The Hangover might be one of the funniest comedies of the year, and Latinoreview wants to make sure you're hyped up about Todd Phillips' latest by giving you a hangover all week long!
Two days before his wedding, Doug and his three friends drive to Las Vegas for a blow-out bachelor party they'll never forget. But, in fact, when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning, they can't remember a thing. For some reason, they find a tiger in the bathroom and a six-month-old baby in the closet of their suite at Caesars Palace. The one thing they can't find is Doug. With no clue as to what transpired and little time to spare, the trio must retrace their hazy steps and all their bad decisions in order to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to L.A. in time to walk down the aisle.
Our coverage starts with an interview the lovely Heather Graham, who I think made a deal with either the devil or a fantastic makeup company to never look a day older than 24.
In this roundtable interview, Heather talks to us journos about her character in the movie, working with a baby (and pretending to breast feed said baby in front of the parents), working in Vegas and her future projects. And no, I didn't ask her if she had any cheap beauty tips. That was someone else.
Do you think that this character is a spin on the whore with a heart of gold?
Graham: Probably, but I tried to personalize it more as a hippy stripper who has a new age-y, spiritual attitude about sexuality [laughs].
Was that something that you talked to Todd Phillips when he talked to you about the part or something that you brought to it?
Graham: We talked about it and he said, 'I like how you brought this hippy quality to it.' That's kind of what I was thinking. What I was thinking was that the night before we had this true connection and even if he doesn't remember I still believe it was true because, like, a lot of girls fall in love with a guy, but the guy doesn't necessarily feel the same even though the girl is like, 'I know it's there.' So I kind of thought about it that way. Like, I believe in it.
How was it working with the little baby?
Graham: The little baby. Well, I think there were six babies. If you watch the movie you can see that it's a bunch of different babies if you really look. Four were great and two of them were really evil and horrible and kept us there for so many hours. The mom of the twins that were difficult basically said to me, 'My baby hates everyone but me.' Then she handed me the baby and the baby started crying for three hours [laughs].
I know there are all sorts of rules for stage babies. What's involved in actually breastfeeding one?
Graham: It takes a lot of practice. I had to start lactating. No. I'm a method actor. No. The baby I guess was teething and so the AD said, 'Be careful because the baby is teething and I can't promise that he's not going to try and bite you.' Luckily he didn't.
I didn't know if a baby would even do that if it wasn't his mom.
Graham: Well, the thing is that was actually the longest day. I think that was a seventeen hour day and obviously the baby isn't really breastfeeding. So the baby would just keep looking around. He would be looking at me and Zach [Galifianakis], then me and Bradley [Cooper]. They were like, 'Well, it doesn't look like he's breastfeeding now because his head is moving.' So we had to keep his head focusing down towards my boob. So someone had to stand behind me with a rattle, going like this. I kind of felt at the end of the day that it didn't really matter what I was doing as long as the baby's head was [right]. It was all about the way the baby's head was looking.
Does the mother get involved in directing the baby?
Graham: Well, there were three different moms. Two were really easy going. I think that they were kind of worried because Zach was usually carrying the baby. One of them was like, 'Are you going to be careful? Be careful.' Then Zach was telling us that he actually used to be a nanny. I think he was actually really into it. He goes, 'I love kids. I really want to have kids.'
I was talking about the breastfeeding thing though. It seems like a weird thing to let a baby do.
Graham: No. The moms were really into it. They were like, 'Can you take a picture with my baby.' Afterwards they were like, 'I want a picture with you.'
What was it like shooting the photo montages of the wedding?
Graham: That was kind of the most fun thing in a way because it was just silly. We made up ideas of things to do and then all these guys would think of hilarious things. It was just really fun actually. Usually though they were doing it at the end of a really long day and so we were kind of sleepy. But still it was fun.
What's it like filming a movie in Vegas? Is it filled with debauchery like everyone talks about or is it very mellow?
