Article by: Maureen Scottsman 2-1-05

The multi-tasking performer with the beauty and the talent talked with INTERVIEW magazine about how she is flying high these days with the upcoming release of her new flick, The Upside Of Anger, and her latest album, The Deep End. Williams also spoke about marriage – but not necessarily with her current boyfriend, Ryan Gosling.

Is it true that you were interested in The Upside Of Anger because you wanted to be taken more seriously as an actress?

Yes and no. I wanted a chance to show that I was capable of pulling off such a challenging role, but I also wanted a chance to do more of a dramatic piece. You know, to see how that would be. At the end of the day, I'm not looking for approval, but it's always nice to see that people can appreciate what you bring to the table. Oh, and did I mention that Joan Allen and Kevin Costner are in this movie? How could you not jump at the chance to act alongside them?

What was it like working with those two veteran actors? Did you feel inadequate around them?

I guess there was a little bit of inadequacy there. But when you're working with people like that, who are so seasoned and experienced, you can learn a lot from them. I would just watch Joan [Allen] from the sidelines and see how the performance just came natural to her. There was no need for rehearsal - she was her character from the moment she stepped on set to the moment before she stepped off. It's incredibly inspiring to see someone like that. Kevin [Costner] is also amazing. There's just so much you can take from that kind of working enviorment.

Tell me a little about Amy - your character in The Upside Of Anger.

Well, her family has just been torn apart. Her father recently passed away, so she's dealing with that, being the oldest of three daughters, trying to understand her mother as well as find her own place in the world. She's just so confused and messed up. There are so many bad things happening in her life that she can't find anything positive to hold onto. Then, she basically meets this guy who pretty much steers her in the wrong direction, but that direction keeps her at bay for awhile and stops her from that battle with depression. I think she complicates herself and she has a very melancholic thought process that interferes with any good-natured happiness she may want to feel.

Did you face any challenges getting this role?

The director Mike Bender said that I might not be convincing because I'm such a bold celebrity figure and a lot of other people told me that too. But then he met me and I did my best to be as normal as possible, even to the point of downplaying my look. I had on the everyday attire - t-shirt, jeans and a newsboy cap. I was all about trying to become this character without reminding people of what my most well-known profession was. So I sat down with him and portrayed more the side of the character he needed to see. Which is what I do when I go in for an interview for a part I like. As much as you think you're dealing with creative people, they see you for what your image is out there. You have to come in and be that character when you walk into the room. That's what one of my first acting teachers taught me. You know, don't go in there being Melissa and then expect to flip and change, because they're not going to have that imagination. What they want to see is, 'Oh, there's our Amy or Jane.'

Would you say that this film is your best work?

I'm proud of every project I've done, even the ones that weren't well-recieved. You learn and you grow with everything you do, so it's all just one big series of experiments. I don't know if this movie is my best work, but it's certainly one of the most amazing scripts I've ever read. I think it's really up there and I'm confident enough to say that this movie will win awards. It will win something, for sure. Mike Bender knew what he wanted to achieve with The Upside Of Anger before he started the casting process and I think he achieved it by the end of filming. We just knew we had something really special on our hands. The excitement has been brewing for over a year now. We shot this in the fall of 2003.

The Upside Of Anger is a family-oriented drama. Do you have a weakness for those kind of movies?

Definitely. But I'm a lover of all types of movies, not just family dramas. I will watch anything that feels real and raw - something that forces you to emote and respond. If it doesn't make you do something, it's not a worthy movie. It's like watching a concert or music video - you want to be interested and you're not going to be interested if there's nothing going on that forces you to have an emotion or an opinionated response. If you're indifferent to entertainment, it's not entertainment.

Are other performers around you jealous because of your huge success in crossing over between music and acting?

[Laughing] They don't say anything.

Why is it so hard for them to cross over, and so easy for you?

I can only speak for myself. If anyone can figure out how to balance my celebrity and my dual careers in music and film, it's me. I don't feel frightened; I feel challenged. But from the time I was very little, it was something I would do all the time, just sing, dance and act. So it wasn't something that was fake or contrived as I got older. I just knew that was what I wanted to do. I was going to perform as a singer; I was going to perform as a dancer, and I was, you know, going to do movies and be an actress. I was going to do it or die trying. That's what my life was.

What is your new album The Deep End all about?

