The Daily recently spoke with Ali Larter from NBC's "Heroes" about her upcoming film "Obsessed," co-starring Idris Elba and Beyoncé Knowles and directed by Steve Shill. The thriller, which will be released on April 24, follows a successful asset manager, Derek (played by Elba), who has just received a big promotion and is blissfully married to Sharon (Knowles). However, a beautiful temp, Lisa, played by Larter, falls head-over-heels in love with Derek and takes her feelings a little too far. Driven by her obsession, Lisa becomes willing to do anything necessary to be with Derek.
Question: When you first read the script, what attracted you to the character?
Ali Larter: Getting the chance to play a femme fatale. I've always wanted to get to play a real classic femme fatale. The film is a kiss to the sexy thriller drama like "Single White Female" (1992) and "Fatal Attraction" (1987). I knew that I was getting the chance to play a female villain, which I just love. The other actors on the film were great also; Beyoncé is such an incredible talent.
Q: What kind of research did you do for the role?
AL: Really, it was just discussion with the producers. We talked about why she does what she does. We really just wanted to make sure the character was believable, because she really does go down a path of delusions. We had to make the audience believe that she believed she was being rational. You know, I take the movie seriously, but [I don't] take myself too seriously. I had a lot of fun creating this character.
Q: How does this role compare to the other roles you've done?
AL: I am usually the one that does the beating up. This character, though, she has interesting complexities in her ... The movie is colorblind, also. Not once is race mentioned, and I think that's great.
Q: For this movie, you have a fight scene with Beyoncé. What kind of training did you have to do for that?
AL: We do a lot of fighting on "Heroes." We start off getting the best stunt doubles we can find, and I have an amazing girl that I work with. For this film, we spent a week breaking it down, and it was really fun. We kind of made sure there was joy in it. Watching Beyoncé charge me was really one of my favorite moments. We tried to make the scene so that it was believable and not have it fall into clichés.
Q: What did you find to be the most difficult aspect of your character?
AL: Well, I was shooting "Heroes" at the same time. For a while, I was shooting seven days a week, 12 hours at a time, and I would have to be switching back and forth between the characters. It was a very trying time. I was so excited to play a classic femme fatale, but she is really a character that is completely delusional. We wanted to make the audience feel for this girl, which was tough. For her, it was really only about love.
Q: You mentioned you were filming the movie and "Heroes" at the same time. How difficult was that?
AL: You never work out a normal schedule with this business. I got the opportunity to shoot this movie, and I really wanted to do it. I love playing these dark, sort of complex women. We were shooting four to five days a week on the film, and "Heroes" was three. I was so tired that it sometimes actually fed into the delusion. I know the character that I'm playing on "Heroes" so well and for the movie, for me, the stakes were just higher.
Q: David Loughery describes "Obsessed" as a cautionary tale. Do you feel the same way?
AL: I think that this is more of a modern take of those femme fatale stories. It is about all of those things, but it is also about technology and the new ways you can have an affair. Is it inappropriate to e-mail? Is it inappropriate to iChat? ... There is a different type of new intimacy that this film definitely explores.
Q: You've kind of captured the geek audience. They, and we, love you. You're on "Heroes" and you were in "Resident Evil: Extinction" (2007). In this film, there's no supernatural: It's just you.
AL: I don't look at a movie and go, 'Oh this is going to open No. 1.' This movie is really a kiss to the sexy thriller. This was a chance to indulge myself and play this really delicious, dark character. What makes this woman do what she does? I hope that people see the fun that we had and really savor in the deliciousness of it. This movie really is entertainment, and I hope people get that.
Q: Do you have any obsessions? Or have you been on the receiving end of any obsession?
AL: Maybe not now, but when I was younger. You'll sit by the phone all night long just waiting for the guy to call you. If I could have willed that phone to ring, I would have ... "Obsession" is the stories you tell yourself. The key to this character is that she takes it too far. My obsessions, though? Wheaten terriers, watching old movies and trying to live every moment to the fullest.
Q: Ten years ago, you were in "Varsity Blues" (1999) with all the whipped cream and all of that. Judging from the trailer, you're similarly clothed. Is it tougher now to get in shape?
AL: Well, you tell me what you think. Do I look good? I love playing sexy characters.
Q: What are you working on right now?
AL: I'm about to start a movie with Ed Burns. [My character is] not a femme fatale. Well, actually, she kind of is. I just love intense women. I love strong women. I love women who go after what they want. There's a free-spirited nature that I really am just drawn to. I would actually love to do a comedy. I would love to laugh. When you're on the set of movies like this, we're having a blast, but there are days where there is an intense altercation. These are really difficult scenes to do, and they're painful. I think I'm ready to lighten up a bit. Give me a little romance. Give me a little lightness.
