secret.

    Can’t wait to see her as Lois Lane. You can picture her as bring this honest, sincere woman that just steals Superman’s heart forever.