StudioLA's Jim Ferguson Interviews Angelina Jolie Star of Life or Something Like It

Jim speaks to Angelina Jolie, star of Life, or Something Like It .

StudioLAs Jim Ferguson interviews Angelina Jolie in her first romantic comedy, 20th Century Foxs "Life or Something Like It".

Jolie plays Lanie Kerrigan, an ambitious TV anchorwoman who faces a prediction by a homeless man, a gifted fortune teller who tells her she'll die within a week. [The interview was taped prior to her summer 2002 break-up with husband Billy Bob Thornton.]

Jim: Angelina, its so good to see you again.

Angelina: Good to see you again

Jim: And my congratulations. I had no idea Life or Something Like It was your first comedy.

Angelina: Yeah.

Jim: A romantic comedy, was it a nice change to tackle something like this?

Angelina: Yeah, it was. It was a really nice change, Its nice to try something and to be given the opportunity. I think the studio and everybody was kind of scared at first, but then pretty brave to allow me to try it. The films Ive done where the environments very heavy, or dark or I have a character thats isolated. And so its nice to have a character thats very light all the time and easy- easy to talk to and everybody on the sets very kind of silly together. Its a very different environment

Jim: Just like her trademark. Lanies trademark

Angelina: Her hair?

Jim: Her hair. It was very light. (laughs)

Angelina: Very light, yeah. We went for that kind of subtle blonde, natural. (chuckles)

Jim: I want to ask you this right off the top. Im a big baseball fan, along with your husband, Billy Bob, and there is a scene at Safeco Field where the Seattle Mariners play, where you hit the ball.

Angelina: Yes, I did

Jim: And I just wondered if Billy Bob gave you any critique on the way you swing. (laughs)--

Angelina: Thats really funny. Do you know what he did say? This is really-- I came home and I said, Honey!" Cause it was like, you know, they closed off Safeco Field to do the night shot and it was really cool to be in a baseball (field). Everybody was excited about it... I hit it and I heard that crack... you know, hitting it and go so excited. And I called him and I said, I hit the ball it made this crack, and it was great, and he said, Honey, I was a pitcher. We hated that sound."

Jim: And he was a very good pitcher, too, by the way as you probably know

Angelina: Yeah.

Jim: That had to be fun going into the Mariners stadium and...

Angelina: Oh, it was great

Jim: ... turning the lights on.

Angelina: Yeah, its great.

Jim: In the beginning, your character, describe her.

Angelina: The person she really is in the main part of the movie is a person I dont really like. Its her as a child I care for. But yeah, through the film, shes somebody who feels that as she is, as she naturally is, shes not good enough, shes not accepted, shes laughed at or shes not popular.

Jim: Mm-hm.

Angelina: [She] has this idea of what people like, what people accept, what is the thing to be, you know, this Barbie-type person whos going to have be famous and have money and, you know, no matter how plastic, be this idea of herself

Jim: Materialism.

Angelina: Yeah. Everythings superficial and material and to a point where she really has lost who she is completely. And you cant be happy like that, and she has a hard lesson in

Jim: And shes taught a lesson by her co-star...

Angelina: Yeah.

Jim: ... the romantic lead, Edward Burns, who plays Pete, her cameraman.

Angelina: Her cameraman.

Jim: Cause you play a news reporter, and your interviewing skills are very good, (laughs) but theyre better than...

Angelina: (overlapping) Thank you.

Jim: ... most of us. (chuckles) Ah. But he does teach her something. Life is- or things arent always greener on the other side, you know.

Angelina: Yeah, and he also teaches her this - He has this great speech about -- shes considering whether shes gonna die because of the path shes on and he kind of has this discussion with her about [how] you can change the path, you know. Life is as you make it, so if you feel that your life is not what it should be, then maybe you need to sit down and you - you have the ability, that you have this kind of - were all individual people, were all smart people and strong enough people to decide what is it I want, what is it that really matters to me and why have I completely denied that for so long and what am I doing?

Jim: And its so simple. You change your lifestyle, it can change your destiny.

Angelina: Yeah.

Jim: And thats what this does.

Angelina: Yeah.

Jim: Its so good. You had to have a ball doing that bus strike scene.

Angelina: (laughs) I did, I did. I was very nervous... The crew was singing that for weeks. I was just really nervous, because you go out and, youre suddenly in front of two hundred people youve never met before and youre shaking handsthe first take, its kind of like, Well, before everybody sings with her, lets just have her sing completely on her own, and its, you know, seven oclock in the morning, right? You know, what am I doing? And then before you know it, we were all friends and we were all laughing and singing and it was - it was great.

Jim: Im out of time, but I want to thank you for also giving your time and energy to a great cause with U.N. High Commission for Refugees.

Angelina: Thank you very much

Jim: Its just wonderful. And like your character when she changed, youre giving back. I could talk to you forever, but dont miss this movie, Life or Something Like It . Youre gonna really enjoy it. Thank you so much.

Angelina: Thank you.