Celebrity: Cameron Diaz

Interview 1: Mr. Showbiz interview with Cameron Diaz

"That wedding dress was thirty pounds of tulle. It took about five people to transport me from one place to the next."

My Best Friend's Wedding is the biggest movie you've been in, isn't it?
Yeah, but moviemaking is moviemaking. It's all the same. When the budget's larger, the amenities are nicer. You have a bigger trailer and better catering.

Do you think My Best Friend's Wedding is going to change things for you career-wise?

You started out with The Mask and people didn't think of you as an actress, and now people do. It's nice. I hope with all the work and the love that went into making this movie, that people really enjoy watching it and get something from it. That's what you hope for. What that does for your career is, ultimately, not up to you. I just hope that audiences enjoy it. I heard that after the film was tested, audiences wanted to see your character show more spine and a scene was reshot. There was a scene we had problems with--the one in the bathroom. I knew it wasn't right when we were rehearsing it. It just felt like Kimmy had to be more [assertive]; there had to be some sort of confrontation. I'm not a writer, so I couldn't do it. [Laughs.] So we talked, and we all agreed that we had to show that she's not a victim. We couldn't have her crying and Julia's character lying again. She had to stand up for herself. But nothing felt right about the scene we shot initially--it was my lst day and I was out on a plane the next moring--so I was really happy when I heard we had a new scene. It was what all of us felt needed to happen. It was just a sigh of relief that we got it.

What about the karaoke scene? Can you really carry a tune?

That's as close as I get. I mean, I'm sure that I can hit one note here and there. But not enough to string together to be called singing.

Did the director, P.J. Hogan, keep telling you to make it worse?

Yeah. There were a few times when he'd say, "That sounded good, Cameron. Now change it." They would get angry with me if it sounded remotely like a tune.

Were those extras in the club?
They were all extras. I mean, they had to pay all those people there. I think they boosted the extra rate for that performance.

So you're not on the soundtrack?
I made P.J. promise I wasn't on the soundtrack. He said, "Oh yes, it's going to be big, big, big! You're going to be a star! It's going to be on every radio!" I said, "P.J. I swear to God, if you even . . . "

Was that your toughest scene for this movie?
I was terrified. Terrified. I was hoping I could be as consistently horrible as possible so that it could end soon. That was definitely a hurdle that needed to be jumped. There were a lot of difficult scenes in this film. Because I tell you, acting with so many people around was a new experience for me. It was the first time I'd sat in a room of fifty extras and had to cry. It's much different. It was an experience.

What about the wedding dress? Was that comfortable to wear, or did you have to endure it for days?

That wedding dress was made for me and it was, I mean, it was thirty pounds of tulle. It took about five people to transport me from one place to the next in that dress. There were two pieces to the train: there was this sort of ballgown-y Cinderella skirt and then there was this thirty-foot train with big bustles and everything. This was amazing, this dress. Unbelievable. But I was happy when I could get out of it.

Could you eat or go to the bathroom or anything?
It was one of those things where I had to let everybody--well, when you're making films you have to let everybody know if you're using the bathroom anyhow. But usually, it doesn't take five people to help you go to the bathroom! I got it down to where by the third day [of filming in the dress], I was able to say, "Okay," and leave everybody behind.

Did you learn anything about possibly planning your own wedding?
No, I'm a terrible planner. And having gone through it with this movie has kind of ruined it for me. I was standing there on the altar for three days. Barefoot. With thirty pounds of tulle on a marble slab saying my vows over and over again. It's like, "Okay, I get this. I understand. It's over!"

You'll elope instead, will you?
I will probably just rent a bus and call my friends and see who's available. "It's leaving in twenty minutes, you know. Can you make it?"

What about this idea in the movie: In the pursuit of love is anything sacred? Are dirty tricks okay? Is the ultimate goal to get your man?
I think we all have to use discretion. There are moral issues that we have to . . .

Ignore?
No! Honor. I mean, it's sort of like, if somebody belongs to somebody else, if they have a relationship and a responsibility to someone else, I don't think it's fair that you try to sabotage their relationship just because you're selfish enough to believe that you deserve them. That's wrong.

Did you ever have a crush in high school where it was like that?
Where I wanted to steal him away? No, I don't think so. I think I had a boyfriend once who my girlfriend also liked; but he didn't like her, he liked me. It was that kind of thing. I don't even remember his name and she and I are still friends. So it just goes to show.

NOTE: This interview was obtained with permission from ABC News Internet Ventures

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