'The Loudest Voice' Star Annabelle Wallis On Why She's a "Product of Roger Ailes' World," Being "Protective" of Laurie Luhn | In Studio - video Dailymotion

Hollywood Journal

"I really feel protective of her," Wallis said of Luhn. "She's an incredible woman, she's done incredible things. She's endured a lot, and I have deep respect for her."

Transcript

00:00Hi, I'm Annabelle Wallace, and you're watching

00:02In Studio with The Hollywood Reporter.

00:08Now, The Loudest Voice, it's a story that some of us know,

00:12but you're bringing this story to a wider audience.

00:14What attracted you to this project?

00:18I think that, you know, for me it was,

00:21firstly, I knew about Roger Ailes, you know,

00:25and the man that he was, but also,

00:28it was so much a story that is in the public consciousness,

00:33it's in the forefront of our generation's consciousness.

00:36It's part of the narrative in the news,

00:40it's what's happening in my industry,

00:41it's really the source of a voice that

00:47is shifting for women and all people.

00:49And so, when I heard that they were making this show,

00:54I got very excited, and then when I read it, you know,

00:58the writing is amazing, and the pace of it,

01:00and the relevancy to my journey and so many people's journeys,

01:05I just thought I really wanted to be a part of it.

01:08Russell Crowe, you know, co-star from The Mummy,

01:11is also in this film.

01:13Did he have a hand in bringing you into this project?

01:15Yes, it was actually Russell who called me

01:18and told me about the project.

01:19He said that he'd been offered the job.

01:21He was, you know, very adamant that I'd be part of it,

01:24and he felt that together we could tackle this in a way that

01:28he felt was needed, and he, you know, wanted to surround himself

01:33with people that he felt, I guess, could do the job in a,

01:38yeah, and support him in it, so I was very, I was very humbled by that.

01:41Yeah.

01:42What was your reaction to his transformation into Roger Ailes?

01:45I mean, it's incredible.

01:47The hair and makeup on the show is phenomenal,

01:51and, you know, it adds so much to character,

01:53it adds so much to performance, and it is so much, you know,

01:58a piece of the puzzle that makes the show so authentic and so great,

02:03and, you know, it took four hours every morning for Russell, for Sienna.

02:09Yeah, there's a lot of prosthetics, and they're real artists,

02:13and they really feed your artistry, you know,

02:16so to be around, to be in a scene with Russell in the makeup,

02:21you know, and the embodiment of a completely different person

02:25in the room with you really helps inspire your performance

02:28and makes you believe the moment, and it was just, it was wonderful.

02:31It was really wonderful.

02:33And for those of you who didn't get to see the premiere,

02:35he blows you away.

02:36Yeah.

02:37He is Roger Ailes.

02:38Yeah.

02:38You know, I have to ask, you mentioned that he sat through four hours of makeup.

02:42Did you feel a little vindicated, you know?

02:45I was very, I used to drop to work in the morning and be very chirpy and,

02:50you know, be ready to go, and, you know,

02:53Paul Russell had, you know, been there four hours before,

02:55and the call times were very early for him, I think,

02:58from there at 4.30 a.m., and I'd waltz in at eight, you know,

03:02to get a blow-dry and lots of...

03:04With your coffee, you know.

03:04Lots of fabulous makeup, and then, yeah, I felt very fortunate, you know,

03:09and also it affects your performance in that there's a weight to it.

03:13It, you know, it affects your, the muscles in your face and just everything.

03:20So, you know, eight hours in that makeup is, is taxing on the body,

03:24and it takes a true professional to really ride through it, you know,

03:28and, and convey a performance through it, and, yeah.

03:32So I, lots of credit to them, but I'm very happy I didn't have to do it.

03:36You didn't have to do it.

03:38Seth MacFarlane's also on board for this project,

03:41and he's, we usually see him in a comedic background.

03:44Yeah.

03:45What different dynamic did he bring to this?

03:47I was blown away by Seth.

03:49I'm such a fan of his work, and, and I've watched all his work, and, um,

03:56on this, he's really grounded, and he's such a good actor, and serious actor.

04:04I just love, you know, in the company of greats,

04:06you never know what they're going to do, and you never know what trick they have

04:09under their sleeve, and here comes another one from him, and he's just a real tour de force,

04:15and, and really just wonderful to be in the company of someone that is so immensely talented,

04:22and so, you know, they continually expand into this, you know, um,

04:28new place within their artistic self that is really amazing to be around and watch,

04:33and it's just going to get better for his character, so I can't wait for people to enjoy that.

04:38Did you have any reservations joining onto this project? You know, because you're,

04:42you're telling the story of Fox News, which is very polarizing.

04:45I didn't. I like to think of myself as someone who pursues bravery, that's bravery in choices,

04:57and, and bravery in work, and I think the more and more I work, the more I feel indebted to

05:04choosing projects that speak to a, a louder voice, let's say, and, and, um, an important one.

05:11Yeah. And I think this is, like, fundamentally important. It is, it affects all the women in my

05:19life, it affects the women, you know, the next generation forward, it, if, you know, it heals back.

