Thursday, May 28, 1998
Staying afloat
FILM: After ‘Speed 2’ sunk, Sandra Bullock took her career into
her own hands,
as a producer
and an actress
who brings
life’s lessons
to the big screen
By Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
In 1994, behind the wheel of a runaway bus, Sandra Bullock sped
to stardom. The following year her star rose higher as she captured
our hearts and showed us her comedic abilities in "While You Were
Sleeping." But after that, things appeared to falter. The lowest of
the low seemed to come though when "Speed 2" crashed and burned at
the box office.
Was the boat going too slow?
"No. The boat sunk and it wasn’t supposed to," Bullock
laughs.
It’s exactly this ability to laugh at herself that shows her
unintimidating fearlessness. It’s also this self-effacing quality
that has Bullock labeled as the nicest person in Hollywood.
From beneath the rubble of difficulty, emerges Bullock’s latest
film, "Hope Floats," which opens Friday. The actress not only stars
but produces the movie, along with Lynda Obst and Mary McLaglen.
The film’s director, Forest Whitaker, will be on-campus today at
noon to discuss his latest adventure in filmmaking.
Looking cool and confident in a black, long-sleeved sweater,
Bullock settles down in the ballroom of the Pasadena Ritz Carlton
Hotel to talk about where the bus ride led her, the adversity that
came with it and the lessons learned.
"There’s a reason why I had to go through ‘Speed’ and deal with
what it was," Bullock reflects, chewing on some chocolate. It’s the
last of a round of interviews as the actress apologizes, "I hope
you don’t mind – my blood sugar just dropped out."
She continues, "There’s a reason I had to do certain things and
I would do them over again 100 percent. I would make ‘Speed 2’
again and deal with the failure, the experience."
Coming from a different Hollywood star, the answer could be seen
as another ready-made and easy excuse. But Bullock radiates
sincerity. She finds a special importance in the human experiences
in life.
"I was with some of my best friends. I was with Jason (Patric),
who is a great friend of mine and I adore him. Unfortunately, I
talked him into that film," Bullock’s humor seeping through. "The
reason I’d want to do another film together, a small film, because
technically nobody saw ‘Speed 2,’ so we didn’t really do it."
Bullock also says that she learned a lot from Patric. Being
around him taught her how to say "no," a tool that came in handy as
a producer.
In addition to the positives of working with Patric, Bullock
credits the filming of "Speed 2" with providing a wide array of
life experiences.
"I experienced things a hundred feet under the sea," Bullock
says. "I dove with sharks. I had sharks eating out of my hand,
things like that. What chance do you get to do this?
"I went out on the wing of a seaplane, wet dives at night," she
continues. "What things do you get to do like that? We’re jumping
off the side of a huge moving ship with nothing attached to me. Of
course, none of that ended up in the film, but it’s these types of
films you just come out of life going, ‘We had such a great time.’
And when would I have been able to experience that in life?"
While the filming might have been fun, other processes were
difficult for Bullock. She points out that all films have
restrictions imposed upon them.
"Every director is under constraints, when you have a $40
million budget, absolutely," Bullock says. "There’s a studio
constraint. But Richard Attenborough is who he is because of the
films that he makes, and I felt that I let him down in a lot of
ways, because of the baggage that I brought to (‘In Love and
War’)."
Similarly, Bullock felt responsible for the results of "Two If
By Sea."
"Unfortunately, there was a company involved that all of a
sudden with a poor director wanted to make it ‘While You Were
Sleeping’ because ‘While You Were Sleeping’ just (came) out,"
Bullock remembers. "So they made him go back into the editing room
basically and while we’re seeing him cut it … watch Denis Leary’s
little baby fall to pieces. So I felt to blame for that.
"You know, ‘In Love and War,’ Richard Attenborough, we all sat
there and watched people be afraid of the real truth about what
this time was about," Bullock also recalls. "Try to make it clean
and commercial. So that’s why I said, ‘You know what? If I’m in
there producing I can at least stand behind the director and say,
"No. You’re going to keep it the way it should be."’"
So that’s what Bullock did. After making her writing, producing
and directing debut with "Making Sandwiches," which she starred in
with Matthew McConaughey, Bullock was all set for her next feature
film producing project.
"I’m crazy about Sandy, as you can probably tell," beams
Bullock’s "Hope Floats" producing partner Obst. "First of all, she
is who you think she is and then some. She’s a worker. That’s the
unexpected thing. Very often when actresses want to be producers,
they’re producers on their own behalf, to represent their own
self-interest – because, as in ‘Speed 2,’ their self-interest was
inadequately represented.
