Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman talks to Parade.com about her revealing role in the new movie Georgia Rule and addresses the rumors about life on the set with co-star Lindsay Lohan. The interview was conducted by Jeanne Wolf.
PARADE.COM: Here’s a deep thespian question: If you hadn’t done Desperate Housewives, would you be as comfortable flaunting your underwear in this movie?
FELICITY HUFFMAN: Oh, god. I have never been in my underwear in Desperate Housewives. Never. But I was completely naked in Transamerica. And I’ve been naked in the theater a lot. (I can feel my publicist going, “ Don’t say that!”) So was I comfortable? No. It’s horrible being in your underwear in front of a whole crew, as things are falling off you and blobbing around, but there you go. I wanted to wear a HAZMAT suit. They didn’t go for it.
P: Another rumor: You play a boozing mom, were they plying you with vodka and other spirits during the shoot?
FH: OK, it’s a little true. I was drunk a little bit of it, but not a lot. No, unfortunately. I wish I could have done it drunk. I’ve never tried acting drunk, but I’m sure, at some point, I will.
P: You mean you need to try acting drunk while you’re drunk?
FH: Yeah, and then you’ll have an interview about rehab. But anyway … This is derailing in a horrible way. Let’s get back to the movie. My character, Lily, is an alcoholic. And she has chosen to live in the state of denial as opposed to living in the state of Idaho. So that’s how she copes. And that’s how she anesthetizes herself to the fact that she’s estranged from her mother and she’s abandoning her daughter.
P: You and Lindsay play out the stormy side of the mother-daughter relationship. It’s the closest relationship in the world, but it’s like total friction, too.
FH: Yes, it’s the closest relationship and often times the most fraught with difficulty and miscommunication! This character was so abrasive to play that I didn’t have the wherewithal to step back and think of it as about me being a mother. I just kept thinking of it as my relationship with Lindsay Lohan.
P: Walking out of the movie, people were talking about deep subjects like child abuse, and they were also asking, “Is this the movie where Lindsay Lohan acted up?”
FH: Once people see the movie, God willing, the performances will eclipse any gossip. People always love gossip whether it’s true or not. To me, Lindsay was a complete and utter delight. The minute I met her I just loved her. She meets you with an open heart and wide-open eyes and gets right in there. She cares about the work. She throws herself in, 100 percent. I just adored her. She’s fantastic in the movie. It doesn’t get any better than what she did. Brilliant.
P: Desperate Housewives. I love how frank you’ve always been about your character. When other people say, “Oh, I couldn’t play this nutty woman,” you always say, “Oh yeah, I get what her problem is.”
FH: I’ve loved every year I’ve gotten to play Lynette. The first year, when she was a stay-at-home mom; the second year, when she went to work and tried to juggle home and family and work; and this third year, where she’s had to take over for her husband and is running a business and a family. Then recently, with this kind of love interest, who comes in and recognizes her as a sensual, sexy woman and not just a wife and a mother and a drudge. I think those situations are all very true. And people can relate to them.
P: So back to where we started: Does that mean we will finally see your underwear on Desperate Housewives?
FH: No, you’re not going to see my underwear on Desperate Housewives because it would not be pretty. I think we’re going to leave the underwear scenes to Eva and Teri. I think they handle them very well.
Georgia Rule opens in theaters Friday, May 11.
