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OnlineHost: Our guest
tonight is teen actress Leelee Sobieski. Leelee will be
starring in the new CBS miniseries "Joan of Arc" starting
Sunday night. Welcome, Leelee!
Leelee Sobieski: Thank you! Happy
to be here!
Question: Peter O'Toole is my favorite actor, what kind
of an experience was it working with him?
Leelee Sobieski: It was great to
get to work with him. I would ask him in the morning...
so how are you. And he would answer back..."absolutely
ghastly." And he was very, very tall and thin, but surprisingly
very strong. And when you work with him his eyes twinkle.
You can feel his inner strength. He has such a tremendous
presence.
Question: Leelee, when did you start acting?
Leelee Sobieski: When I was 11-1/2.
Question: Leelee you were born in NYC, did you grow up
there? Did you go to "normal" school or a professional
school? What has your favorite role been? What would you
like to do, character-wise?
Leelee Sobieski: Yes, I grew up
and I spent the summers in the south of France. I went
to a "normal" private school. My favorite role is always
the one that I'm working on at the moment, so now it would
be Joan of Arc. I think all actresses would like to portray
schizophrenics. But most of them aren't the way that they're
portrayed in films. I'd like to play Hannibal the Cannibal,
and this summer I'm going to play a very nice young woman,
and Joan of Arc is a very nice young woman... so soon
I'd like to play someone who's not so nice. I always like
to change from one to the next, and not be stuck playing
one character.
Question: It is exciting to see your career flourish after
admiring your work in "Deep Impact." Has it been overwhelming
to you?
Leelee Sobieski: A little overwhelming,
mixed with excitement.
Question: What was it like working with the late great
Stanley Kubrick on "Eyes Wide Shut"?
Leelee Sobieski: It was great to
get to work with him. When I worked with him it was two
and a half years ago, and I was 14 years old. I was a
small child. And I didn't really realize who Stanley Kubrick
really was. But while I worked with him he was so polite
with me, never cursed in front of me; he did discuss literature
with my mother and I, he sent us seven boxes of chocolates,
and always scratched his beard with a warm dry smile.
As a small child I loved working with him. And I'm a big
fan of his.
Question: What was your hardest audition?
Leelee Sobieski: The Stanley Kubrick
film. It was a four-page monologue, having nothing to
do with my character.
Question: Would you ever do a television series if it
had great writing?
Leelee Sobieski: Yes!
Question: Do you have other career aspirations besides
acting?
Leelee Sobieski: LOL. Yes!! Painter,
writer, director, real estate market, stock market...
traveling... mother... wife... architect... writer and
illustrator of children's stories... screenwriter... and
a bunch of other things!
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Question: Is there a particular film or performance that
inspired you to want to become an actress?
Leelee Sobieski: I started acting
before I was even inspired to become an actress. And it
was just "for fun." Two of my favorite films are "Lady
Jane" and "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex."
Bette Davis is one of my favorite actresses, as well [as]
Jodie Foster and Meryl Streep. I love Jodie Foster for
the fact that she directs as well as acts, and has her
own interesting life that she leads, which lets her have
her interesting range in roles. And I always imitate her
in "Nell." LOL
Question:
If you could say one message to all the students who will
be watching the movie, regarding [Joan of Arc], her mission,
passion, goals or beliefs, what would it be?
Leelee Sobieski: Ok... hmmmmm, sometimes
it's funny, the fact that she's saving France, when the
French and the English are cousins, and the English speak
French. The way that I see Joan is a pure, smart, young
woman with such an inner strength and warmth, and a little
bit of vulnerability mixed in. I really like this "Joan
of Arc" because you leave it asking yourself questions
about her beliefs, and everyone who watches it will come
away with their own interpretation. Hopefully!
Question: What was the "Joan of Arc" location you found
most fascinating?
Leelee Sobieski: I wasn't really
paying attention to the locations. In fact, she wouldn't
be noticing how beautiful the castles were, because that's
what they looked like at the time. But they were beautiful.
But while shooting in them I just wish that they were
heated, with bathrooms!!! Each castle after the next was
more and more astounding.
Question: I liked your character in "Never Been Kissed."
Which character did you enjoy playing more?
Leelee Sobieski: I enjoyed playing
Aldys more, because it was in present times and there
were things that I could more easily relate to. "Joan
of Arc" was much more work, but it left me at the end
of the day with a full stomach, as if I'd conquered the
world, and in a way, a very SMALL way, but not real way,
I sort of had.
OnlineHost: We are almost out of time, Leelee. Any closing
comments for our fans?
Leelee Sobieski: Please watch "Joan
of Arc," both nights, because if you only watched the
first night, you won't have a full stomach... you won't
feel completed. As time progresses, her character becomes
more and more interesting, and in the second episode Shirley
McLaine appears. I believe that everyone will enjoy it
and come away having gone through her quest and life,
going through complex emotions and gruesome battles with
a tiny history lesson that they don't even know that they've
learned. And you find out what drove this young woman
to do all that she did, ending up at her own choice, to
burn at the stake. And I really hope you enjoy it!
Question: What are some of the qualities you look for
in a role?
Leelee Sobieski: Someone different
from I've played before. Someone different from the others.
Someone smart, with something inside. With a complex life.
Although, I wouldn't mind playing somebody stupid, but
only if it's very comical. Sometimes I can be very funny!
:) But no one has seen that part of me yet. I like anything
that I haven't seen before, or that I can make different.
OnlineHost: Leelee, thanks for taking time out of your
busy schedule to visit with us!
Leelee Sobieski: Thank you.
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