Swan Song

Q: You had a year of rigorous training for Black Swan, how did you make such a quick turnaround for No Strings Attached?
A: After a year of ballet, swimming and a diet without alcohol, sugar and big meals, it was great to be able to put on weight and play a fun character. Everyone’s still very professional on this kind of movie but there’s more of an improvisational feel that makes for a great atmosphere.

Q: Your first sex scene in No Strings Attached is with Ashton Kutcher and is pretty unflinching. Can you describe how you felt during shooting?
A: You tend to go in the opposite direction between takes and talk about normal things to try and alleviate some of the embarrassment. We’d already been shooting for a few days when we got to this scene, so felt as comfortable as we could do, I guess.

Q: This is your first rom-com. Do you feel more comfortable playing this type of character to others you’ve played?
A: I find it scary to suggest I’m more like one character than another but I think you have to be able to relate to and understand your character to do a good job.

Q: You’ve done some pretty eclectic stuff this year. How do you feel about all of it?
A: It was a great opportunity to be able to do so many different things this year, and I feel like I learned so much. I did Your Highness, then Black Swan, then Thor and then No Strings back-to-back, each requiring very different skills and disciplines. I feel bad for boring people with my face so much recently but as an actress you can’t get much more exciting than this.

Q: What made you want to do Thor as opposed to any other blockbuster?
A: The draw for me was Kenneth Branagh, as it was such a weird idea to have him do a comic book — I was curious. Getting to work with him every day was a prize.

Q: What’s next to get excited about?
A: My new baby boy.