Heather Graham has always deftly balanced edgy indies and major studio to-dos--this fall she's starring in the small, heartfelt Sidewalks of New York, the small, twisted Killing Me Softly and the big, scary From Hell. But it's been a long road to success. Here she shares what she's learned along the way, from how it's impossible to predict which project will work out to why on-set romances aren't a good idea
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Heather Graham knew she wanted to be a movie star at age 17, when she danced atop a car in the Corey Feldman/Corey Haim vehicle License to Drive. But she had a roadblock in her way. Raised in the Valley in a strict Catholic household, Graham was told by her parents that she would not be permitted to play off-color characters, which is why she turned down one of the lead roles in Heathers. When Drugstore Cowboy came her way, though, she didn't let her parents hold her back. This time she chose to move out on her own so she could take the part. She's gone her own way ever since. As other actresses broke through, peaked, and faded, Graham thoughtfully sought out films with staying power, including such seminal indies as I Love You to Death, Six Degrees of Separation, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. Though her parts were often thankless, their collective quality helped her get respect. Just when it seemed to her that she'd never get her break, Graham followed a charming role in Swingers with her widely praised turn as Rollergirl in Boogie Nights, which gave her the sort of buzz that opens doors fast in Hollywood. She soon was having fun with her newfound high-profile status, spoofing Drew Barrymore in Scream 2, entertaining a solid audience in Lost in Space, filling the post-Elizabeth Hurley spy-chick role in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and winning further critical praise for her turn as an amoral actress in the surprise hit Bowfinger.
Now, at 31, Graham is sneaking up on full-fledged stardom. This month she appears opposite former beau Edward Burns in the small ensemble Sidewalks of New York, and with Joseph Fiennes in the twisted love story Killing Me Softly. Next month she plays a streetwalker trying to help a Scotland Yard investigator (Johnny Depp) trap Jack the Ripper in From Hell. Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes, the film has the clout of a major studio in 20th Century Fox, but the pedigree of an indie by merit of the directors, Depp and herself.
When I walk into a Greenwich Village eatery 15 minutes early to meet Graham on a hot, steamy day, I spot her right away--I had heard she's a pro, but I didn't expect her to arrive before me. Graham chose to meet at this restaurant because she's recently become familiar with the neighborhood, having filmed the comedy The Guru close by. Though she's only spent a few months in New York, she's long been a fixture of the city's gossip columns, which began when she dated Burns and reached an all-time high when she started dating Heath Ledger. She's looking for an apartment in the city, but considering her packed slate, it's unlikely she'll be able to stay in one place for long.
MICHAEL FLEMING: Early word on From Hell is that it's the scariest Jack the Ripper film ever made. What interested you in such a dark story?
HEATHER GRAHAM: It's a great script. To me, it's always about the script. And the Hughes brothers are very talented. Plus, I'd always wanted to work with Johnny Depp. He's a hero for a lot of actors I know--Johnny's the guy they look up to because of the work he does.
Q: Christina Ricci, who's worked with Depp on several films, including the recent The Man Who Cried, has described him as a generous actor. How did you find him?
A: Generous is a really good word for him. He's been in the business so long that he's confident enough in himself to be supportive and warm. And he has his own way of doing things.
Q: Like what?
A: Well, he listens to music through an earpiece while he works.
Q: Isn't that distracting?
A: No. He listens to this music really faintly while he's doing a take. He let me listen to it and it was really cool. One time he was listening to Billie Holiday, another time, Lauryn Hill. I recall him saying he got the idea while doing a movie with Marlon Brando, who used an earpiece to remember his lines.
Q: Is Depp's style of acting different from other actors'?
A: He's really big about cutting out lines. He doesn't need to dominate a scene. He has quiet, strong confidence.
Q: How does that mesh with your style:
A: I think I'm kind of similar to that. I'm definitely not trying to dominate the room. Not a lot of ego, supportive and fun.
Q: What is Depp like off camera?
