Amy Adams

Amy Adams in Sunshine Cleaning

Juggling nervous nuns, bubble-headed royalty and ditzy screen sirens in movies may be no big deal for the devilishly diverse Amy Adams. But her role in Sunshine Cleaning as a former New Mexico high school beauty queen-turned-depressed, struggling single mom and crime-scene mop-up maven was a bit on the extreme side. But Adams seems to have put all that behind her, as she giggled her way through this interview on a hyperactive caffeine fix, while mulling It Girl attitude, boy crushes, leaving home for good, and where she rates herself on the silly scale.

Q: So how comfortable are you with the It Girl thing?

AA: Until now, I didn’t even know about it!  I guess I just always equated It Girls with having a certain kind of sexuality. But for me, I don’t think like that. So I guess it’s not something that I associate with myself at this time.

Q: What’s up with these rumors about how boy crazy you are?

AA: I just feel squirrely talking about it, and here’s why: I have come across as boy crazy because I’m always like, “Oh my gosh.” You know, “He’s so cute.” But that’s how I’ve always been. So I’m kind of trying to be more professional, because I sound like that sort of actress who overly enjoys all of the scenes I get to do with men.  On the set of Miss Pettigrew, the director asked Lee [Pace] to leave, the set because I was staring at him! Like, I was staring at him, and the director was trying to talk to me. He was across the room, and he just looked so dashing.  You know, he looked like an old movie star, just lounging there in his cowboy boots, like Steve McQueen across the room. And I was like, “Oh wow.” And the director went, “What are you doing?” I was like, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening, I was looking at Lee. I mean, look at him leaning over there.” But it was just distracting. And the director walked over and said to him, “You’re distracting Amy with your presence so you need to leave.” And I was mortified. Mortified! But we just started laughing.

Q: With all these comedies you’re in, do you see yourself as unavoidably funny? And when you’re, you know, not trying to be funny?

AA: Hmm…I’m silly! Yeah, I’m a silly person. And I can be ridiculous, and annoying I’m sure.

Q: Do you worry about getting typecast?

AA: Not at this point. Right now I’m just doing what I enjoy. But I’ve done some different films, I’ve done some different types of roles.

Q: Do you ever miss your hometown roots?

AA: It was just one of those places for me. And I was ready to leave.

Q: What about when you visit your family over the holidays? How do they react to all that’s happened to you?

AA: They’re cool. You know, I’ve been out in L.A. working now for all these years. So they’ve had a lot of time to get used to the idea. But I think they have a lot to deal with, because they’re always asked a lot of questions about me.  And I’m not the best communicator, so they don’t know the answers!  I’ll be like, “Just tell them to stop asking you questions.” But I understand what they’re up against.

Q: Did fame come easy to you?

AA: No, I was like, I don’t know if L.A. and I are a good match. I’d been out there for years, and I still wasn’t happy, you know, fulfilled as an artist. But things changed, and I’m very glad. I mean, it led me on a completely different path than I had intended for myself. But I think the idea of Hollywood just didn’t make any sense to me. It wasn’t on my radar at all. Acting in films was something that special people did. So when I met people that were in films and realized they were just people, it helped make it more of a reality. But sometimes you just need a little kick in the butt.

Q: You’ve been working a long time to get to that point in your life.

AA: Most people who aren’t 18 do. Even at 18, some people have been working like forever.

Q: You’ve also got a talent for keeping the press from getting into your business. What’s your secret?

AA: I’m not that interesting! You know, I don’t do interesting things. And I think part of it, is that I’m a little bit older. So I don’t have a nightlife that really involves anything other than…going to get Mexican food!  And there are only so many times that they can go, “How can you eat so much Mexican food and still be thin?” That would be the only headline! Or, “What’s she really eating in that Mexican food restaurant?” But I don’t know what it is. And in a way, maybe it’s just luck that they really haven’t found me interesting yet. I’m happy to be a bore!