|
|
movie news
|
Thu. 12 06. 2007 3:45 PM EST
5 Questions: Ellen Page
The star of quirky teen pregnancy film Juno dishes frank dirt on why John Hughes makes her squirm and how much she loves the Moldy Peaches.
by
Jeff Wilser
(
Fox Searchlight
)
Look out. The next It Girl just arrived. Like her predecessors Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley, Canadian actress
Ellen Page is a hot bundle of charm, talent and intellectual complexity. Her character in Juno will go down as a cult classic: a feisty, pregnant teenager who shatters every teenage cliché. And after dazzling critics with Hard Candy and An American Crime, you'll be seeing a lot more of her. The rising starlet gives VH1 the lowdown on her favorite bands, gossip, and why The Breakfast Club makes her want to stab a fork in her eye.
VH1: Juno's witty as hell. Are you that quick on your feet?
Ellen Page: Maybe not as consistently. I have a lot of "Milk Duds," as my friends and I call them. Milk Duds, to us, are one of those candies where we're like, "who eats Milk Duds?"--sorry if you like Milk Duds--so when someone tries to be funny and it doesn't work, we go, "Miiiiilllk Duuuddds." [Laughs] As much as Juno's kind of witty and has elements of intelligence and maturity, she can also be extremely naïve and arrogant. And there are definitely aspects of that in me.
VH1: The film has a killer soundtrack. Did you pick some of the music? What else do you like?
EP: The whole '70s punk aspect was already in the script. Which was great, because I like that kind of music. In one of the first times I met [director] Jason Reitman, he asked me what music Juno would listen to. I said the Moldy Peaches. He hadn't heard them, so I played them for him. He loved them. And I'm a massive Patty Smith fan. I'm a massive Cat Power fan. I love Radiohead--I love the new album. Bands will just keep hitting me in the brain. I can go on and on and on.
VH1: You play great characters, but female roles are often under-written. Does that piss you off?
EP: I can't even tell you how mad that makes me. It makes me want a stab a fork in my eye. The Breakfast Club really bothers me. You know what's funny? I don't have a TV in my house. So when I'm in a hotel I'm like television! And last night, literally, The Breakfast Club was on. This is an iconic movie, and the coolest character--Ally Sheedy, who's awesome, who I love in High Art, who I think is wicked--she goes from being this interesting, quirky girl, to being made "hot," just so she can f*cking make out with Emilio Estevez? I mean, give me a break.
VH1: So no TV? Really? Are you a big reader then?
EP: I don't mean to say [not having a TV] as "Oh, look at me!" It's just truly not something I'm big on. And if I like a show I'll buy it on DVD. Yeah, I'm a big reader. For fiction, I'm a big Murakami fan. Probably my favorite books are Steppenwolf . . . and pretty much anything I've read by Murakami. I went through a big Vonnegut phase. Right now I've been reading non-fiction a lot. The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram is incredible--it's one of the best books I've ever read.
VH1: There's already buzz of you being the next It Girl. That means celebrity, tabloids and gossip. Are you excited? Worried?
EP: Yeah, that's weird. I'm excited because I love to act, and when all of this happens, it just means you'll have more control and more choice. Do I get a little overwhelmed at times? For sure. As far as losing an element of privacy, I think because of my interests and my general life, I don't think it could get too out of control. I find [tabloids] ridiculous. I find it ridiculous that celebrities go through really tough situations with pain, and no one offers any compassion. Everyone sits around and judges. A lot of girls my age party a hell of a lot. And they didn't have their face splattered on tabloids every friggin' day.
|
|
|