"As much as her original motive might have been a degree of
self-protection, she ultimately became my true partner in making
this film in every way," Obst continues. "She sat through
three-hour production meetings, understood the nuts and bolts. I’ve
never seen anything like this. Sat through nuts and bolts meetings
about how the trucks have to get to what location on time and when
the cranes have to show up and how much the cranes cost."
"Hope Floats" marks another notch in Bullock’s career, as this
is what the actress views as her first real grown-up role. Bullock
plays ex-beauty queen Birdee Pruitt, who must rebuild her life
after discovering her husband’s infidelity on a national talk show.
But the film is as much about parent-child relations as it is about
resilience and finding oneself.
"You know, you spend your life running away from your parents
going, ‘I’m not like my mother. I’m not like my father,’" Bullock
says. "You are exactly like your mother and father. But just take
the good stuff. Looking at your parents as human beings rather than
parental units is a huge leap. Once you can say, ‘Shut up. This is
my job. And you are here on my set. Now you just be quiet.’ And now
they go, ‘Oh, up yours.’ And I’m like, ‘All right!’ To be able to
have that conversation with your parents as friends is such a great
joy."
Like Lucy Moderatz of "While You Were Sleeping," Birdee Pruitt
has a certain vulnerability. Audiences seem to like Bullock in
these types of roles.
And when asked, "Why do you think audiences want to see you
…"
"Naked?" Bullock cuts off. "I don’t know."
Then after her bout of laughter, she answers, "Well, you know, I
relate to that very easily. I find myself migrating toward scripts
that are like that, because it gives you something to work or
place. I wasn’t raised in a place where I was on top of the hill
the whole time of my life. I still don’t feel that place. I always
feel very much the underdog. I’ve never felt like I conquered
anything in my life. So therefore, when I read stuff, I
automatically associate myself and identify with it very much."
She also feels that general movie goers like to see characters
"make an arc" and "travel some place."
"That’s why they also want to see the beauty queen knocked
down," Bullock explains.
"That’s why when somebody is really liked in the business and
built up, you get them there so you can take a good old bat and
knock them right back down. Don’t get too full of yourself."
Despite being both pumped up and knocked down by the powers that
be, Bullock has managed to stay grounded.
"I think it’s because (success) happened to me later," the
thirty-something Bullock reflects. "I didn’t get all of this stuff
when I was like 14, 15, 16, 17. I didn’t do it to get validated.
Whatever it is, if I have to go back to waiting tables, I’m already
planning for that."
In fact, Bullock insists that she would rather be an architect
than an actress. She has recently been decorating a newly acquired
cottage in Texas. But Bullock, whom Obst calls an extraordinary
party giver, says she can also see herself running a diner or being
a hostess or matron of a restaurant.
"Waitressing is something I do well – but not just waitressing,
it’s hosting a good time," Bullock admits. "I’m not afraid of what
happens if I fail, because I liked what I did before I got this
stuff. I don’t know. I mean I had my bad days. I can be a bitch. I
can be hard. Because when you’re producing you say, ‘No.’ And I
learned how to say, ‘No.’ And it doesn’t mean that people like you
less, which is my fear too."
Now that Bullock’s gotten used to saying, "No," there seems to
be one slight problem.
"I can’t stop. I keep calling them with ideas and recommending
something." the actress laughs. "I’m like, ‘Stop it. Stop it.’ But
you can’t not be involved, but this is a pure joy one that will
just be a ride and insanely funny. But I can’t stop. That’s my
problem. I can’t not pick up the phone and I know they’re like,
‘Oh, Sandy’s on the phone again."
She is referring to "Practical Magic," with Nicole Kidman, in
which Bullock’s involvement is solely as an actor. She is also set
to star opposite Ben Affleck in "Forces of Nature" and to provide
the voice for Miriam in the animated feature "Prince of Egypt."
Other than that, Bullock works on her newly formed production
company, Fortis films, which the actress launched to help
up-and-coming filmmakers.
"I don’t make any choices because of a professional end result.
I don’t choose a role or choose a type of film because I know it’s
a sure thing at the box office, obviously," Bullock says, flashing
a goofy grin.
"I actually like it when they’re not in a weird way. Nothing I
chose is for professional reasons at all. And maybe that’ll be a
huge mistake, but I really think it would be a huge mistake if I
geared every choice I make for a professional end result rather
than what happens to suit me right at that point."
FILM: "Hope Floats" opens Friday. Director Forest Whitaker will
be in Ackerman Grand Ballroom today at noon for a Q&A
session.
20th Century Fox
Director Forrest Whitaker with actor/executive producer Sandra
Bullock on the set of "Hope Floats."