Jennifer Connelly has plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. The Academy Award-winning star of “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Hulk” has a new baby, a happy marriage (with actor Paul Bettany), and a place atop Hollywood’s A-List. In the tense drama “House Of Sand And Fog,” which co-stars Ben Kingsley and Ron Eldard, Connelly delivers what very well may be the finest performance of her career. She sat down recently with a group of reporters to discuss her latest film.
QUESTION: “House of Sand And Fog” is a dark and unsettling film. How did you feel after the first time you saw it?
JENNIFER CONNELLY: I felt like I’d been shaken, and I came out of the theater and thought that I just wanted to go home and see my family and hug my son. I felt so grateful for the things that I had. So I didn’t find it depressing, I found it to be a great reminder to be grateful for the things that we have.
Q: Your character, Kathy Nicolo, endures a great deal of suffering. Was it a difficult movie to make?
A: Making it was a wonderful experience for me, because I liked the movie. For me, grueling is working on a project that I’m not happy with. That sort of thing, I have a hard time with at the end of the day.
Q: How would you describe Kathy? A: Kathy is an outsider. She’s someone who’s been an addict. One of those fringe characters you sometime see on the side of the road.
Q: What would you say are the central themes of “House Of Sand And Fog?”
A: Intolerance. The fact that these characters don’t have much tolerance for one another. And then there’s a question of who’s entitled to live the American Dream, and what kind of citizens do they need to be.
Q: This film is considered a strong contender for several major awards. How much campaigning will you be doing, and are you comfortable with that aspect of the job?
A: We’re doing the press junkets, premieres and the talk shows that everyone does. I won’t be handing out pins with my picture on it. I won’t be handing out fliers — that would probably be a little bit tacky. I just go out and do it. I don’t really have any political feelings about it.
Q: Your resume is loaded with some pretty heavy fare. Ever think about doing comedy?
A: I’d love to do a comedy. I haven’t found one that I love, that they are also willing to entrust me with. When comedies are floating around, (studio execs) aren’t usually thinking, “Ooh, we need to get Jennifer Connelly. She’s at the top of the list.” But I’d love to do one, because I think it’s about time.
Q: How do you plan to spend this Christmas?
A: We want to go away skiing or something. We’re last-minute people, though, so we’ll see if that actually comes together.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 24, 2003. Read the original PDF.