- 19 hours ago
“He was less eccentric than I thought he would be. He was so prepared and he cared so much about the work," Tunney told THR.
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00:00Hi, this is Mariah Gullo from The Hollywood Reporter, and I'm in studio with Robin Tunney today.
00:09Hi, Robin. Thanks for having me. Yeah, thank you for coming in.
00:13We would like to talk to you about Looking Glass, which comes out on Friday, February 16th.
00:19It's a movie that I did with Nicolas Cage last year, which was incredibly exciting for me, because I'm a huge fan.
00:25I was going to ask you how you got into it, and I figured Nicolas Cage had something to do with it.
00:29I'd worked with the director, Tim Hunter, who, I guess he's most famous for making a, it was a cult film called River's Edge.
00:36And he did episodes of Twin Peaks, which I loved, and I'd worked with him once in the 90s.
00:40I'd done a movie with Michael Rappaport that he directed, and he called and asked if I was interested, and I was like, stop at Nic Cage.
00:47And I read the script, and I hadn't really read anything like it, and I just had a baby.
00:53So it was nice to be able to go and work with the director I knew, and I sort of felt safe with.
00:58And it was just an environment that was, like, super positive, and Nic Cage was everything that you expected.
01:08Yeah.
01:09Actually, he was, like, less eccentric than I expected him to be.
01:15He was, like, so prepared.
01:18He cared so much about the work, and he didn't have anybody around him, which is really unusual for an actor.
01:25Like, he had no assistant.
01:26Like, there was nobody who came with him.
01:28Just a roasted chicken.
01:29That was, like, his one contractual.
01:31He eats a roasted chicken for lunch.
01:33Like, that's, like, his big demand.
01:35And apparently that's been his thing since, like, raising Arizona.
01:38He likes a chicken.
01:40That's great.
01:41Yeah, doesn't get sick of it.
01:42Chicken.
01:43Well, what I really appreciated in this film is that you two played, like, kind of like an average American couple.
01:51It's not, the role isn't flashy.
01:54There's a lot of, like, really fun costuming.
01:57You're in the middle of nowhere.
01:59What is it about creepy hotels that really set the scene for interesting thrillers?
02:05I think it's something that we all, like, every time you drive by a motel, I think it's just part of human nature.
02:10Like, what goes on in there?
02:12It's, like, prostitution.
02:14There's something illicit about them.
02:15Like, very rarely do you drive by one and think, oh, a family is vacationing in there.
02:20There's something that, like, you're just incredibly curious about.
02:23And, you know, basically the theme of the film, you know, we've suffered a tragedy.
02:28And decided to sort of, like, move and solve our problems geographically, which is not working out.
02:34And there's a hole that the previous owner left that he was, like, you know, peeping on guests.
02:40And my husband, a caged character, starts to get lost in it.
02:43And it's one of those questions, like, would you look?
02:45Right.
02:46If you had the ability to look into a hotel room with a two-way mirror, like, what would you do?
02:53And his character, he kind of keeps it a secret, which is interesting.
02:57And he can't really stop with it, too.
02:58It becomes something where, like, he's ashamed of it, but he can't stop looking.
03:02And I think all of us, like, we wonder.
03:05Somebody asked me earlier, and I was like, it depends on what was going on in that room.
03:08Yeah.
03:09But I do think that there's a curiosity about what people are like when they're not being watched.
03:14I mean, they don't know they're being watched and, like, what their behavior is like.
03:18And being able to sort of observe somebody that candidly is unusual.
03:22Mm-hmm.
03:23And you see a lot of Tim Hunter's television pedigree with kind of some of the scenes.
03:31I'm thinking of, like, the first scene where he gets, where Nick Cage's character gets to look into the mirror.
03:37And you see a little bit of that mix between, like, Breaking Bad, American Horror Story.
03:43And Twin Peaks.
03:44And Twin Peaks, yeah.
