Working mom : Part3
Working mom : Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4
Page 3 of 4
Somehow, though, she found the time to get out and get married -- and divorced -- twice. And she began toting up credits. It began slowly -- step-by-step -- with things like "Tales From the Darkside: The Movie" and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle." But then she had an indelible part in "Short Cuts" as a furious wife so intent on arguing she forgets to finish getting dressed. And followed that up with a strong lead performance as the oddly fragile housewife of "Safe."
Only to then move on to dreary Hollywood assignments like the Hugh Grant comedy "Nine Months," or Stallone's thuggish "Assassins," or the forgettable "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," in which she co-starred with a passel of CGI monsters.
"Sometimes it's not always what you aspired to," she admits. "If the script isn't that great, well, maybe you can offer some suggestions and they'll be receptive. If the director and you aren't in sync -- if it seems like you're making two different movies -- that's even more difficult. But all you can do it try your best. It goes back to being that good, straight-laced kid, I guess. You show up, you change what you can, and you do your job."
There have been other disappointments. Despite four Oscar nominations -- including the 2002 awards, when she was nominated as both Best Supporting Actress for "The Hours," and Best Actress for "Far From Heaven," -- she has never won. Last year, some people thought her best shot would be her lead role in "Freedomland," a story about a mother who may or may not have killed her own son.
But then the studio decided to put all their Oscar hopes, vainly, on "Memoirs of a Geisha," and Moore's movie was downgraded from a plum December '05 berth to a low-profile February '06 one.
"I think all of us were a little disappointed because it was the kind of movie that fit in well with the movies there were coming out at the end of that year, that were complicated and had something to say," she says. "I think 'Freedomland' had a lot to say, not even just about race but about poverty. But you know what, as an actor, (release dates) aren't a part of my world. That's part of their world."
When the film did open, director Joe Roth insisted Moore wouldn't be forgotten when the nominations were announced. "'Silence of the Lambs,' 'Erin Brockovich,' "Pretty Woman' and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' were all released early and still won their female stars nominations," he says. "So I think Julianne will still be remembered at the end of the year."
"Freedomland" co-star Edie Falco said she certainly hoped so.
"She's just so good," she said. "I was impressed just by the fact that Julianne was able to take on this part, being not just a mother but such a consummate mother. She's so lovely and her family is such a huge part of her ... for me, anyway, if I have stuff in my real life that's close to what the character is going through, I find it harder to portray it."
Moore politely accepts the compliments, but says she doesn't dwell on awards and doesn't even necessarily agree with the praise. Playing someone like her is no more difficult than playing someone unlike her, she insists. Because none of this is ever about her.
Page 3 of 4
Somehow, though, she found the time to get out and get married -- and divorced -- twice. And she began toting up credits. It began slowly -- step-by-step -- with things like "Tales From the Darkside: The Movie" and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle." But then she had an indelible part in "Short Cuts" as a furious wife so intent on arguing she forgets to finish getting dressed. And followed that up with a strong lead performance as the oddly fragile housewife of "Safe."
Only to then move on to dreary Hollywood assignments like the Hugh Grant comedy "Nine Months," or Stallone's thuggish "Assassins," or the forgettable "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," in which she co-starred with a passel of CGI monsters.
"Sometimes it's not always what you aspired to," she admits. "If the script isn't that great, well, maybe you can offer some suggestions and they'll be receptive. If the director and you aren't in sync -- if it seems like you're making two different movies -- that's even more difficult. But all you can do it try your best. It goes back to being that good, straight-laced kid, I guess. You show up, you change what you can, and you do your job."
There have been other disappointments. Despite four Oscar nominations -- including the 2002 awards, when she was nominated as both Best Supporting Actress for "The Hours," and Best Actress for "Far From Heaven," -- she has never won. Last year, some people thought her best shot would be her lead role in "Freedomland," a story about a mother who may or may not have killed her own son.
But then the studio decided to put all their Oscar hopes, vainly, on "Memoirs of a Geisha," and Moore's movie was downgraded from a plum December '05 berth to a low-profile February '06 one.
"I think all of us were a little disappointed because it was the kind of movie that fit in well with the movies there were coming out at the end of that year, that were complicated and had something to say," she says. "I think 'Freedomland' had a lot to say, not even just about race but about poverty. But you know what, as an actor, (release dates) aren't a part of my world. That's part of their world."
When the film did open, director Joe Roth insisted Moore wouldn't be forgotten when the nominations were announced. "'Silence of the Lambs,' 'Erin Brockovich,' "Pretty Woman' and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' were all released early and still won their female stars nominations," he says. "So I think Julianne will still be remembered at the end of the year."
"Freedomland" co-star Edie Falco said she certainly hoped so.
"She's just so good," she said. "I was impressed just by the fact that Julianne was able to take on this part, being not just a mother but such a consummate mother. She's so lovely and her family is such a huge part of her ... for me, anyway, if I have stuff in my real life that's close to what the character is going through, I find it harder to portray it."
Moore politely accepts the compliments, but says she doesn't dwell on awards and doesn't even necessarily agree with the praise. Playing someone like her is no more difficult than playing someone unlike her, she insists. Because none of this is ever about her.