In Every Day, Gugino plays Robin, a temptress of sorts teamed with her fellow TV writer Ned (Liev Schreiber) on a sensational long-running medical drama. Ned, who is having marriage issues due to a number of lingering problems at home, looks to Robin as an escape -- and Robin is eager to comply. Movieline spoke to Gugino about Every Day and her character's definition of "changing into something more comfortable," looking forward to Sucker Punch with what she learned from Watchmen, and if she remembers the set of ALF being as bad as what we've heard.
My favorite scene in the film is when Liev is visiting your apartment and you change into your "something more comfortable."
Right! [Laughs].
OK, I know you're jumping to conclusions, but I say that because it's the funniest scene in the film. That's a very bold definition of comfortable?
Especially because nobody, including me, is comfortable in that. Except for Robin, I guess -- because as Robin, I was. As me? No.
How do you describe this character? Despite her immoral -- if that's the word -- actions with Ned, she's still very likable.
I think that was actually important for us to convey -- actual, genuine fun. And the feeling that the reason, obviously, people have affairs or do "immoral" things is because there is a payoff to some extent. Do you know what I mean? Generally it's just not out of evilness or lack of regard for the other person. It's trying to escape something, or trying to find something, or trying to experience something. And I think that it obviously you can look at it in a very black-and-white way like "this is good" or "this is bad." But I think, also, what was important, in some ways he kind of does need to be shaken up. And he kind of does need to be loosened up a little bit. Even in order to have an honest look at his life and realize he really wants to commit to his marriage. But it was kind of fun to play a character actually who I don't think [is] one of those people who is, like, "I am going to take this man away from his marriage," or something. I think it's very much more like, "Live in the moment, let's see what happens, we will deal with the consequences later." Which, by the way, is a really refreshing kind of take on things. It's just, unfortunately, life doesn't really work that way.
I never felt your character was malicious about anything.
Exactly! No, and I appreciate that because, interestingly enough, I've been asked today several times, "How manipulative was she?" And I was like, "That's interesting. No, maybe slightly self-serving?" Or more like a kid in that she's more in the moment.
You've been on a lot of television shows. In this film you sit in a weekly drama writer's pitch meeting. How far off were the outlandish pitches in the film compared to what you've seen in real life?
Well, you know, it's funny because I know that [director] Richard [Levine] sort of exaggerated to some extent, but I don't think it's a huge amount. You know, especially when you're getting to the later seasons of shows, and you run out of all of the ideas, and you're like, "Oh my God, well, which one haven't we seen yet? How can we get them to actually talk about our show?" Or whatever.
Right. At some point a writer on Happy Days said, "Why don't we bring in a space alien named Mork so he can meet the Fonz."
Yes! Yes! Totally. Exactly, I think that the interesting thing. This story is so personal to Richard, and I think that there's no doubt that I think there was sort of a Robin figure and I know there were things that he took creative license, but I do think that what actually makes the movie work, as opposed to being just sort of a story about every day people living an every day life -- why do I need to go to the movies to see that? -- I think it's actually so specific and so personal that it becomes universal and very entertaining. Because you either relate on a level of pain, in certain elements of it, but also on very humorous levels of it. Like, "Oh my God, I recognize that in myself" -- right down to the writer's rooms in those shows.
As we discussed, you've been involved in a lot of films and television shows. What are you most recognized for?
Well, it's interesting because I look so different in so many different things I've done. And I color my hair a lot of different colors so I usually am pretty safe in that regard. And over time it's different things, but when I was doing Spin City, that was something. And then Karen Sisco and various movies. I would say, overall, probably in the last couple of years, Entourage would probably be the thing. If I was to have to pick one thing, I would say that is the thing that people say, "Oh my God, you're the agent on Entourage!"
They never say Amanda Daniels?
No, people in Los Angeles or New York say Amanda Daniels. I mean, come on. But not in the rest of the world.
What can we look forward to with your role in Sucker Punch?
Well, it's significant. It's a role that I really love but it's a really hard one to... She's a really interesting character.
It seems there's been a trend with this type of film: It gets a certain segment of the population excited, but they haven't been doing that well at the box-office. Kick-Ass is a good example. How can Sucker Punch break that trend?
Well, I think what's cool about this is, first of all, a completely original idea. So there's something really exciting about the fact that it feels like it's from a comic book but it actually isn't. There's not really a reference point for it in a really cool way. First of all, the female aspect of it, which is that it's got all of these sorts of kick-ass and beautiful and smart women in it, is unique. And, secondly, for example, with Watchmen, that was an interesting conundrum because who knew the graphic novel loved the movie because it could not have been more [faithful] to it. But people who didn't know it were expecting Superman or Batman and then were like, "What is this movie?"
I can't even give you a good answer on what will make this one different other than it's going to be a really interesting movie and I don't think there's going to have been anything like it. And I don't think that it will even feel comparable to other comic book movies. So hopefully it will just feel like it's just a really cool movie on its own that people will want to go see. But I know what you mean. That's where my expertise stops in the marketing of things.
It's interesting what you said about Watchmen. I agree about those two segments, but there also seems to be a segment that did like the comic but also wanted the story to be updated to something more contemporary than the Cold War. Looking back now, could that have even worked?
Yeah, I think that there wasn't even sort of a question because it was so organically set in the '80s, in that time, where I think you would have been lost. "What if Nixon had a fourth term?" There were so many things that seemed -- and I know that they considered it -- if you were to update it, it would just sort of lose the mindset from which that came. And! I think it was also kind of... For me it was interesting, because I actually felt like, "Oh my God, not that much has changed." Yes, we may not be thinking of nuclear war in the same way, but we still have weapons of mass destruction. We still have a lot of these same issues. So I actually found it more like, "Oh, look what we are doing, it's so much of the same stuff."
I apologize in advance, and I know it was a long time ago, but I have to ask you: was being on the set of ALF as bad as I've heard?
[Laughs] I had a great time on ALF!
I sense sarcasm.
I was being sarcastic, but the truth of the matter is, and I hate to say [in an Brooklyn accent] that was so long ago, I barely rememba' [Laughs]. All I know is that I was so happy to have that job as a guest star on ALF -- along with my guest starring on Webster. And it was literally one of -- I can honestly say -- one of my second or third jobs. And I think I would have loved anything. I don't think I would be a good person to speak about the set environment at that point. [Laughs]
I always hear those rumors, and you're the first person I've ever interviewed who had ever been on ALF.
And I feel like I'm disappointing you! I know, I've heard that, too.
Well, we can all go back to thinking it was a harmonious set.
Exactly -- just think lovely things about the set of ALF. I think that would have made your life better.
[Top photo: WireImage]