03:45Like, it's weird.
03:46Like, somebody was trying to explain to somebody, because it's not really a straight-down-the-middle genre movie.
03:50Like, it definitely has, like, elements of those influences.
03:54Like, the characters are very odd and idiosyncratic.
03:58And I think that Tim has, like, a unique vision.
04:01Like, it's not shot like a straight.
04:03I think it's, like, it's beautiful to look at.
04:05And he definitely has, like, a quirky sensibility.
04:08So it's sort of, like, something that's, like, a serviceable thriller, but it's got something else that's going on.
04:13Right.
04:14That I think makes it a more interesting movie.
04:16Yeah.
04:17Tell me a little bit about your character and kind of what her motivations are.
04:21I think that we're both just trying to feel better.
04:25And I think we're trying to feel better about this loss that, you know, clearly nobody gets over by not talking about it.
04:33And it's making it worse.
04:35Mm-hmm.
04:36And the relationship.
04:37It's suffering.
04:38And we're both grieving in different ways.
04:40And he's sort of, like, grieving by getting lost in these other people's lives.
04:44And my character's sort of, like, taking pills and numbing herself and sort of, like, you know, anything.
04:50You know, that's what makes relationships fail is not talking about things.
04:55Like, the character, like, the people who fight and the people who sort of put it all out there, they can stay together.
05:00But I think that that sort of animosity just sort of builds.
05:03And they're just, like, two people that are really hurting, but they're not able to, like, go to each other for solace.
05:10Mm-hmm.
05:11And so instead they're looking at these other things that are kind of making things worse.
05:15And then in the end, you know, because it's a film, people start going missing and crazy things happen.
05:22And I think it draws them, you know, closer together.
05:25Yeah.
05:26Yeah.
05:27Tell me a little bit about the filming process of filming on location, because you were, were you in Utah?
05:34Yeah, we were in Kanab, Utah, and it was an actual motel that we shot in that had, you know, basically, because it wasn't their tourist season, it was empty anyway.
05:43And then we had one set in an airport hangar that was one of the interiors, but all the other things were practical, which is very unusual in movies.
05:51Usually it's mostly sets.
05:53Yeah.
05:54And it was, you know, this, like, sort of beautiful desert atmosphere.
05:58But it very, you felt very isolated, and it was very much like, like I was saying, like the Overlook Hotel from The Shining.
06:05Like, there was nobody around.
06:07Yeah.
06:08It was a very sort of, it was a ghost town in the winter.
06:11We were there in the winter.
06:12And I have a scene in a bathing suit where it's, it was hailing.
06:15Yeah.
06:16And I was like, okay, wait, the gig's up.
06:19There's golf holes, like, of ice coming down.
06:22Like, they're going to know I'm not really sunbathing.
06:24But when we were playing it for summer, there's a lot of talk about, you know, it's too hot to drink coffee and it was actually really cold.
06:30I was joking around earlier that that's why he's won Academy Awards, Nick Cage, because he knows how to act like it's hot when it's really cold.
06:36How is it to do the husband-wife dynamic with Nick?
06:40He's so easy.
06:41Like, he's such a pro and a nice guy, and I think he's got, like, a super strong work ethic.
06:47I think most actors, like myself, are, like, maybe a little lazy.
06:52Like, when I'm not working and the alarm's not going off in bed, I'm pretty happy about it.
06:56But I think he's somebody who really loves to be on set and loves making movies and loves to work.
07:02And I think that that sort of attitude is, it's sort of contagious.
07:08Like, it was really nice.
07:09It was just, it was a really, it was a really good experience.
07:12And everybody on it, like, there was not one, usually there's the person you do not want to run into on set.
07:17You're like, oh, my God, that guy at Crafty, I can't, I can't deal.
07:20If he talks about his cat one more time or that person has bad, like, everybody was nice on this.
07:25So it was a really good experience, which was nice after, like, I'd done a play in New York and had a baby.