Graham: I think everyone wants to have debauched stories, but I think we were super boring. Like, I did an interview with all the guys and they were asking, 'What did you do that was crazy?' Zach goes, 'I took a lot of baths.' The craziest thing that I did was that I went to see Cirque de Soliel. I took Bradley and Todd to see that Zoomanity one that's supposedly the sexual one or whatever, and they took Bradley up onstage, took his shirt off and started rubbing him [laughs].
So these guys were a lot of fun to work with?
Graham: They were a lot of fun. We had a lot of fun dinners and stuff and they're all really fun to work with. I think it's fun to work with improv comedians because they just keep you laughing and every new take they think of new things to do.
Have you seen the final cut of the film and what did you think of it?
Graham: I've seen it, but I don't know. They might have done a few little tweaks, but I've seen almost the final cut of the film. I thought it was hilarious. I had read the script a lot. Whenever I work on something I read the script a million times and I just found it all new and funny. I was laughing so hard.
A lot of actors talk about comedy being harder than drama. What's your take on that?
Graham: Yeah. I think it's so hard. Actually, after working with these guys I thought, 'I'm going to take an improv comedy class.' It's such a different art form what these guys do, all that kind of stuff. I guess they're both difficult though in their own ways.
I think if comedy was easy to do there would be a lot more funny movies.
Graham: Maybe, yeah.
I read that they were talking about doing a Hangover 2. Have you heard about that?
Graham: Yeah. They wrote that one day in the trades and I saw Todd and I was like, 'Can I be in it?' He goes, 'Yeah.' But I don't think they've written it yet. I think the sequel is just an idea of what they want to do. It's not like a written out script.
Do you have a hangover cure?
Graham: My cure has been pacing yourself. Like, when you reach that point just knowing that you should stop, stopping the drinking [laughs].
Have you ever been to a bachelorette party?
Graham: Well, my best friend had a kind of crazy bachelor party. Her name is Allison and it was in Long Island on Fire Island. She had these girlfriends that drank so much. We were staying at this place and they were all throwing up in the sink. She had a candy necklace and throughout the night she had to go get men to eat the candy necklace. But for some reason her husband was at this bachelorette party. It kind of made no sense. Like, they love each other so much he's like, 'I'll just hangout. It's fine.' Then one of the other friends almost got arrested, but my friend is a lawyer and so she started threatening to sue him and it became this whole thing of fighting with the police officers.
A little drama.
Graham: Yeah. And she was still in law school, by the way. She was like, 'I'm a very successful lawyer and I'm going to sue you!'
Can you talk about some of the other movies you have coming up?
Graham: Well, I did this movie called 'Boogie Woogie' that's about the art world. I think that's coming out in London in October. I'm sure it's coming out here, too, but I'm not sure when. I've done some other ones, too. I want to do this one about this Russian actress called Zoya Federova. It's kind of a really amazing dramatic role about this Russian actress who falls in love with this American officer during world war two. It was during the time of Stalin and she was thrown in prison because, I guess, to be associated with anyone non-Russian they just throw in jail forever.
When do you start that project?
Graham: Hopefully in January.
Does she ever get out of jail?
Graham: Yeah. It's a true story actually. Her daughter wrote a book. It's called 'The General's Daughter'. Basically, she had a baby with this American officer. Also, there was this guy under Stalin named Burea. He kind of wanted to have sex with her and she didn't. So at the end he gave her these flowers and she goes, 'What are these for?' Actually, her father was in jail, and he goes, 'They're for your father's grave.' Then he basically had her thrown into prison for life, twenty five years and then Stalin died and she got out eight years later.
What year was this?
Graham: I think it was maybe '54. I'm not a hundred percent sure. Somewhere between '53 and '55 because Stalin died in '53. Around there. Then she got out and her daughter was eight. She was then reunited with her daughter and then she never met her father until I think she was in her late twenties. So then she wrote a book about it. They wouldn't let you in or out of Russia at that point.
What filmmaker is doing this?
Graham: Ron Maxwell. He did this film called 'Gettysburg'.
Is this a film that you'd shoot in Russia or cheat that in the states?
Graham: I think it's South Africa, Canada and Russia.
Do you speak Russian?
Graham: I don't speak Russian, no. I started to get all of her movies, but these Russian movies aren't subtitled at all. In fact, it's so hard to find them because everything is written in Russian. It's been a lot of work trying to find her movies.
