Jennifer Tilly Unbound

The irrepressible star of Bound lets fly on filming lesbian love scenes, reveals what it's really like attending the Academy Awards, and unveils her plan to beat cinematic stereotyping.

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Jennifer Tilly is sprawled across a sofa looking damn fine in a pair of faded jeans, cowboy boots and a clinging white sweater top. Her well-toned tummy moves with every breath as she talks about Bound, her first big film since her Oscar nominated turn in Woody Allen's Bullets over Broadway. "The character in Bound is my favorite so far," she coos, her voice only slightly less Betty Boop-esque in person than it is in Dolby. "Well, Bound and Bullets Over Broadway. Oh, they both start with a B! And my character is a color in each of them! In Bullets, I was Olive. In Bound, I'm Violet." This dizzy, stream-of-consciousness rap reminds me of Tilly's on-screen characters in movies like Bullets, The Getaway, Made in America and The Fabulous Baker Boys, but it's a misleading first impression. As I am about to find out, in person Tilly is more articulate, insightful, and just plain with it than her screen image to date has shown. "By the way," she says, abruptly changing the subject, "Movieline is my favorite celebrity magazine." See what I mean?

DENNIS HENSLEY: You're currently single, aren't you?

JENNIFER TILLY: Yeah. I broke up with my boyfriend a few months ago. I don't like being single in Hollywood. There are so many creepy guys. Maybe it's just that I haven't gotten over my ex, but the guys who approach me smell bad, or they touch the small of my back when they talk to me, and I, like, cringe.

Q: OK, let's pretend there's a guy you're hot for, but who's never seen your work, and lie's going to rent one of your movies. Which would you want it to be?

A: Probably Bullets Over Broadway. I was taking ski instructions [when I was at] Sundance and my instructor kind of liked me, but after he saw my new movie Bound, he acted so weird toward me. My character in that film is so sexual, I think it embarrassed him. I don't know if I want to be with somebody that really gets into Bound.

Q: Well, by all means then, tell me more about Bound.

A: I play Violet, who is the mistress of a money launderer for the Mob. She's been living with him for five years when she meets this ex-con played by Gina Gershon. The two women start this torrid affair and plan to double-cross the Mob for two million dollars; you never know until the end who's going to get screwed. Originally, I fought to play Gina's character--because I wanted to bust out of the stereotyping I found myself trapped in--but in retrospect I'm glad I played Violet, because she's much more complicated and deep and murky. She goes all the way down... so to speak.

Q: What was the biggest challenge of Bound?

A: Committing. Bound had a great script, but lots of times when you're working in a low-budget venue, something you've imagined as being the next Pulp Fiction turns out to be the next Red Shoe Diaries, And Bound has lesbian love scenes; you know, the film company can take the film away from the director and go shoot lots of breasts and crotches and things like that. But the Wachowski brothers told me what they wanted to do, and I just thought, "I'm going to trust that they know what they're doing."

Q: What was it like working with two directors?

A: It was OK, because they're like one person. They were so funny. They'd act out our falls and stunts and stuff by having someone videotape them doing them first for us to watch.

Q: Did they wear wigs and heels playing you?

A: No. but with Gina and me, they did show us how to do the love scenes, and that was pretty funny to watch.

Q: How many love scenes are there?

A: Three. They're amazingly erotic to watch, but when we were doing them. Gina and I would talk so much, the directors decided to buy megaphones so they could go, "Girls, stop giggling!"

Q: "... and tweak her left nipple!"

A: It was like that. They'd put the camera on a crane and one of the Wachowskis would yell through the microphone, "Jennifer, rise!" I'd rise and he'd yell. "Hand!" and Gina would put her hand on my hip. He'd say. "Walls!" and the grips would move the walls, and he'd say "Stomach!" and Gina's stomach would start undulating. Then he'd say. "Bite!" and she'd bite down on my finger and come.

Q: Did they ever yell through the megaphone, "Come!"?

A: No. "Bite!" was the euphemism for come. So I didn't have to cry, "Come! Come hard! Come now!"

Q: Like that command ever works in real life.

A: Sometimes it does.

Q: Did your character get to have an orgasm too?

A: [Laughing] My orgasm was cut out of the movie.

Q: Did you feel, "What am I, chopped liver?"

A: Well, Gina's orgasm was really loud and driving whereas mine was implosive, which is not my own particular orgasm style. I thought Violet would be very ladylike.

Q: Are lesbians going to dig Bound?

A: I think they are. The cool thing is that it's not about the lesbian lifestyle, it's about a heist. I think it's great to see the women being the ones in control.

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