07:31I'd had some time off, and it was nice to be sort of, like, amongst good people.
07:36And you have some kind of some amazing propping happening in wardrobe.
07:41Was there anything from the set that you wished you had taken home?
07:44There's some, like, real Southwest Airbnb Coachella kind of hipster fashion happening.
07:51Yeah, I had a lot of turquoise jewelry.
07:53My idea for, like, my costumes was just that, like, she was still wearing the same outfit from when she peaked.
07:59So I wore, like, very, like, loose, long jeans, and, like, basically, it was her look.
08:04It's like early 2000s.
08:05And she was, yeah, sticking with it.
08:07That's awesome.
08:08And it was sort of, like, a tougher, like, was, like, from, you know, when things were better.
08:12And, like, maybe the pants, like, she shouldn't really be wearing those pants, but she's working it anyway.
08:17It's very good.
08:19Very good.
08:20And was it fun to kind of pull together, like, a very, like, mysterious plot?
08:25Because, like you said, it kind of goes in many different directions.
08:29You're almost the straight man.
08:31You're the person whose point of view we see.
08:33And there's all these weird characters circulating around with very questionable motivations.
08:40You know, was it kind of fun to be the straight man, or did you kind of wish you were in a flash year?
08:45Ernie Lively was so, Blake Lively's father played the pervert truck driver.
08:51Awesome.
08:52He's really good at it, right?
08:53Yes.
08:54Yeah, those characters are more colorful.
08:55I mean, I think as a woman you're used to being offered the more, you know, sort of straighter role.
09:00I think as far as, like, the experience goes, it was just really, I just felt happy to be in a situation where everybody was trying to make the best version of the kind of movie we were making.
09:10And I think that they succeeded.
09:12Like, it's not sort of, like, some run-of-the-mill, like, I feel like Patrick Kaye to the DP really cared.
09:17And he, like, it really, like, it looks good.
09:20And everybody was there because they wanted to be.
09:24It was a really, it was a good environment.
09:26Like, even, like, the costume girl was so creative and, like, coming up with things.
09:29And she's like, I stole these from my mom.
09:31Like, who steals things from their mom for you to wear and, like, loan you?
09:34She really cared.
09:35And, sadly, that's super unusual.
09:37It was a really nice experience.
09:39That's great.
09:40Well, speaking of experiences that you've had, it's been 22 years since The Craft.
09:46And that is a movie that is, you know, like, people like me, it's like a big movie in our lifetime.
09:54Can you just talk a little bit about that experience, like, looking back at it?
09:59Yeah, you know, originally I was supposed to play Neve Campbell's part.
10:03That's the part I screen tested for.
10:05And after the screen test they called and they said they'd actually like you to play the lead.
10:09And I said, no.
10:11Nobody wants to play that character.
10:13She's, like, the good girl.
10:14Like, who wants to play that?
10:15It's so, yeah, it's so boring.
10:17And my agent just started laughing at me.
10:20She's like, you can't turn down the lead in a studio movie.
10:24And it also wasn't because I felt like I was too good for it.
10:26I was scared.
10:27Like, I felt so scared.
10:29And while we were making it, there was no indication that it would become what it was.
10:35You know, like, a movie that was, like, passed down between generations.
10:37Like, I've had young girls being like, my mom made me watch it a sleepover and it was so cool.
10:43I hope that the remake is something that sort of, that is good.
10:48I feel, like, invested in that.
10:49Like, the idea that they do it well and it's not, like, this thing to make, just make more money 22 years later.
10:55Because if you're going to make a sequel 22 years later, you better be sure you have, like, something that's relevant to offer and, like, something that's different about it.
11:05Like, I don't know if they make it, like, a black comedy or, like, they have to do something different to make it feel fresh.
11:13But it is.
11:14It's, like, one of those movies that's just stuck with people.
