 |
Brittany Murphy holds the key to a mystery in the
suspense thriller Don’t Say a Word.
|
A change of clothes says it all. Clad in a "Hello Kitty" T-shirt and casual pants, Brittany Murphy is ready to meet the press. She's giggly and talkative as she paces the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Excitement is the driving force in her personality. It's hard to imagine a situation when she isn't ready and raring to go. Then again, there are always unforeseen delays.
Hours later, Murphy reappears wearing more polished attire. Her T-shirt has been replaced with something a bit more haute couture. You know, something more appropriate for "one of Hollywood's most sought-after young actresses." She has plenty of talent and charisma to spare. This time, her advisors-at-hand felt the 23-year-old actress needed to display some show biz glamour during her morning interview.
"I tried to put on some classy stuff, but I love my 'Hello Kitty' shirt," Murphy says, laughing. "It's one of my favorites."
Murphy appears in three major films this fall. In Riding in Cars With Boys, an unashamed weepy that's a kindred spirit to women's films like Stella Dallas and Mildred Pierce, Murphy plays the best friend to Drew Barrymore's teen-aged wife and mother. The suspense thriller Don't Say a Word pairs Murphy, this time playing an institutionalized woman who holds the key to a mystery, opposite Michael Douglas' New York psychiatrist. In the upcoming ensemble comedy, Sidewalks of New York, Murphy stars as a college student having an affair with a married dentist played by Stanley Tucci.
Each role couldn't be more different. Yet Murphy doesn't consider herself to be a chameleon. She tackles each project enthusiastically. Her main goal is to be believable. After that, everything else is a bonus.
"They say an actor is only as good as your last film," Murphy says. "I've been working for the past five years without more than a three-week break. Some of the movies came out. Some of them didn't. It's just a matter of which ones came out at the same time."
The youthful Murphy has already been in eight films. She continues to be best known for her role as the tomboy Tai Frasier in the comedy hit Clueless. She played a fellow mental hospital patient alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in the coming-of-age drama, Girl, Interrupted. She provided comic support in forgettable films like Drop Dead Gorgeous and Summer Catch. She has indie film credentials thanks to her role in Alan Rudolph's screwball farce, Trixie. On Broadway, Murphy performed with Allison Janney in Arthur Miller's Tony-Award-winning A View From the Bridge.
It's a clear October morning, and Murphy is in Los Angeles to promote Riding in Cars With Boys. She flew into town the previous day from Detroit, where she is co-starring with Rap star Eminem, in director Curtis Hanson's new drama. An ordinary person would be tired, but her energy level is anything but ordinary. She gulps air between her rambling sentences. There's so much Murphy has to say.
"I'm not an actor who becomes, you know," she says, speaking quickly. "I've never taken classes. I don't try to walk into work as the character that day. But we do spend more hours out of a day as these other people than we are as ourselves. So it's funny the things that end up getting used and the things that don't."
If a press interview could ever be mistaken for a party, Murphy would be the life of that party. Talking about working with Eminem, Murphy is boisterous, funny and lively. Despite her change of clothes, it's hard to see her as graceful or glamorous. Her enthusiasm for her work is innocent and down-to-earth. Granted, Murphy is part of the bright lights, big city of in-demand, Hollywood actors and actresses. The catch is that she doesn't seem all that comfortable with the part of the show-biz diva.
"I'd never done a picture before Clueless," she says. "That was the first movie I was ever in, or auditioned for. The camera was like a big, black alien to me. I didn't know anything about anything. Not that I do now, but I do know a bit more."
Her bob of shaggy brown hair puts her outside the circle of popular, blonde actresses like Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Leelee Sobieski and Kate Hudson. While Sports Illustrated model Estella Warren gains endless attention for her sexpot role in Planet of the Apes, Murphy must make do with her boundless spunk.
Like all of Hollywood's young actresses, Murphy is pretty to watch. Still, beauty isn't everything. Her shot at lasting stardom is improved by the fact that she has a forceful presence. Her hyper-excitability makes her seem a bit mad, but in a warm and appealing way. She's believable, with real presence. When Murphy walks into a commonplace hotel room, it's not long before it becomes something lively and fun.
Born in Edison, New Jersey, Murphy came into acting at an early age. Clueless provided her first, big break. Since then, she has worked steadily, never doubting her career decisions. She alternates large, studio films with small independent features. Her voice can be heard every week in the animated TV comedy King of the Hill. She appears regularly in cable TV movies. Basically, she stays very busy.
Compared to today's actresses, Murphy may not be as beautiful as Michelle Pfeiffer. She doesn't display Jodie Foster-like smarts or a wide array of accents à la Meryl Streep. Still, she's as lovable as Meg Ryan. Like Sandra Bullock, Murphy seems as approachable as the girl-next-door. The goddess-like Gwyneth Paltrow looks like a movie star. Murphy? She could be someone who works at one of the stores in the neighborhood mall.
Still, Murphy can't even say if she wants to command $20 million per picture like Julia Roberts. Asked about future career prospects, Murphy flashes her trademark charisma. Any traces of show-biz attitude are left outside the room.
"I find with what I do for a living, my intentions are often misunderstood in print," she says. "But I don't really care. All I do is put it out there. I have to get something out of my body and this is my way of doing it. Hopefully, my work can affect some people along the way because that's the main intention."
The strange gig that is Hollywood continues to challenge Murphy. She doesn't stare at you from seven magazine covers at the checkout counter. She's yet to achieve what one would call celebrity status. Still, the idea of "future leading woman" for Murphy is totally credible. She sings briefly in Riding in Cars With Boys. A Janis Joplin film was once planned with Murphy in the starring role. She's a fine comedienne. If someone like Ashley Judd can become a star, then Murphy should also have a shot. While French audiences ogle over Amélie star Audrey Tatou and all her Gallic whimsy, here, in America, Murphy offers us similar cuteness.
If there are to be any Golden Globe or Oscar nominations for Murphy, such superlatives lie in her future. Her secret weapon is her powder of keg of enthusiasm. She's a rocket, and there's no telling how far she'll go.
Murphy may not be the next big one. Then again, the next big one often lasts for only a few minutes. Murphy plans on sticking around a lot longer than that.
"I think that every interview I do or every premiere I get to go to, it's all just a celebration of work and I think that's beautiful," Murphy says. "I savor every second of it. It's amazing and I think it's just lovely how they do your hair and make up, and put on clothes. It's part of the celebration
"The great thing I've learned recently over the past couple of months is to appreciate the good times and to savor them. You don't know how long they're going to last. So this is a good time." ©