A: Lighthearted. He's mischievous, maybe even eccentric, but mostly, he doesn't pretend to be somebody else. He enjoys being who he is. One night he had a bunch of gypsies in his trailer, and they were all playing music. He's really great at creating a mood in his trailer. It's decked out like an opium den. He had all these benches with fabrics over them, and lights, candles, incense--it didn't look like your normal trailer. He is also really in love with his daughter and he constantly talks about her.
Q: In the film you play a streetwalker who's targeted by Jack the Ripper. How did you give her dimension?
A: She's fiery and doesn't accept the circumstance she's been put in. My character tries to help this Scotland Yard investigator find out who the killer is. It was the first time I tried an accent. I had this great coach. I was going through a lot of things in my personal life at the time, and we'd have these long talks about it, staying in the accent the whole time.
Q: You've just made several movies back-to-back. Did you give yourself enough of a break between them?
A: I'm trying to give myself a bit more time, really. Sometimes, as an actor, you get offered something, and you don't want to turn down what might be that great movie. You don't want to find out you've turned down Citizen Kane.
Q: You've been acting for a deceptively long time. Why aren't you more at ease that you won't miss out on something?
A: It seems like, especially for a woman, there's a time when you'd better take advantage of the opportunities while they're there. But I get tired. After Austin Powers I didn't work for about a year, so it's not as if I always drive myself.
Q: Would you describe yourself as a hard worker?
A: I'm really hardworking, and I'm not afraid to look dumb. I'm persistent, and if I hear people say, "Oh, that movie wasn't good," or "You're no good," I just keep going. I don't take too much to heart. I don't like to be criticized, but it's not that important to me. Thanks to therapy, which helps. I probably wouldn't have a career at all if I didn't do therapy.
Q: You've starred in some of the most seminal indie movies of the past 15 years. Has this specialization in indies been by design?
A: I wouldn't say it was all by design. I've just been attracted to many indie films.
Q: Do you think indies are better than big studio pictures? A: Oh, I like big Hollywood movies. I liked Titanic, so it's not like I'm a snob. But independent movies are less predictable. They speak to me.
Q: There were great expectations for Say It Isn't So because it was produced by the Farrelly brothers, who brought us There's Something About Mary. Were you disappointed at how poorly it did?
A: The script wasn't completely there, but I wanted to work with the Farrelly brothers and they were saying, "Just trust us," so I did. I also hadn't worked for a year, and I thought it would be good to get back into doing something like that. But you just never know, sometimes you take a risk. I've always been a bit of a gambler.
Q: Is it hard to keep that philosophy in mind when a film fails?
A: Very hard. You want everything you do to turn out well for the people who watch it. But as an artist, what can you do? I didn't produce it or direct it. You have to factor in a bit of loss of control. Even the smartest, greatest people don't bat a thousand.
Q: Drew Barrymore has more control over her career because she produces her own films. Is that something you'd like to do? A: I think it's so cool how she does that, produce movies. But then I think, How hardworking do I really want to be? I wonder if I'd rather have a more relaxed personal life. But I am meeting with development people because I'd like to develop my own projects.
Q: Do you think Boogie Nights made you a better actress? A: I walked away from that movie thinking, "Hey, I know what I'm doing. I'm a good actress and I did a good job in a really good movie." It gave me confidence, strength. It helped that the film was a commercial hit as well. You've got to realize, I had just come from a period where I wasn't getting any jobs. I mean, no jobs before Boogie Nights. Suddenly, I'm on the covers of magazines.
Q: Were you really that cold?
A: I felt that way. I had done Swingers, but it hadn't come out yet. I was having trouble even getting readings for things.
Q: Did you read for Boogie Nights?
A: Someone else was supposed to do it but dropped out. I went in and read for it and the director, Paul Thomas Anderson, said, "Let's go out and talk about this." We went out for drinks and he told me he was meeting Mark Wahlberg at that bar. We saw him and he said, "Hey, Mark, this is Rollergirl." I was like, "Yes!"
Q: That was the first film where you appeared completely nude.
A: It's the only film. Everyone thinks I've done a lot of nudity but I haven't. It was fun to live out that alter ego part of me.
