Q: How did you go about distancing yourself from that awful character at the end of the day?
ST: I never wanted to play a serial killer. I would look forward to going into the makeup trailer, taking everything off and having a martini at the end of every day—and at the beginning of every day too! But I’ll be honest, I almost didn’t do The Lovely Bones. I was this close to saying no. It was a hard decision. But in the end, I’m glad I said yes. I knew it would be painful, and I can’t read books or see movies in which children are harmed. I’m very proud of The Lovely Bones because it was really hard to do, just to go to that place. We shot The Lovely Bones before Julie & Julia, so Julie & Julia was a welcome antidote.
Q: Which movie of yours is your best memory?
ST: I don’t know, I can never pick one particular thing. To choose one as my favorite is like saying, “Which child of mine do I love the most?” I can’t say that. They’re all different parts of you. So if you pick one, you’re negating the other parts of you. But I’m very proud of Julie & Julia. I would love to work more with Meryl. If we could make movies together forever, we would be happy. It was a great gift to do that. And it was an easy decision, because how can you say no to a movie with Meryl?
Q: Speaking of Julie & Julia, what’s your magic recipe for disappearing into a role and making it come alive?
ST: No matter what the visuals or the technical aspects, it’s about the emotion. You have this wonderful visual experience, but the emotions help you find the truth.
Q: What are you going to be up to in Captain America: The First Avenger?
ST: I play Dr. Erskine. He’s an elderly German scientist. I love the role; it’s really interesting. I’ve never done anything like that before and it’s really well written. I’ve always wanted to do a German accent; it’s so much fun.
Q: Are you worried about the comic book fanatics and their high expectations?
ST: I don’t know, that’s up to them! But you just do it the way it is on the page and then you bring to it what you can bring to it. If they don’t like it…I suppose they could go make their own movie! But I don’t look anything like that. I have to do an accent and be elderly, with longish hair and glasses. When they asked me to play him initially I was like, “Is that a compliment or is that an insult?” I don’t know!