11:17And I was saying earlier, it's really bizarre because when you're on TV, so many people watch the TV show.
11:22And while you're on it, everywhere you go, everybody knows that you're from that TV show.
11:26Like, every corner of the world.
11:27Like, people in Pakistan.
11:29Like, you'll be traveling in an airport and you're like, I didn't even know it was on in Pakistan.
11:34Like, they're enjoying this there.
11:36Or, like, Saudi Arabia.
11:37I'm like, really?
11:38It's, like, masses of people know who you are and you get better hotel rooms and, like, things for free.
11:43And then people forget about it.
11:44Like, the show's been off the air for three years now.
11:47And, like, people forget about it and then it's back to the craft.
11:49Do you know what I mean?
11:50It's, like, a bizarre, like, it seems like TV is more ephemeral.
11:54Yeah.
11:55And TV also gets syndicated at different times.
11:57Yeah.
11:58So, you can be like, oh, I guess Australia has the mentalists now because I'm getting a lot of attention from Australians.
12:03Yeah.
12:04Yeah.
12:05It's a funny thing.
12:06Yeah.
12:07So, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions before I let you go.
12:11The first job that made you think, I've made it.
12:14I'm still waiting for it.
12:16You could be wrong.
12:17No, I'm kidding.
12:18You could have been wrong, though.
12:20I remember, like, after the craft came out, I went to, like, a Rite Aid in New York City.
12:26And the woman was ringing me out and she waited a second.
12:31She looked at me and she's like, oh, my God, you're from the craft.
12:34And I said, yes.
12:35And she said, if I'd known that you were in the craft, I wouldn't have charged you tax.
12:39And at that moment, I was like, I'm famous.
12:41Like, that's so crazy.
12:42That's great.
12:43Yeah.
12:44Not that somebody was potentially not going to charge me tax made me feel like I made it.
12:49That's great.
12:50Best Nicolas Cage moment on set for Looking Glass.
12:54On set?
12:56Mm-hmm.
12:58And, yeah, anybody who's a Nicolas Cage fan, I know that they usually pay attention to his freak-out moments.
13:06He doesn't really have.
13:07He has a classic freak-out moment.
13:08But he doesn't, it's a very, but it is a very muted performance for him.
13:13It is, it is.
13:14Compared to, compared to others, but.
13:16Yeah, so we only have one of those rage moments.
13:18Apparently there's, like, a meme where they put him in any movie now.
13:22Uh-huh.
13:23It's a crazy app.
13:24Have you seen this?
13:25No.
13:26You can put Nicolas Cage's face on any, like, classic movie and it's, like, really well done.
13:30It's crazy.
13:31The internet has a ball with him.
13:32Yeah.
13:33You know, I don't have any great, um, sort of, like, stories about him specifically on set,
13:40other than he was a joy and it was amazing and I love him.
13:42Um, but I have a story, we have a pig in the film that plays a minor character, I don't
13:48know if you remember the pig.
13:49Oh yes, I do.
13:50And the pig's wearing panties.
13:52And it was a low budget movie and we could only afford one pig and the pig appears twice.
13:57So one of the crew members had to bring the pig home and stick the pig in his refrigerator
14:01over a three week course that had panties on it.
14:04Now imagine if somebody opened up the guy's fridge and saw a dead pig wearing panties,
14:10how that would look.
14:11Yeah.
14:12That's commitment.
14:13That is, that is.
14:14And also, like, how much would a new pig have been?
14:16I mean, as a pig, like 150 bucks, like, wasn't really that low budget.
14:21It's true.
14:23Um, okay, next one.
14:25Uh, last movie that made you cry.
14:27The Florida Project.
14:29Balled my eyes out.
14:31Balled my eyes out.
14:32That little girl, Brooklyn, at the end when she goes to that door, I was, like, out of
14:36control to the point where I couldn't move out of the theater.
14:39And I've started following that girl, Bria, on Instagram and she's amazing.
