Brittany Murphy counts her blessings on appearing in Sin City
Brittany Murphy has absolutely no doubt that she was fortunate enough to be a part of cinematic history thanks to her role in Sin City.
Robert Rordriquez's ground breaking translation of Frank Miller's highly acclaimed series of graphic novels - with Miller serving as co-director - was, quite simply, the most vivid filmmaking experience she's ever had, says the young actress. "This is beautiful, stunning, original," she adds. "It transcends pushing the envelope."
The 27 year old native of Atlanta, Georgia is one of America's most sought after stars and she was delighted to get the chance to play Shellie, the waitress who works a bar in the toughest of neighbourhoods, Sin City's Old Town.
Brittany Murphy, who plays Shellie, has clocked up nearly 40 films in the fourteen years she's been acting professionally. She was highly praised for her performance in 8 Mile and the hit romantic comedy Little Black Book.
She starred opposite Ashton Kutcher in the romantic comedy Just Married and Uptown Girls with Dakota Fanning. Her other credits include the ensemble drama Sidewalks of New York, Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys and starring alongside Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted.
There's a big cast for Sin City but it sounds like a lot of the work for the actors was done in isolation.
That's true and to this day I've never met Bruce Willis. It's the art of green screen and Robert Rodriquez. We did one sequence in the bar and there was virtually everyone in the scene on the screen; Jessica dancing, I was serving a drink to Clive, Mickey Rourke, I had dialogue with Bruce, Nick Stahl, it's a big scene but I was the only actor on set..
You were the only one there?
Yeah. You would never think so by seeing the picture, it's amazing isn't it. It was done at about five in the morning in Austin, Texas.
Was there actually a set?
I think that was the only set in the entire film.
Your character is in all the segments..
Yes, that's right. My character has been working in the bar for a long time (laughs) because actually, some of the stories are meant to be a couple of years apart. I only know this because Frank Miller was on set.
Do you feel that this is ground breaking cinema?
It is. I feel privileged to be a part of this because I feel that I'm part of cinematic history and to be a tiny little part of cinematic history is an absolute privilege. I saw it a couple of days ago and I think it's wildly refreshing. People generally say everything has been done before and you know what, this hasn't. I'm very proud to be an American right now because it's coming out of American cinema which is very unexpected and unique. This film is a piece of artistic genius and will be taught and utilised in film classes twenty years from now, whether people realise it now or don't and I feel very grateful to have been part of it.
Why do you believe that?
For several different reasons. One because the technology is being utilised properly and two because it's not an adaptation of a comic book, it is a translation of mediums. There's a graphic novel that was then translated into a different medium and I think that's pretty incredible, if anything cinema was being adopted to the novel, not the novel adapted to the cinema. Also, I think that there hasn't been a modern day noir film until now - the dialogue itself is so revolutionary and inventive and original. And to be able to speak those lines as an actor is wonderful. My main segment reminded me of Howard Hawkes' To Have And Have Not, the first film with Bogey and Bacall and the dialogue was so beautiful and snappy as it goes back and forth and to have a modern day version of that mixed with other influences, is fantastic. I see Betty Boop, Blade Runner, so many parts of cinematic history, it's the past, the present and the future all coming together and that's very exciting.
What sort of briefing did Robert and Frank give you about the character?
Well, I performed the character before I was officially attached to the film - for Frank (Miller). Robert and I had wanted to work together and he thought of me as Shellie because of a frame that Frank drew that Robert called sassy and it reminded him of me. He called me and it all happened very quickly, I was thrilled to be thought of for this project and I refreshed my memory as regards to Shellie and what she looked like exactly and then read the dialogue and it was so much fun, you can read the dialogue in the bubbles or you can read them in a script form, it's great dialogue whichever way. And when I went in to see Frank that day I just thought 'well, I'm going to have a blast either way.' I was quite nervous and excited to meet Frank and my interpretation of her was the same as he had when he was writing it, which was very gratifying.
Did the violence in the material trouble you at all?
No, I thought a lot of it was very humorous - maybe you can call my sense of humour warped, mind you my mother was there as well and she was laughing too. But I thought a lot of it was very funny and if had been done literally it would be overwhelming to say the least, but because a lot of blood was shown in different colours other than red - yellow and white - I think because of those reasons, it actually worked out quite well. I mean, Robert does make violent films and so does Quentin (Tarantino) and Frank writes them - but it is rated R so it's up to people of the appropriate age to decide if they want to see it.
It's a very stylised world.
Yes it is. The way the women are depicted in the film I actually found quite feminist rather than misogynist. The women are all part of this partisan city called Old Town where really they are a pack of wolves (laughs) and they take care of one another, they are self sufficient. And the men, at least 80 per cent of them, get their come uppence. And there's lots of different ways to perceive it but that's what great cinema is all about, talking about it, arguing and people will either love it or hate or be offended by it or inspired by it.
Were you disturbed by the darkness of the piece at all?
Not even a bit. I find great humour in a lot of the darkness of Sin City. It has a great humour to Frank's writing. He writes with tremendous rhythm and it's delightful to speak and it has great depth. The dialogue felt nostalgic, a modern version that harked back to the thirties, forties and fifties. It reminded me of all those great noir films. I love that place and time in cinema so much.
Apparently Shellie is one of Frank Miller's favourite characters in Sin City..
Yes, I didn't know that when we were filming or maybe I didn't believe it. I love that she has a tough exterior, she works in Old Town and if you go back to the rest of his graphic novels that weren't filmed for this particular series he explains the history of Shellie and Jackie Boy and Dwight. Shellie is very vulnerable, she reminded me of a struggling Betty Boop, in a way, with so much heart and so much vulnerability and innocent. But she has this tough exterior and even though she is so loving she works in a very tough city where the girls control everything, but she is not a prostitute like the other girls.
It's a tough place to exist..
It's a joy (laughs). But I wouldn't want to live there forever but it was fun living there for a few days.
Is Frank Miller as dark and twisted as you might expect?
(laughs) He is such a gentle, kind man (laughs) very mild mannered and intelligent and witty. He's not showy at all. He's actually in the picture as the priest.
Was there a sense of excitement amongst the cast that you were making something that was pushing the envelope?
I've done about forty films now and twice I've felt chills that I was part of something that was going to be larger than life and that was during the battling sequence in 8 Mile and definitely every moment of this. This transcends pushing the envelope this is an adaptation of a comic book, a graphic novel to real life, it's just beautiful and stunning and original. And it's inspiring.
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