Cheryl Hines interview

Following interviews with Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, here’s a yap with Waitress’s Cheryl Hines. Waitress is in cinemas now. Click here to watch the trailer.

What kind of woman is your character?
Cheryl Hines: I was very drawn to Becky, my character, because she’s funny and as the film goes on you get to see the other side of her and you discover that she’s a bit lonely and looking for a little bit of excitement in her life.

What drew you to the film?

I was drawn to the film because Adrienne wrote such a funny and moving script, it was true to life but also delightful and I was really passionate about the project from the start. I thought she did such a good job not only creating these characters, but capturing the complexity of life and the choices that we make, the idea that life isn’t black and white.

What was the camaraderie like between the three waitresses, you, Adrienne and Keri?

We got along very well. We had a lot of fun together and Adrienne really wanted the audience to feel that friendship. So we spent some time getting to know each other, before we started shooting and it sort of carried on into the film.

Keri’s character creates wonderful pies with amazing names such as Kick in the Pants Pie. What would your signature pie be do you think?

Life’s A Joke! There would be chocolate and maybe some hot sauce just to throw people off.  It would be very spicy.

What in your view is the film all about?

It’s interesting what people take from this film. I loved that it captures the comedy of life and the tragedy of life at the same time. Life’s not one thing or the other, it’s not always funny and it’s not always sad. If I had to say what the theme of this film is, I think it’s about finding your inner strength and knowing that you can do whatever you want to do, you can make changes in your life, no one is truly, truly stuck. You have choices.  You can walk down a different path.

Were you aware that the film was special while you were filming?

When I first read the script, I felt it was extraordinary. Then when we started shooting it, I enjoyed it, but it’s really hard to know what something will end up looking like, because you do not see everything, you are focusing on your own work. I didn’t know anything about the scenes that Jeremy Sisto or Nathan Fillion were shooting with Keri, because I wasn’t in any of their scenes. So all I really knew was what we were shooting and I knew we were having a good time doing it. I had no idea what the final product would be like and I was overwhelmed by it when I did finally see the whole film.

What was it like working with a director who not only wrote the script but is acting with you too?

It was exciting working with Adrienne. Because she wrote the script, she knew exactly what she wanted from the characters and from the actors. Everything in that movie was because of Adrienne, the colours, the design, the style and tone, were all choices that she made. It was inspirational working with her.

Was it ever difficult, for example, if she wanted to watch the monitor between takes?

I was never put off by that. When I work on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David runs the show and stars, so I suppose I’m used to someone who’s got a point of view and wants it seen through their own eyes and their vision and I respect that and appreciate it.

How did you deal with the terrible tragedy of Adrienne’s death when she was killed last year? She never got to know how much audiences are loving her film?

I felt very confused and it did seem unbelievable to me. Adrienne and I connected on a lot of levels, but we both have daughters the same age and we spent a lot of time talking about our love affairs with our daughters. So as a mother, it really did not make sense and it still doesn’t. It’s difficult to say how I deal with it.  It’s like losing anybody in your life, it’s not predictable, and you can’t predict when you’re going to think about it or think about that person. You can’t predict how you’re going to feel tomorrow.  You hold onto all the memories you have and you are angry with yourself for not remembering more. We never know when we will be seeing someone for the last time and we should go through life realising that everyday, and appreciating everyone, but we don’t.

When you think of Adrienne making this movie, was there one moment that particularly reminds you of her?

Adrienne plays the role of Dawn in the film, she gets married and she’s got on her wedding dress and one day when we were shooting in a little cafe, Andy Griffith was there, Keri was there and we were having a great time.  But it was also stressful because we were on a budget, shooting the movie in 20 days, we were concerned about losing the light, the location, everything. And I just remember Adrienne shooting her scene, then running back to the monitor in her wedding gown, and then she’d come out, give people notes while still in her wedding dress, and then go and do her scene again. She was amazing and funny and so engaging.

Posted by Thin White Duke