14:43Yeah, yeah.
14:44She's, uh, God, I forgot her name, handle now, but it's like...
14:47Chronic Flowers.
14:48Yes, Chronic Flowers.
14:49Yeah.
14:50That's right.
14:51Yeah, she's great.
14:52Yeah, she's amazing.
14:53She had a thing of herself eating pizza the other day, going like this and taking a bite,
14:57going, this is working out.
14:59This is my exercise.
15:01She's funny.
15:02That's awesome.
15:03Did you feel like a connection to them now that you guys have both done, like, motel movies?
15:08No, I didn't.
15:09I felt so, I think Sean Baker is so talented.
15:12You're immersed.
15:13Like, I loved Starlet as well, the movie he made with Trey Hemingway.
15:16Yes, yes.
15:17I thought it was so good.
15:18And, you know, obviously Tangerine.
15:20I just got lost in it and I thought all the performances were amazing.
15:24I just, it really affected me.
15:26One of those things where, like, the next day you're still feeling like something happened.
15:30Yeah.
15:31It was really, I thought it was really, really, really amazing.
15:34I loved it.
15:35Yeah.
15:36Last question.
15:37Worst audition story.
15:39Oh my God, I have so many.
15:41I went on one that I believe was for The Fifth Element and there was no script and there were
15:46no sides.
15:47Oh.
15:48And my agent was like, they want you to wear something that's really sexy and the director's
15:52just gonna, like, talk to you and, like, maybe you'll improv some stuff.
15:56And I was like, okay.
15:58So I went in and the director wasn't there and the casting director was there and she
16:03was like, so here's what we're doing.
16:05Like, you can do some dancing or you can pretend to be beating somebody up.
16:09And I thought about it and I was like, there's no music.
16:12Like, I'll feel like an idiot dancing.
16:14And I was sort of angry about it.
16:15So I was like, beating somebody up sounds like the better option of the two.
16:18Like, neither were great.
16:19It was a dilemma.
16:20And so I started, like, punching.
16:24And she's like, kick.
16:25And I, like, kicked.
16:26And she's like, kick higher.
16:27And I kicked higher.
16:28And I turned around.
16:29And she's like, kick again.
16:30And I turned to do, like, a full roundhouse.
16:32And I split my dress up completely at the back.
16:35Oh, no.
16:36Full ass to camera in a G-string.
16:39And I was in New York.
16:40I lived in New York.
16:41And this was, like, far west in Hell's Kitchen.
16:44So it was, like, 46th and, like, 10th.
16:47And I didn't have money for a cab.
16:50So I had to walk to the subway in New York City with my, like, butt hanging out of my dress.
16:55Oh, no.
16:56And then get on the subway.
16:57And it was hot.
16:58It was, like, summer.
16:59And, like, my butt was sticking to the subway seat.
17:01And I just, I didn't want to get up because then my butt was exposed.
17:04So that was, like, every situation was bad.
17:06And I don't know if I need to tell you this part, but I didn't get it either.
17:10So clearly the view wasn't that good.
17:12Like, I didn't even get a call back.
17:14That might be one of the worst ones I've heard.
17:17It was bad.
17:18Oh, man.
17:19I don't even know how actresses do it.
17:21It's, like...
17:22It's humiliating.
17:23It's basically a demoralizing job that, like, you have to hate yourself to do.
17:26And then you just keep on doing it.
17:28Like, the people who have the longest careers are the ones that hate themselves the most.
17:31They just, like, keep on going.
17:33Oh, man.
17:35Oh, man.
17:36Well, Robin, thank you so much.
17:37I'm glad you didn't give up after splitting your skirt.
17:41And the movie's called Looking Glass.
17:44It's out February 16th, and it's on theatrical release, VOD, and HD.
17:50And thank you so much for being here.
17:52Thank you for having me.
17:53See you later.
17:54Bye.
17:55Bye.
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