05:27It's so wonderful to see conversations happening, whether you agree with them or not, it's like,

05:33they're happening, and to be part of a bold, brave piece that wants to spark conversation

05:40is exciting. And so, no, I like bravery, and I like brave people, and I think Showtime have

05:47been brave, and I think everyone involved has been brave, and I think it's a brave time to have

05:54difficult conversations, whatever your perspective. And for me, knowledge is power, and to just

06:01give someone a different perspective, you're giving them knowledge, and you're giving them the right to

06:06choose. So, um, I think with, with any art, if you offer that, that's, uh, uh, a very important

06:15place to be, yeah. Are you a news junkie? I'm a news junkie. You are? Yeah. Uh, how much did you

06:21know about Roger's story? Uh, you know, I wasn't, I became so much more informed after reading Gabe

06:29Sherman's book, and I then realized that I am a product of Roger Ailes' world. I am a news absorbing,

06:43I am a social media, I am a soundbite generation, you know, I'm of the generation that Roger Ailes is

06:54very, very influential of, and be it if it's, you know, absorbing, knowing how to get people to react,

07:02even if it's, it's for the wrong reasons, and, um, creating this charged environment that makes,

07:09you know, our primal instincts react, and knowing that I can go into a place and judge

07:17someone's perspective of the news, or the way they see the world, but I am fully

07:23a participant in enabling it. So, it, it was very interesting to go into something and be like,

07:32oh, wow, I cannot judge because I am part and parcel of the problem of the, the zeitgeist that we

07:39have all together created that, yes, has sparked from one person. So, yeah, it's been an interesting and

07:46humbling experience. How did you prepare? Did you watch interviews?

07:52Yeah, we were very lucky. We had a plethora of, of interviews and, um, research that Gabe Sherman,

08:00who wrote the book, he was on set, he was available to us, he had all of his interviews,

08:06he had 600 interviews with different people, I had women who worked at Fox reach out to me, I spoke to

08:14them on the phone, I, I had, you know, these incredible tapes, um, of the character being

08:20interviewed and really it was just connecting on a human level and understanding that

08:29there's a humanity in, in anyone who makes a choice, be it one you agree with or not,

08:35um, again, if we're talking about polarities, like these are polarizing characters,

08:39and knowing that in order to convey the truth, you, you have to connect with the humanity and you have

08:47to look deeper into why someone would choose to put themselves through or, or the intention of their

08:55journey, you have to empathize with it. So, it was just a well of knowledge to draw from and it was

09:01really lovely to get into and, and really lovely to try to switch my perspective of a narrative that

09:07I thought I understood, I thought I was informed about, I thought I knew, um, but in this process

09:16realizing that you, if you want to play the truth, you just have to empathize and, and empathy is really

09:21the underlying thing, isn't it? Like, I, I really hope that you feel empathy even for these people who are

09:28polarizing, even for, because where does it come from? It comes from pain, it comes from hurt,

09:33it comes from, and if we, yeah, get to the point of, of empathy, then you can neutralize your judgment

09:40and you can actually make a proper decision. You have not reached out to Laurie or you have not

09:44spoken to Laurie? Um, I have not spoken to Laurie and I really feel protective of her, I feel really, um,

09:53indebted to her, she's an incredible woman, she's done incredible things, she's endured a lot and

10:01I have deep respect for her and I have a very primally protective place for her and

10:08she's wonderfully polarizing and so are all the great females that I know and so are all the great

10:15men that I know and I knew that I was gonna honor her first and foremost because that is, as another

10:22human on this earth, like, I wanted to honor her. If you met her, you know, in passing or in this

10:27history? I'd say, I hope you're okay. Yeah. That's all I can say because she, you know, she was really,

10:37she paved a path for a conversation that's happening now. She was at the pillar of a shift

10:43that had to happen so that we could get here now and I hope she knows her value

10:50in that, you know, and that the things that happened to her, the harrowing things that she went through,

10:57she helped us on our journey to a better place with it. So, I would say thank you and that I hope

11:06that she feels that. As an actor, is it easier or harder to get the real person involved?

11:12It depends if they want to be involved. You know, when there's, when there's complexity around the

11:18subject, I think it's very hard. I think it's also very arrogant for an actor to assume that you know

11:26what a person went through or what it was like and what, what, what was going on in their mind. So,

11:32I take that into account. You know, I understand that it's such a strange thing to do, you know,

11:39and, and so you have to just be respectful of it. Yeah, it's odd. Well, thank you so much for stopping by and

11:46letting us pick your brain. Yes, thank you. It was so fun. Thank you. Be sure to catch the loudest voice on Showtime on Sundays.

11:53Yes, showtime on Sundays.

11:55Yes, showtime on Sundays.

11:57Yes, showtime on Sundays.

'The Loudest Voice' Star Annabelle Wallis On Why She's a "Product of Roger Ailes' World," Being "Protective" of Laurie Luhn | In Studio

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