The songs on The Deep End are more personal than before. The songs reflect a lot of what I've been through since I released the last record. They're about relationships, and about having a good time and not having such a good time, or reflecting on your past and thinking about the future. It's all very much my point of view. It was extremely important to me, to be able to get some hovering things off my chest and what better way to do that than write about it? This record is just... it's a bold statement. I feel like you can make pop music and still have something real to say. Pop is what you make it.

Do you feel you put everything into The Deep End that you set out to do?

Oh, hell yeah! Most definitely. I was so in the moment when I made it. Everything you hear is me reliving a particular experience or creating a new one. It's so real - that's what I'm all about, though. I'm about coming across to people as a real person. I don't want people to listen to my music and think about the image - I want them to see a young woman who is just living her life. You know what I mean?

How do you feel you've changed musically between albums?

It's been three years since I made the last album, and a lot has happened. I just feel like I've grown, not only musically and vocally, but also emotionally as a person, and spiritually. And I think that is all reflected in this album. I guess that's why it's so close to my heart.

Is there anything you haven't achieved yet?

Yeah, a lot of stuff!

Like what?

Oh....everything! As an artist, I don't think I'll ever feel totally satisfied. Maybe one day I will. But right now that's not the feeling I have. I feel I want to grow as an actress and be better. I want to progress as a singer and songwriter, and produce movies and everything. So there'll be no time when I feel I've done it all. And I deal with all that by being like a perfectionist. But that's okay. And I never ask what I'm doing the next day. I don't want to know what I'm doing tomorrow. It's much too overwhelming. So I just go day by day, without knowing. I know in general, like that I'm doing a certain show next month or something like that. But every minute of the next ten months is scheduled.

Does the control freak in you alphabetize your spices?

I don't alphabetize anything. I'm not a perfectionist about stuff like that. Like in my personal life, I'm the most laid back person. But when it comes to my work, I'm a total perfectionist. Because I'm passionate about what I'm doing, and making sure it's right.

Did you ever imagine that you were going to be the superstar you are today?

No and yes. No, because you can never imagine doing that. It's not in your consciousness. And yes, I knew I wanted to keep going and have success, and just keep it going.

How do you deal with the celebrity life?

You have to develop a way to deal with it. And my way of dealing with it is to not even know what's going on. I don't know half the things they say, half the things they write, or half the rumors that are out there. I don't care. I don't care to know, and I don't ask anybody what's going on.

Do you ever feel misunderstood?

Absolutely, yeah, I do. But you know, there's no way I can control that. I can only speak for myself, and hope people hear my words and see me on television speaking for myself. And, hopefully, they'll be able to make their own judgment. And at the end of the day, I just want my work to speak for itself. I can control the music I make; I can control how I sing; how I dance; how I act in a movie, or how much time I put into this or that or the other. Like what I want to develop in the future. That's the only stuff I have control over. If you think you can start controlling what image they put out there of you, you'll go nuts. A lot of times it's negative. They don't like to focus on the positive, no matter how much you do. You just have to put up like a defense mechanism as an artist, to not let the outside world come in and ruin that for you.

Is marriage in the cards for you anytime soon? It seems like everyone is getting married nowadays.

I want to be married and I want to have kids, but you have to find the right balance in your life before that can happen. Right now, my life is so focused on my career that I wouldn't be able to give my husband and children as much of me as they deserve. They would feel cheated. But I feel that marriage and a family will happen for me organically, which means I have to let it happen naturally. I love my career. I'm passionate and I'm driven inside. But I know I will need to find a focus and have a life too.

Are you in love?

Did you listen to the album? I think a lot of songs definitely answer that question.

How did you feel about the commotion over your rumored engagement with Ryan Gosling last year?

I'm glad you said rumored, because it's just hearsay. I'm not engaged right now. But you know, I kind of felt a little bit of what Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck went through during the course of their relationship. It's not fun to be under that kind of microscope. When they put you under those hot lights, that's when the stories write themselves. It's a little crazy, but that's showbusiness. You gotta deal.

Has fame changed you as a person?

I don't think it's changed me as much as it's advanced me. I know about business and I know how to make decisions I wouldn't be able to make if I wasn't a celebrity. It's a learning experience, but it's not an easy ride. You pay a price to be in these shoes, but the price you pay is nothing compared to the reward you get. I get to do what I love and get paid for it. How could I complain? <xmp></html>