Stockard Channing

Finding the right actress to play Julie Styron was surprisingly straightforward. In order to find an actress capable of harnessing the range of the character -- from the shrewd executive who has fought tooth and nail to advance herself to the career woman who is acutely aware of her vulnerability to the whims of corporate favor -- the filmmakers had only to consider the depth and breadth of the accomplished Stockard Channing. The filmmakers sent the script to Channing and were delighted when she responded with enthusiasm. Writer/director Stettner flew to Arizona to meet with the actress on the set of another film. In discussing the film, the filmmaker and the actress found they were in complete agreement on how to approach the pivotal role.

Says Stettner, "I was very concerned about avoiding the stereotypes of businesswomen as being overly controlling and uptight, on their phones screaming. I wanted to capture that aspect to an extent, but realistically, not as a caricature. I wanted to provide a back-story as to why their lives are like that. Stockard brings an intelligence to every role she accepts, and there was something about the role that really spoke to her. She felt she knew a lot of people like this. In talking about the film, Stockard and I were very specific about the fact that Julie has chosen this path in her life and that is why she has become the person we see in the film. We had a silent pact about the character; we both really wanted to honor her and the choices she'd made in her life."

Meeting Stettner was the deciding factor for Channing. Intrigued by what promised to be a very unusual film, the actress was even more taken with the director's intelligence and daring. Says Channing, "The story was really kind of peculiar and very interesting. In some ways, it was almost like an experiment for me; I wanted to see how we would pull it off. More importantly, I was taken with the short film that Patrick had done. I am also very much aware of the fact that there are a lot of really good, worthy independent films that don't find a distributor, and I felt Patrick was really special."

On the story, Channing adds, "I think it's such an interesting angle to take on today's reality and how out of touch with the fruits of their labor -- in a Marxist sense -- people are, especially this type of executive. The world they occupy is so prefabricated, an artificial environment; it's removed from any authentic sense of reality. They spend so much time on the plane, in these impersonal hotel rooms; they rarely breathe fresh air.

When Julie gets what is supposed to be good news, she spirals out of control for a few hours, really. That's one of the things that appealed to me because it was such an unusual way to approach the story, yet it taps into an aspect of human nature that I find to be true, male or female. When you've sacrificed too much or worked too hard for something, once you've achieved it, you sometimes, in the process, have lost the very ability to taste it, let alone to savor it. It's a story about a woman who stops to look at what has she given up for a hollow victory that finds her in a tacky airport hotel in the middle of nowhere."

Channing was also drawn to the story's provocative ambiguity. Says Channing, "It reminded me of French movies that I grew up with, where it didn't feel the need to explain itself at every turn and leaves it up to the viewer, unapologetically. There were strange shifts in the story that I like. There's a dreamlike quality to it, too, which is definitely reinforced by the scene in the airport at the end. After it's all done, it's almost as if [the evening] didn't happen, the way Nick lies about his recollection of the night, and the way that hints at whether Paula was truly mistaken or just manipulative in her own 'memory.' What was the nature of their revenge? Patrick makes the whole thing a little unsettling, yet there are many wry moments. I like that Patrick has a nice light touch with this stuff without being silly. In the end, we really don't know a whole lot about what's happened, and that's another thing I really liked about it: it's a bit of a Rorschach test that people will project onto."

Julia Stiles

Paula: I'm surprised. I thought you wanted to get caught. The excitement of being exposed and humiliated, maybe a little rough stuff. That's why we're here, isn't it?
Julie: We're here because you're a profoundly disturbed young woman.
Paula: Oh, please. If you were a man, you'd see a dominatrix twice a week. All CEOs have one, but you're a woman so you don't do things like that. We express issues of doubt and control differently. You do have them, don't you?

Once Channing committed to the project, the filmmakers found they had a formidable task before them. In casting the character of Paula, they had to find a young actress who could hold her own, opposite such a formidable presence. In considering the possibilities, the filmmakers were convinced that Julia Stiles was the only actress who could deliver the performance required of the role, matching Stockard's character stride for stride. Although Stiles was physically younger than the age they were casting -- she had just graduated from high school the year before she was cast -- the filmmakers were confident in the actress's uncanny composure and maturity in her craft.

Says Nathan, "Stockard has such a strong presence onscreen, she just absorbs the energy when the camera's on her. Our greatest fear was that any young woman who was onscreen with her that long would just look wilted by comparison. Obviously, that wouldn't work given the way the script was written; we needed to have a strong person who could actually threaten Stockard's character with credibility. Even though Julia is slightly younger [than we were looking for], she plays older. When Julia agreed to do it and we told Stockard, she had no reservations whatsoever. Everyone knows Julia's unbelievably strong."

Stiles was eager to participate in such an intimate piece. Says Stiles, "It was by far one of the best scripts I'd read in a really long time, and Patrick is such a talented filmmaker. His approach to storytelling is incredible, and he wanted to make the movie for all the same reasons that I did. Because the story is basically just the two characters and because it takes place in one night and pretty much in one location, it all comes down to getting inside their heads and exploring all the issues of control and trust. As an actress, that's what's really fun about making movies."