What do you like to do in Vegas?
Graham: Well, we had a poker tournament during shooting and that was really fun because I did well. Then we had one the other night and I didn't do really well and so I got mad. But honestly, I kind of like going to the spa in this hotel. There are all these pools. I'm kind of hippy-ish. I like to go and relax. I'm like, 'This is too much stimulation for me here.' I like going to Cirque De Soliel. I like 'O'.
Have you seen all of them here?
Graham: I haven't seen all of them. When I went, I was shooting and I guess it was the publicist who helped me get tickets and so they took me backstage and I got to meet a lot of the performers. They showed me the tank. They showed me how it works and they showed me the room where they workout and do all their gymnastics. That was cool.
Were there any scenes you really liked that didn't make the final cut?
Graham: The thing is that Todd was saying, it's kind of a detective story and so you can't really cut anything out. I'm sure there was a lot of improvising comedy that the guys did that maybe didn't all end up in there, but I don't think that you can take out any moment because it's all filling in the pieces. Each things leads to the next thing.
Do you have any cheap beauty tips?
Graham: I like this Body Shop face cream called Nighttime Nourishing Cream. It's really just good. I love it.
If you were a teacher what subject would you teach?
Graham: I think that I would either teach English Literature or psychology. Maybe not just English literature, but maybe literature. Broadly literature or psychology. But I like analyzing people's psychology and I like reading.
What are you following in current events?
Graham: Well, the main current event that I'm really excited about is just Barack Obama being president which is probably not that current anymore. But every time I look at the news and I see him there I just feel so happy. He's so cool. I hope his healthcare plan passes. One of my friends is a big advocate of that and is really working hard to get that passed.
Can you talk about 'ExTerminators', a film that you did?
Graham: 'ExTerminators' is a small indie that I did with a friend of mine that I met on 'Scrubs'. It's about these women who are in an anger management group that decide to kill men.
What about 'Baby On Board'?
Graham: 'Baby on Board' is a movie that I did with Brian Herzlinger who did 'My Date with Drew'. I don't know if you ever saw that, but he's this really charming guy. He did the correspondent pieces for the Jay Leno 'Tonight Show' and it's his first movie that he's directed. John Corbett is in it and Jerry O'Connell.
Did he know what he was doing?
Graham: He's a big film geek and knows everything about movies. To be honest, I think our producer was a little bit insane. Maybe I shouldn't be saying that in print. I don't know [laughs]. But I think he had a war with the crazy producer.
Do you think that first time directors are nervous with you because you've worked with people like Paul Thomas Anderson and have been around the heavyweights in this business?
Graham: I think he was nervous, but he's so charming. He's very much somebody that if he's nervous he just says it. He's very open and sweet. I think he's obsessed with Steven Spielberg. He's kind of adorable. He didn't seem overly nervous. I think it's hard when you do your first film though. You don't have a lot of resources and then your producer is screaming at you everyday. It's probably difficult.
Who's in 'ExTerminators' with you?
Graham: Jennifer Coolidge who I love. She's so amazing. And Amber Heard and this guy who's on 'Scrubs' who plays this very tormented guy on the show. Do you watch 'Scrubs'?
Sam Lloyd?
Graham: Yeah. Sam Lloyd. He's very sweet.
And how do you kill the guys?
Graham: Well, the first time is an accident. Joey Lauren Adams is in it as well. She's really cool. Her husband is played by this country western star. I'm blanking now. He used to be married to a famous singer who was one of the three girls –
The Dixie Chicks?
Graham: Yes. Him. So basically in the beginning we accidentally run him over a cliff because we're banging a car and he goes over a cliff. We're like, 'Oops.'
Well, it wasn't really an accident?
Graham: Well, Jennifer Coolidge's character is basically really angry. They're all in anger management. She's in anger management because she ran over her husband, tried to run him over with the car. So then basically start getting into arsenic after that. They get creative. Basically, it's a car accident and then they get really into arsenic.
Take some Tylenol and come back tomorrow for an interview with Justin Bartha.