Q: What part of the character did you most relate to?
A: Her wanting a family. These people were like my surrogate family. They accepted me.
Q: Did Boogie Nights help you win the coveted female lead in the second Austin Powers?
A: The producer on Austin Powers, John Lyons, was also the producer of Boogie Nights. I just met with Mike [Myers] one day, talked to him for an hour, and he offered it to me. When you're an actor used to killing yourself to get a role, that's a surprise. These were the nicest people, and I would definitely come back for Austin Powers 3, which they're working on.
Q: You seem to be the girl to call when you need someone who's fearless, and won't shy away from doing something like putting a homing device in Fat Bastard's rectum, which you did in Austin Powers. Did you have reservations about that scene?
A: I wasn't offended by it. But I thought, I don't know what's funny about this. My personal sense of humor is quirky, but not like that.
Q: The director, Jay Roach, liked you enough to offer you the female lead in Meet the Parents, but you turned it down.
A: He did, and it turned out to be a great movie. I probably should have taken it, but I guess I felt I wanted to do more of a role, what can I say? I thought it would be another time where I'd be frustrated, working with these great actors in a really good movie and not having that much to do. With a role like that, you set up the jokes for everyone else.
Q: Your salary obviously went up when you starred in Austin Powers, but did you also get points?
A: I got a little something, but this is territory I'm just getting into. I didn't even have a lawyer until this year. It's bizarre, makes you feel like you're an adult.
Q: Weren't you instrumental in getting Chinese director Chen Kaige hired on Killing Me Softly?
A: On this film I had a little more power than I've had in the past. Ivan Reitman produced the movie, and I had worked for him before on Twins, in which I had a small part. He called me and said, "I developed this for you." I'm like, "Well, all right." So they let me approve the director, which has never happened before. And of course when Chen Kaige wanted to do it, it was like, Fucking yay. How cool.
Q: Isn't the film about rough love?
A: I meet this guy in the street and we have this groovy affair, without even knowing each other. Then we get married and he remains a mysterious person who doesn't communicate. I become paranoid. It's about the fear in a relationship.
Q: You just completed The Guru, which sounds like another Boogie Nights. Is it?
A: I talked to Paul Thomas Anderson last night, and he said, "Why are you doing that?" I'm like, "Shut up, you don't know the script." It's a comedy. There is none of the pain of Boogie Nights. It's about an Indian guy who wants to be John Travolta from Grease. So he starts dancing and then auditions for a film and ends up getting into porno. Though I'm conservative and engaged to someone else, I fall for him--but I have a double life.
Q: You've played the sexy girl in several films. Are you afraid of being seen as only that?
A: Sometimes I do worry, but what's the alternative, not take a role because I'm afraid I'll look sexy again? You can overprotect yourself sometimes. But, again, it all comes down to the quality of the film. I'd rather play the same role in five great movies than play five different roles in five shitty movies. Katharine Hepburn, a fantastic actress, was always smart, intelligent, strong-headed and stubborn. Jimmy Stewart was always the great all-American guy, Marilyn Monroe was always the sexy girl.
Q: Do you think you're beautiful?
A: Not at all. Look, I know that if I go to a bar, I could get a certain amount of attention. If I get really drunk, I might look in the mirror and say, Yeah, OK! But I don't wake up in the morning thinking that I'm beautiful. I'm actually insecure, but I'm working on being less self-effacing. I guess because when I grew up, I was a nerdy teenager at a formative time.
Q: Are you very competitive about roles? A: I used to be very competitive and jealous but now I think that's a waste of time.
Q: Are there actresses you measure yourself against?
A: I really admire Cate Blanchett. I like how she conducts her personal life, too. She's managed to not be a celebrity somehow. I like Julianne Moore, again because she's a really great actress and she's not trying to live up to peoples expectations of what a movie star is supposed to be.
Q: Let's go back to the beginning of your career. Your first big job was License to Drive, opposite Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, two kids who were really hot at the time. Were you ecstatic?
