Julia Stiles Interview: JustJared.com Exclusive!

Check out this exclusive interview with Julia Stiles!

JustJared recently chatted with the 31-year-old actress who takes on the role of an escort in Wigs’ new twelve-part web series, Blue. However, viewers soon learn that being a prostitute is just one aspect of the woman behind the lingerie.

JJ: Can you tell us about the storyline for your new show?

JS: Yeah, it’s about a woman who’s living a secret life and has to tell a lot of lies surrounding that, which is going to eventually blow up in her face!

JJ: How would you describe your character, Blue?

JS: She’s got a skill set that she’s putting to use in a very dangerous way. When she’s at work, she’s good at pretending. She’s good at sort of taking on a role, like whatever the client wants her to be. I tried to not think too much about this part and let my imagination lead, or my instincts lead, so I wouldn’t calculate it so much.

Click inside to read JustJared.com’s full interview with Julia Stiles..

JJ: What drew you to the project?

JS: Honestly, it was as simple as the first episode. I don’t want to make it sound like it was just the first scene, because to me, each episode is like a brick that builds a bigger house. Each episode builds towards a longer story, so it’s ultimately the length of a movie. When I read the first scene I thought it was such a great setup for a story.

JJ: What happens in the first episode that got you hooked?

JS: In that first scene, all of the roles that she’s playing are demanding her attention at the time and they’re conflicting roles. A client ends up recognizing her from when they were growing up, so he knows her and her real life. Then, [while she's with him] her son calls her and she’s trapped in a lie.

JJ: Do you find Blue’s lifestyle intriguing in any way?

JS: I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of people paying for sex and what goes on with that and why that happens. But until I read Rodrigo [Garcia's] script, I didn’t feel like that kind of subject matter was explored with empathy or compassion. I just liked his writing.

JJ: In one scene, Blue tells her son not to kiss and tell, what’s one piece of advice you remember your mom giving you growing up?

JS: “Make yourself useful, not just on a day to day basis, but as a lifetime thing.”

JJ: What did you like about working on this project?

JS: Honestly, it was really fun and creatively rewarding.

JJ: Blue is good at keeping secrets, are you good at keeping secrets in real life?

JS: No, I’m not good at keeping secrets. If I’m entrusted with a secret from a friend, I can do that because I’m a good friend, but I don’t like having secrets, it makes me nervous.

JJ: Fairy tales seem to be all the rage in Hollywood right now. If you could star in any storybook film what would it be?

JS: What fairy tale hasn’t been made into a film yet? (laughs) Has The Little Mermaid ever been made into a live-action movie? That’d be fun.

JJ: Seeing how you were a part of the original Jason Bourne franchise, would you open to being involved in a sequel to the Bourne Legacy?

JS: Yeah, but I think this incarnation, or at least how it was explained to me, Tony Gilroy said there’s not really room for my character in it because she was so attached to Matt Damon‘s version. But, I don’t know, I’m pretty much open to anything until I’m not open to it anymore.

JJ: Are there any actors you’d love to work alongside one day?

JS: Yeah, absolutely! I’ve been really lucky. I’ve worked with some awesome talented people. I mean there are the obvious ones, like Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, and Kate Winslet.

JJ: There’s been a lot of talk about who’s going to be cast in the movie version of the book, “50 Shades of Grey.” Would you be interested in being part of that?

JS: It would depend on how the adaptation is. I’ve skimmed the books and I certainly understand why people are talking about it so much.

JJ: Who do you think would be perfect for the role of Christian Grey?

JS: It’s so hard to [pick an actor that could play Grey], because you always have that person that you imagine in your head. I don’t know, I’ll have to think about that.

JJ: Is there anything you’re obsessed with right now?

JS: I’m very late to this party, but I’m obsessed with the show, The Wire. It’s just so suspenseful and there are so many cliffhangers. You finish one episode and want to keep watching more! I love the conspiracy part of it – the deeper it gets, the more I’m hooked.

JJ: As a native New Yorker, what are some of your favorite things to do when you’re in the city?

JS: I love going to the parks along the water. I also love walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. In the summertime, Shakespeare in the Park is always really wonderful and Governors Island is a fun little getaway. Taking a water taxi to Red Hook is kind of a cool little neighborhood where you can sit out on the pier is fun, too.

JJ: You have a movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper coming out! What’s that about?

JS: Yeah, it comes out in the fall and is called Silver Linings Playbook. It’s kind of a romantic comedy, but about two dysfunctional people. I play Jennifer‘s sister.

JJ: Nice, what other projects do you have in the works right now?

JS: There’s a movie that I’m in at the LA Film Festival right now. It’s a comedy called It’s a Disaster. The movie is about a group of friends who are stuck in a house when they realize the world’s about to end and they’re all kind of in denial about it. David Cross is in that and America Ferrera. I also just got back from London, from working on a movie called Closed. It’s a political thriller about a bomb that goes off and they think it’s a terrorist bombing and there’s a trial surrounding that. I play a journalist for the New York Times who has a conspiracy theory that the government is involved. That should come out in about a year.

Interviewed by: Morgan McMurrin (@MorganMcMurrin)