Liv Tyler on The Ledge, Battles of the Sexes and Lord of the Rings at 10

Liv Tyler ends an unusually long break from the movies this year, first with the wild dark comedy Super and today with The Ledge, in which she co-stars as the troubled, born-again Christian wife in the middle of a fundamentalist husband (Patrick Wilson) and hunky atheist neighbor (Charlie Hunnam) sandwich. Faith, sex, love, and mortality collide in writer-director Matthew Chapman's potboiler, which culminates in a suicide showdown also featuring Terrence Howard. It's madness! But it's also, as always, a pleasure to see Tyler back onscreen -- where she has a confirmed interest to return even more frequently in the months and years ahead.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Movieline, Tyler spoke about The Ledge (opening today in limited release and available everywhere on VOD), her working habits, getting her character's fair share of time on the set, her father Steven Tyler's judging stint on American Idol, staying in touch with her '90s-era Aerosmith video co-star Alicia Silverstone, the Lord of the Rings trilogy a decade later, and, naturally, Gummi Bears.

Hello there.

Hi. [Moving jar of Gummi Bears to table] Do you want one? They're so good.

I might, actually.

It's crazy how good they are. They're all these amazing colors, too. The purple ones are... [Rolls eyes]

Thank you very much. This is such a treat!

You're welcome. It's helped me get through. I've hit a wall. A talking wall.

Oof. Well, I'll try to make this fast and painless. Let's start from the beginning: What was your first impression of the script?

I actually read it for the first time four years ago. I met Matthew. I just though, you know, you read so many scripts, and some are complicated and simple, and some are just interesting reads as a whole -- a story. This was one of those for me where it was a perspective. I was engrossed by it; I wanted to understand and know more about it and was really sort of just taken into this world. It wasn't what I expected.

What did you expect?

I don't remember. I just remember completely enjoying the experience of reading it, like I was reading an incredible book or article. I didn't know what to expect.

What was your first impression of Matthew Chapman?

That's a really good question. I don't remember, because it was a while ago and I had a baby and my brain isn't the same as it used to be.

Let me put it this way: He's only directed a little, and most recently in 1988. What inspired you to think he could pull off your script-reading experience onscreen as well?

I never questioned his ability to be able to pull it off because he was so clear and specific and passionate about getting this thing made. I always really felt that strongly. I guess innately he was really amazing at telling this story and writing this material. And once we shot the film and we were there, we had very little time. We had a lot of dialogue, and there was a lot to convey in a very small period of time. In a visual form, you know? It became a collaboration, in a way, that we were all embarking upon.

We had an intense relationship, for sure. There were days when I was the only woman on the set, and I definitely say what I feel. And... I don't know how to describe it. I think that sometimes when you're direct and very honest as a woman, it can come across as more harsh than if a man is saying it. I don't know why that happens.

What's an example from the shoot?

I don't know. There were just days where... Well, for example, there was a scene where I'm totally gagged and bound and tied to a chair. I was doing that sort of for Patrick, and we got to the end of the day, and it was a very small-budget movie, and they were going to pull the plug and finish the day. And I hadn't done my close-up yet, and I had, like, two minutes or five minutes or something. After sitting there all day giving so much to everyone -- to convey all that emotion -- and to have this very rushed "Come on! We've gotta go! We've gotta go!" was so unfair in a way. I definitely was vocal about saying, "Stop! Just give me a minute to do this." And just other things, shooting-wise. Matthew reminded me of something today where we thought we couldn't do this really important wide shot because we didn't have time to turn around. And I was like, "Why don't you just keep the camera where it is, and then turn me around?" [Laughs] I didn't even remember that! But it was things like that: In that moment when it's all very heated and action-packed, you might just blurt something out.

I asked Patrick Wilson this as well, but how and when -- if ever -- did the conversation with the director about character ever kind of cross over into a philosophical conversation?

For sure, that definitely happened. Especially with Patrick and Matthew. Patrick, as an actor, really prepares and really approaches his knowledge and understanding of his character and the world with an incredible mind. He was constantly reading and having quite intense conversations with Matthew and Charlie -- often. And I would ask questions and listen; we would have similar conversations, but not quite the same.

To what extent was researching or developing this character an exploration of your own faith?

For me, my faith or my beliefs are quite simple. I didn't question them at all. I was definitely researching for the part, but also just as a curious person in the world, I found it quite fascinating to fully observe all these different ideas and opinions about religion and all sorts of things in life. I think I come from such a varied background as far as my parents and my family. I've seen so much since I was a baby, you know? I was around so many people. Half my family are Republicans, half are Democrats. Half believe in every kind of religion known to man, basically. I'd always grown up seeing those worlds and having those kinds of healthy discussions or, at times, angry discussions. But we still could exist together in the world.

I think it's easy to forget amid the thriller element and the philosophical element that this is essentially a love story. Did you also find yourself on the set attempting to keep that in the forefront -- to not let it get overtaken by the heavier issues in the script?

For me, that was very important, and I would talk to Matthew about that specifically: At the heart of this film was a connection between these two people. If that didn't work, then nothing else really mattered. A lot of that didn't necessarily have to do with words, though his words were incredible and brilliant and interesting. But we needed the time to capture those moments, which you can't capture when things are rushed and you don't have a lot of time. It's not just about saying the words and executing those things. It's about finding those moments and just allowing the actors the space to just be together and capture those things. I was definitely aware of that the whole time.

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