A: It was huge. Every kid on my block thought they were amazing. I couldn't believe I was working with them.
Q: Do you think your costars, who have since experienced some personal problems, were talented?
A: Yes. I was this naive kid from the suburbs and they were these cool Hollywood guys. What I recall thinking was, Wow, I am in a Hollywood movie. They were having fun. It must be confusing to have that success when you're that young. Especially when you don't have a strong family life to back you up.
Q: At the time, did you want to be part of that teen movie craze, even though most of those participants peaked and were over pretty quickly?
A: Yeah, I would have been part of that teen movie craze in a second. I was a huge fan of Molly Ringwald, those John Hughes movies, I thought they were great. When I was a teenager, I did aspire to be like Meryl Streep. It wasn't like I said, I want to be Molly Ringwald. But I would have taken anything.
Q: You were living in Agoura Hills, in a strict family.
A: They had a lot of say. I left home so I could do Drugstore Cowboy.
Q: You were living by yourself at 18?
A: I moved in with a girlfriend in an apartment we rented in West Hollywood, where I got to see a woman taking a shit on the street. That was a new one. I went to UCLA for a bit, on and off for two years, and I did work. It was a double life, and I thought, "Do I want to go to school?" knowing my family would like that. I didn't apply to any other colleges, but I had a great grade point average. I probably could have gone anywhere, but I wanted to be an actress.
Q: Drugstore Cowboy helped to launch the independent film movement. Did it feel different?
A: I could see I was entering a different world, being exposed to people who were very artistic. I remember James LeGros giving me these Tom Waits albums, and me thinking, God, people listen to music like this? I felt actually more at home, more accepted. But it was intimidating.
Q: You followed Drugstore Cowboy with Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death...
A: Wow, you're really going back. Most people just want to talk about my boyfriends.
Q: We'll get to them. Did you regret taking that role?
A: I probably should have been really choosy after Drugstore Cowboy because that film gave me momentum. But when you're in your late teens, that's a pretty confusing time. I wasn't very together then.
Q: Were you disappointed when films like Shout and Guilty as Charged failed?
A: I started thinking that maybe it was never going to happen for me. I considered going back to school, maybe becoming a doctor.
Q: Who was your support then?
A: Other struggling actors, directors, writers and friends. I have a circle of friends and started seeing the therapist I see now. I took acting classes. It all helped. Especially a group of friends who were going through the same thing. It was kind of fun, being in L.A., in this community struggling to be artists.
Q: In '92 you got a break in Diggstown, and you developed a romance with its star, James Woods.
A: Oh, I did? I don't remember. [Laughs nervously]
Q: Did he show you the ropes?
A: Did we go out? I don't remember. Well, I have to say that I did have people around me who helped center me.
Q: You've had several relationships with actors or directors on movies you've made.
A: When I was younger, I felt like I was on a set, and I was supposed to be pretending that I was in love with someone. It's very conducive. Everyone wants you to have chemistry, everyone wants you to be together. It's a false environment, a movie set is fake. I don't believe anything I feel about anyone on that set. I think you have to wait till it's over and get into real life, and then see. I have a policy that I've adhered to for the past eight years. I don't want to go out with people while I'm working with them.
Q: You had a relationship with director Stephen Hopkins during the filming of Lost in Space.
A: Oh, OK, that was the last time I did it. It wasn't eight years ago, probably more like six. Busted.
Q: When the movie doesn't become a hit, does that put a burden on the relationship?
A: I don't think so, I don't think that had a bearing on our relationship. These relationships end for other reasons.
Q: You were also romantically involved with Edward Burns, who directed you in Sidewalks of New York. Are you still friends?
A: Oh, yeah.
Q: You've talked in recent interviews about your latest boyfriend, Heath Ledger, who's a star in the making...
A: We broke up. A few weeks ago.
Q: I won't torture you then with breakup questions.
A: Thank you.
Q: Edward Burns and Heath Ledger have both said you have a great sense of humor.
A: Eddie has a really great sense of humor and Heath is also really funny--I think your sense of humor develops from other people. When you get to know someone really well, the little things are funny--the quirky, idiosyncratic things.
