| Carrie-Anne Moss has played tough cookies in the Matrix trilogies and films like Memento. Her character in Suspect Zero is no less tough, an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer. But she’s not the lead, her character is not the central investigator, and in fact her role is simply to question the hero on his unorthodox investigation.
“I was really thrilled to be there to be with Aaron to execute his journey,” Moss said. “I felt it was about him. Then it really became about me supporting Aaron’s journey, his character’s journey. It never felt like it was about me and what I wanted to do because it’s not that kind of part. I was really there to support.”
Part of the way Moss impacts Eckhart is that their characters have had a relationship prior to the movie’s beginning. However, Moss did not go too far into that back story. “I could have a totally different story than Aaron has. I could have that. It’s not really that important, I think, as long as people have strong points of view. We talked a little bit about it, definitely felt that we definitely had had a relationship and were, I think, in love with one another and I think that my character, Fran Kulok, is able to separate her work from her life and he’s not. And so he’s a very dangerous guy for her to be in love with. But I think the love was definitely very strong and that was one of those situations where somebody that you love is just not right for you, but you still love them.”
Though the film is a dark serial killer genre, the set was full of levity. “Aaron made me laugh so hard. That guy is so funny. He has a sense of humor that I really love. I just loved working with him. I think he’s such a talented actor.”
Ben Kingsley plays an even dark role than Eckhart’s tortured FBI agent. Kingsley is the serial killer, but Moss found him personally engaging. “For me, working is really about the people that I work with and the talks that I have in between shooting. I love that. My favorite thing to do is to sit in a chair on the set when you’re waiting and just shoot the sh*t with people and get to know them. And to be sitting next to Sir Ben Kingsley and talking to him about family and life and food and babies and traveling, I mean, to me that’s just awesome. I enjoyed that so much. He’s a great human being.”
Fans of Moss need not lament the typecasting that has kept her playing strong, often aggressive women. Moss herself appreciates the position she holds in the film industry.
“I’m pretty thrilled by the jobs that I’m getting offered. I feel very lucky to have the career that I have. I mean, I get asked that question a lot because I tend to play strong characters and people just assume that I would want to play romantic comedies which I would love to do. It would be lovely to do it, but there are other women that do it so great and they maybe couldn’t do what I do, play the kind of characters that I play. Although I think that it would be interesting to see us all play all kinds of characters, it doesn’t always happen that way. And I don’t have any huge desire to show you all that I’m not tough and strong, that I’m all feminine and soft. That’s not a huge longing that I have because I know who I am. It’s my job.”
Moss says this public persona emerged long ago. “I remember being in acting class years ago and my acting teacher saying to me, ‘You have an ability to play really strong women, but you’re also very vulnerable. And so it’s a really interesting combination that not everyone has.’ And I was like, ‘Oh maybe that’s my thing. Maybe I should work on that thing.’ And it was interesting when I kind of accepted that what I was good at wasn’t necessarily who I am as a person, because believe me, inside I’m Julia Roberts. But as an actor, I’m something different because of the way that I look and something about me is different. So I really kind of embraced who I was and how people saw me. Ever since I was quite young, people always thought I was very serious and maybe a little bitchy and all these little things that I’d be like why? I’m not like that at all. But people have an impression about people because of sometimes the way that they just come across, not necessarily who you are inside. So I feel pretty lucky that I am working at all. My God, especially with all of the reality television that’s going on right now. This business for actors is so hard. I just thank my lucky stars that I make a living as an actor, that I am able to do a job where I can have children and I can take breaks and it’s not like the be all end all for me to go out and prove that I can play everything.”
See Carrie-Anne Moss in Suspect Zero on August 27.
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