TRON star Olivia Wilde: Playing a warrior ninja didn't come naturally
15 décembre 2010
par Elaine Lipworth
Actress Olivia Wilde, 26, is best known for her role as Remy ‘Thirteen’ Hadley in the hit US TV series House. She appeared with Jack Black in Year One and will play Justin Timberlake’s mother in the sci-fi movie Now. She stars as Quorra in TRON: Legacy.
How
physical was the role of Quorra?
I had to fight a bunch of villains wearing a rubber suit with 4in heels,
a battery pack on my back and two weapons. We’re talking about 15 hours
of non-stop fighting, doing roundhouse kicks, holding off several
characters at once and having to keep my energy and stamina up all
night. It was a big challenge. Quorra is a warrior ninja. I really
wanted her to be like a cat, really strong and nimble, and that is
certainly not my natural state. So it was hard. I was still shooting
House while we were prepping for the movie, so I would be a doctor by
day and a martial artist by night.
What was it like when you started working on House with Hugh Laurie?
I was really intimidated. I didn’t know what to expect. I thought, what
if he is a nihilistic, grumpy man? But he couldn’t be gentler or nicer.
People think he’s going to be like House and he’s not at all, he
couldn’t be further from that character. On day one, I realised he is an
absolute pleasure. We go to dinner and hang out. He is so funny and a
very brilliant person.
Why did you change your surname from Cockburn?
It’s not a renunciation of my parents, God, no. I go around bragging
about my incredible family. But I wanted a pen name and I was inspired
by Oscar Wilde as someone who never compromised his identity even in the
face of persecution. And, of course, he is a fellow Irishman.
Is it true your husband comes from Italian royalty?
My husband’s father was a prince. He was also an incredible poet. He was
friends with Salvador Dalí – a part of that community of artists and
amazing people. I’d always secretly wanted to be Italian so marrying Tao
was my way of slipping into having an Italian heritage. They have a
castle from the 15th century. Tao and I connected because we are both
half European. I love going to Italy, what’s better than the Amalfi
coast? Nothing. We eat, swim, ride around on a little Motorino – all the
things that make Italy the best place on Earth.
What was it like growing up with intellectual and artistic parents?
Because my parents were well-known journalists, our house in Georgetown,
in Washington DC, was always full of artists, intellectuals and
politicians. We had an extraordinary long table in our dining room that
was always packed with people. There was always someone new at the
dinner table. Mick Jagger is a friend of my parents and came to the
house when he was touring. He was sitting in what was usually my seat at
the dinner table. I came downstairs not caring who this person was and
demanded that he vacate my seat. I was five and I actually told him to
get out of my chair. He just looked me and said ‘go to bed’ in a very
sweet way. I knew from the way everyone at the dinner table reacted that
there was something special about this guy. Everyone was laughing.
What do you like to spend your money on?
I would rather take ten people out to dinner than buy an expensive
outfit. I went to cooking school when I was 12 in Ireland. I love
cooking and going out to dinner. My friends say: ‘Olivia, you are so
willing to spend money on food but you are so cheap when it comes to
buying yourself treats.’ An extravagant dinner brings me more happiness
than a new pair of shoes.
How important is charity work to you?
I spend 50 per cent of my time doing charity work with Artists for Peace
and Justice, which does a lot of work in Haiti. It’s incredible what
$100 can do in Haiti. The great thing about earning more money is that I
get to give more away.
Traduction par Jujualias
Source: http://www.metro.co.uk