Entertainment Tonight Interview

October 15, 1998

ET ET ET



Entertainment Tonight: Have you seen the movie? What was you reaction to it?

Tobey Maguire: For me, it's a little difficult to see things I'm in. But I saw it in Toronto at the film festival and it helped me a lot because the audience was really into it and they thought it was really funny. I was just shocked. I mean, I really like it as an idea and as a concept -- it's just hard to watch myself because I'm so critical.

Reese Witherspoon: I thought it was great seeing it for the first time because I think visually -- it's something you could never imagine while you're making the movie. Actually seeing the black-and-white and the slow evolution into color was really striking and dramatic. It was really great to see it.

ET: What did you guys think of seeing yourselves in black and white? You didn't grow up with a black-and-white TV.

Reese: It was cool. We had a great cinematographer who shot it.

Tobey: I thought it was cool. I didn't think I looked too bad and I thought Reese looked very good in black-and-white.

Reese: Thank you.

ET: This is a really conversation-provoking film, there's no question about it. What do you think is so "pleasant" about Pleasantville? What do you think the conversations are going to be about?

Tobey: Wow. I think there's so many things you can take away from the film depending on who you are. I mean, each character is very relatable and is very much a real person. So, I guess it depends. Kids will probably have something different than somebody who's a mother.

Reese: I think it's going to be really interesting for people to see because we all think of the Fifties in one particular way. That's sort of how the early way that you see Pleasantville is sort of perceived as -- this perfect, idyllic setting with picket fences and beautiful houses and nice, white families. But as the movie progresses, you start to see this undercurrent of everything that was "underneath" the Fifties. Especially Fifties television turmoil and hate and discomfort and distress. And I think people will really be talking about how this movie sort of represents the juxtaposition between what was on television in the Fifties and what was really happening in the Fifties.

ET: Let's get back to the way you looked. That's going to be the "question du jour." What you guys were wearing
-- like those bullet bras you had to wear. What was that like?

Reese: It was interesting. We had a great costume designer, Judianna Makovsky, who did wonderful work. I remember going in for my first fitting and it was like walking into a palace. They were putting these wonderful old costumes on us and I was thinking, "I've never been in a movie like this before." They did such a wonderful job of having everyone's outfits tailored perfectly. All of Joan's outfits were made from scratch.

ET: Was there anything you had to do since you were going from black-and-white to color and then there was little bits of color? Was there any sort of mindset you had to get yourselves into?

Tobey: It's just like all the other aspects of living in an imaginary world. Something else to play with and remember. And yeah, certainly, you have to act and behave in a certain way. I think it was just an interesting challenge and knowing that this was going to be effected later and I knew the emotions would be heightened by this effect -- so it juiced me up a little bit everyday.

Reese: To me, because we shot the movie out of sequence, it was really hard to remember when you were supposed to be in color. Am I supposed to know myself from the inside out now or am I supposed to be introverted? It was completely bizarre. So Gary [Ross, the film's director] would have to come up to me and say, "No, you're in color now."

ET: (to Tobey) How did you like reteaming with Joan [Allen]? Did you guys have a shorthand at this point?

Tobey: Joan is so fantastic. She is just so helpful and such a great example. I had this one great day with Joan where I didn't quite feel connected and I was struggling a bit, so Joan started doing a little improv before a scene with me. It was funny because it ended up helping, but I was so amazed at her because she's so brilliant that I started messing up because of that. But I just love working with Joan -- I couldn't say enought about her.

ET: Did you guys feel like brother/sister on the set since you play siblings in the movie? Any sibling rivalry?

Reese: It was actually great because we got to hang out together about three months before filming started. And by the time we started shooting, we had the bickering down pat and we knew exactly how irritated to be with each other. But it was great, as the movie went on, I felt like we built that dynamic and became more like brother and sister.

Tobey: I have a really deep respect for Reese and it's a little uncomfortable for me to say that with her sitting right here. It was a really important experience for me to work with her.

ET: Are either of you guys marathon TV watchers? Do you ever watch any black-and-white TV?

Reese: Hmmm...I watch "The Andy Griffith Show" sometimes, but that's from the Sixties.

Tobey: I usually just watch TV in hotels so I just flick around and watch basketball or MTV or the news or something like that.

ET: You talked about "The Andy Griffith Show," what about Don Knotts? What was it like working with him?

Tobey: Well, I knew him from "Three's Company." Mr. Furley. I would tell people, "Yeah, I'm doing this movie with William H. Macy and Joan Allen, and Don Knotts..." And they'd be like, "Don Knotts! You mean Mr. Furley?"

Reese: You know what's great about Don? I don't know how old he is, but he would come on the set and I was so impressed that he could still pull off his comedy. He's one of the most inherently funny men I've ever met. He's so funny in this movie. When he had a scene, we would stand like a set away and watch and we were just cracking up. He would just sit funny. And stand funny. He was just so funny in everything he did.

ET: One of the most profound things about this film is that everyone discovers about themselves that there's a little bit of color, which is so sweet. Is there a technicolor moment in your lives that made you say, "Okay, I get it now?"

Reese: I think it's hard in this business to be or discover the kind of actor that you want to be. I've had moments in my career where I go, "I can't believe I made any of those movies before." Now I know what I'm here for and what I really want to do in my career. But I like -- in that what happened to my character in 'Pleasantville' -- it's hard and I think there are defining moments where you find youself in everybody's life.

Tobey: I couldn't say one specific moment -- I think moments happen all of the time. I think it's constant and it's nice to recognize that when it happens.


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