An Interview with Femme Fatale Ali Larter

When you first read the script, what immediately attracted you to this character?
AL: The first thing that attracted me was the idea of, you know, getting a chance to play a femme fatale. The movies that I loved were Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity, Rita Hayworth in Gilda, the real classic femme fatals are one of the reasons I always wanted to get into this business. And this movie is really a kiss more to that kind of sexy thriller genre of Rebecca De Mornay in Hand that Rocks the Cradle, and Fatal Attraction. So, you know, getting the chance to play that really delicious, you know, female villain was my first draw.

Are you pleased with the outcome of the film, or is there anything you might change?
AL: You know what? One of the things as an actor that I learned from the beginning is that my part of the movie is to prepare the character and to go in and to give 150 percent every day. And then it goes into the editing process and the marketing process and how different people kind of put their points of view in. On the whole, I think this movie really delivers.

I saw that David Lowery, the writer, described Obsessed as a cautionary tale. What kind of message do you think Obsessed is trying to give the audience?
AL: This movie is in the vein of those kind of really fun genre, sexy thrillers like Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Fatal Attraction, Single White Female. I think this is more of a modern take on it because we take it into an office.

. . . I think that that’s what’s interesting. I mean, people go to work, and they spend more time with their coworkers at the office sometimes than they do with their family, so it kind of draws on those fears I think that live in some of us about what’s really happening when they leave the house and go into that office.

How does this role compare to some of the others you’ve taken?
AL: Well, you know, I’m usually the one beating people up, so this movie really humbled me a little bit. I had to take one for the team . . . for me, it was really just kind of interesting to figure out the complexities of her and what makes her tick.

What kind of research did you do for the role?
AL:Well, for me, it was like, you know, I had a lot of discussions with the producers of figuring out why she does what she does and making sure that this character was really believable, that you could understand her point of view, and why she does the things that she does. The movie on the whole to me, it’s an imaginary office romance that ends up having disastrous consequences, and we try to examine the different points of view of the different people involved.

I was wondering if you have any obsessions of your own.
AL: Obsessions, lots of them. I love Wheaton Terriers. I love to cook. I love to watch old movies. You know, for me it’s like what am I obsessed with? I’m obsessed with just trying to live every moment to the fullest.

This interview was a conference call with questions voiced by a variety of organizations.