Stiles continues, "I liked the contrast between where Julie and Paula are in their lives; Stockard's character is looking back, while mine is looking forward. I think it's really poignant at the end when Julie realizes that she's not really sure of who she is anymore, beyond her job. Paula makes Julie realize that maybe she's made too many sacrifices."

In addition, Stiles was compelled by the script's layers of meaning. Notes Stiles, "I liked that the story is not anecdotal; you do sense sociopolitical questions being brought up. I think one of the things that appealed to me is the story brings up a lot of issues about female sexuality, control, double standards. We all agreed that it's personal and universal at the same time. What's really cool about the way that Patrick writes is he doesn't rely on irrelevant details. Does anyone really know what Julie is selling, and does it matter? A lot of the details need to be filled in, but because we leave it to the audience to figure out, they can project onto it whatever they want to."

As a young woman scheduled to enter Columbia as a freshman at the end of the summer, Stiles was sensitive to the issues that might arise from her character's inflammatory actions, especially the accusation Paula levels against Nick, however, Stiles's confidence in Stettner's even-handed storytelling reassured her.

Explains Stiles, "It's a really tricky thing, but when I first read the script I liked that it toys with you a little bit and challenges all the assumptions you might make about the baggage that goes with such an allegation. I was worried because I didn't want to be supporting or instigating any sort of Tawana Brawley scenario. If I made this movie and people misinterpreted Paula's actions and made assumptions about those sorts of accusations, I would be very upset with that. I thought really long and hard about the implications of what Paula does, but Patrick made a conscious effort to balance each of the characters, especially in making Nick's character unsavory enough that it almost becomes a moot point. Even still, one of the more challenging aspects of playing Paula was for me not to look at her as a typical villain. Because she's so evasive and you don't really know if she's telling the truth or not -- or even her intentions, for that matter -- it was important for me as an actress not to make up my mind about that, to believe everything I was saying as Paula," she laughs, "in almost a psycho way. Patrick and I agreed about this, which is why I was so impressed by him when we met."

Of her co-star, Channing says, "The combination of our two energies is very interesting. She's so incredibly self-possessed, poised and very unlike most girls her age. I thought she was just perfect, and we really worked to see if we could be the counterpoint to each other."

Paula: Well?
Julie: I don't know.
Paula: What do you mean, you don't know?
Julie: I'm not a fucking doctor -- it's slow.
Paula: You're so fucking dramatic. His pulse is fine. It's your pulse that's fast, you're a fucking head case. Take mine. [Julie feels her neck.]
Paula: Well?
Julie: Shh. My pulse is fast.

Frederick Weller

In rounding out the cast, the filmmakers then had the difficult task of casting the character on whom the story would hinge, Nick Harris, the corporate headhunter. In selecting an actor for the part, it was crucial to find an individual who could straddle the distinction between guileless and slithery. Viewing tapes from the casting call independently, the producers and the director unanimously decided on Frederick Weller.

Says Stettner, "We knew Fred was capable of capturing the conflicting qualities the character had to represent in order for the film to work. We all recognized that ability in him right away."

In casting Nick, the filmmakers also had the unenviable task of finding an actor who was up to the challenge of spending the majority of his time onscreen lying face down on a mattress in his underwear, essentially serving as a human scoreboard upon which Julie and Paula's increasingly hostile game of power is tallied. When Stettner approached Weller to play Nick, the director was explicit in outlining the less glamorous aspects of the role.

Says Stettner, "I was acutely aware of the fact that he would have to be incapacitated for a week! I just wanted to be completely direct with him about this; I didn't want there to be any issues. I told him he was going to be out cold, just a body... I wanted to make sure he was aware of that." Stettner chuckles, "I felt bad for him nonetheless! It's hard, when you're in your underwear, and two women are writing on you. It's very intense."

Stover comments, "Patrick was very insistent on making it plain what the role would require, and Fred was a very good sport; those were very long days! It takes a very secure actor to play a character subjected to that kind of humiliation. It could not have been easy."

Although she'd worked with Weller previously on Broadway on two occasions, Channing was still a little concerned with the intensity of the scene, which culminates with Julie sitting atop of the unconscious headhunter, scribbling furiously in a bizarre moment of passion.

Says Channing, "That was one of the things where I said, do I think I can do this? It's such a strange moment -- strange and sexual -- and I really did wonder whether I could build the bridge to get to it. It was quite difficult. Poor Freddie. He is such a great guy, with such a great sense of humor."

Weller, on the other hand, took shooting the pivotal scene in stride. Says Weller, "Patrick was very careful about that. In fact, my agent and I really didn't understand why Patrick wanted to talk to me about it beforehand, but he just wanted to make sure that everything would be cool. I never understood what the big deal was. It's a great project," Weller laughs, "maybe it's not ideal on the days where you just lie there and are written on, but if you like the story and you want to help tell the story, you just lie there and think of England, instead."