Q: The press never hesitates to report on the status of your love life. Does it ever get to you?
A: I don't seek out gossip columns, but sometimes I read them. You have to know that what you experience with that person is real, and what is in the gossip column is a filtered version for someone else's entertainment. I've had stuff written about me and my relationships that is so incredibly wrong.
Q: Who do you think handles fame well?
A: Six years ago I met Drew Barrymore, who was so incredibly warm, genuine and supportive as opposed to being like, "Oh my God, everyone's putting all this stuff on me and I can't stand it." She handles the downside gracefully. She's also been supportive of me. There were a few times she was offered a role and instead of just turning it down, said, "Well, what about Heather Graham?" I thought that was just so nice.
Q: You've spoken in other interviews about your estrangement from your parents. Do you see a reconciliation in the future?
A: It's nothing that I'm planning.
Q: Did you simply grow apart?
A: I find that whenever I talk about it in the press and I read it later, I never feel that it's accurate to what I experienced. I think I'm not good at describing it and so I've decided I'd better not. I'm better off shutting up.
Q: Getting back to your career, in 1993 you went back to making some interesting indie movies. First Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, then Six Degrees of Separation. What did you think of your performance in those films?
A: That was during a phase when I didn't watch the movies I made.
Q: Was it frustrating that you didn't have much to do in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle?
A: Yes. I was starting to think, Will it ever be my turn?
Q: Two years later you made Swingers. How did you get cast?
A: It was one of those things you do for your friends in the community of actors, where you just want to help someone out. I wasn't thinking, This is going to help me. I was trying to be helpful and it was something to do.
Q: Around that time, you did a movie called Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story, which starred Moira Kelly as Day, who devoted herself to feeding the homeless during the Depression. You were raised a strict Catholic and probably look at a person like this as an ideal of what the faith should be, as opposed to a restrictive way to lead your life to avoid going to hell. Was doing that movie a religious gesture?
A: It was that ideal. But I'm not religious at all. I respect people who get a lot from it, but my sense is, I don't enjoy being Catholic. Are you Catholic?
Q: Yes.
A: It's a very male-dominated religion. But I think it was the way I was exposed to it. I didn't get anything out of it. I tried to find other things. I feel like I'm a spiritual person, but I dislike the regimented way that it was taught to me. It didn't seem to fit in with my feeling of what was real about spirituality. Like if I go out, and I'm in a forest or by the water, I feel connected to some kind of higher power. I've been doing transcendental meditation for the past 10 years. Twenty minutes a day, twice a day--it really works for me. I feel connected to controlling the negatives. It's powerful and compassionate, more than organized religion.
Q: If we were having this interview five years from now, do you think I'd be talking to a working mom or an Oscar winner?
A: I do find myself thinking more about having kids, but I don't find myself feeling, Oh, my God, I have to do this today or I'll die. But I don't like to plan things that much. If it happens, I'd like it.
Q: What's your priority now?
A: I want to be more selective with the films I choose.
Q: How selective do you think you can afford to be?
A: I don't need to do the girlfriend roles anymore. I don't need the money. It's getting exciting, though. The other day I did this reading of a script. There were all these really good actors there. I was sitting at a table with Christopher Plummer, Alec Baldwin, John Turturro, Willem Dafoe and Leonardo DiCaprio. I was thinking, What am I doing here? It's a cool feeling.
Q: Do you think people still don't know what you're capable of yet?
A: I do think that, yeah.
Q: Is it important for you to be considered a big star?
A: It's not that it's important, but it is fun. Some actors say they hate it. I'm thinking, You don't hate it that much or you wouldn't be doing it. Go work in theater in Oregon if you hate it that much.
Q: What's your big Hollywood goal?
A: My main goal is not to be a bankable star, on the level of Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock. My main goal is to just do a few movies that are classics. And to have pivotal roles in films that, years and years from now, people still watch.
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Michael Fleming interviewed director John McTiernan for the August issue of Movieline.