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Anna Faris describes generating resentment, not shaving

FINCHLEY DREAMS
(Photo courtesy of Melinda Sue Gordon)

Sacha Baron Cohen’s scandalous appearance on the red carpet where he “accidently” spilled the ashes of deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong Il skyrocketed the anticipation for the upcoming movie “The Dictator.”

The film, opening on May 16, shows the rise and fall of a dictator (Cohen) and his shenanigans as he comes to America in an effort to protect his own country from becoming democratic.

Anna Faris also stars in the film as Zoey, a generous hipster who plays opposite Cohen as his character tries to blend into the crazy streets of New York City.

Faris opened up in a conference call about her previous roles and the challenging, yet exciting set of “The Dictator.”

 

Q:   Working with the screenwriters Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer and Sacha Baron Cohen, would you say that the set was kind of loose and with lots of improvisation or was it kept to the script?

 

Anna Faris: No, it was very, very loose. It was unlike pretty much any filming process I had ever gone through before, and you really didn’t know where the scene was going to go.

We would do the scripted version a couple of times, and then the writers and Sacha would collaborate.  And then, next thing you know, you would be headed in a completely different direction.

It forced you to really stay on your toes, which was hard, but an exciting challenge for an actor. In a scene like where he was supposed to be charmed by me, he would suddenly be threatening to kill me, so it was in a sense that you just sort of roll with the punches, literally.

 

Q: How does your character in “The Dictator” differ from past characters that you’ve played?

 

AF: She has a great heart, and I’ve played a lot of characters that have great intentions and are kind people.  She’s smarter and passionately naïve. She’s very idealistic to a fault, and I think it’s so easy for people to take advantage of her.

She definitely has some qualities that some of my other characters have had in the past, you know, that naïveté that I tend to play a lot. I’m starting to think that I’m just really naïve in real life.

 

Q:  Did you have any reservations about taking this role?

 

AF: I feel like I’ve been a part of so many offensive comedies that I’m a little numb to it. Every time I take a role I worry about my mom and what she’s going to think because she’s pretty conservative, and she always wants me to play roles like Amelia Earhart.

One day during shooting, Sacha mentioned that he had some “fatwas” against him and others that are really upset with him for “Borat” and “Bruno,” and they’re somehow going to take revenge. Then it occurred to me — this could potentially be a dangerous project to be a part of.  But so far, I’m still here.

 

Q: What is the strangest thing a role required you to do?

 

AF: For “The Dictator” I had to grow out my armpit hair, which was a new experience for me. They asked me if I would do it because they said they could glue some hair on me. I said, “No, no, no, I’ll totally do it.  I don’t care.”

It was dark and thick, and it defined my whole summer. No tank tops, no swimsuits. I couldn’t hail a cab. I would always, if I’d had a drink or two, lift my shirt and show off my armpit hair, and it made people gag.  It was amazing.

 

Q: What message do you think the audience will take away from the film?

 

AF: I think that comedy can be so personal. People will really love all the raunchy teenager humor and really embrace that. I think other people will enjoy sort of the critical political messages.

The main reason to make a movie like this is so people have a really good time.  As lofty as our goals are, I think the main goal is to universally offend.

 

Reach the reporter at mkthomp5@asu.edu

 

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