Ashley Judd, who made her name in crime thrillers like 'Heat', 'A Time to Kill' and 'Kiss the Girls', returns to thrill fans again in the psychological drama 'Bug', directed by suspense master William Friedkin ('The Exorcist') ... and now she's a college grad to boot. Brains AND beauty. Sometimes life just isn't fair.
MoviefoneAngie: hi! is this ashley?
BugAshleyJudd: aye
MoviefoneAngie: cool. so, 'bug' is very intense. how'd you prepare for something like that?
BugAshleyJudd: well, willingness is really the key, simply accepting the material is what it is, having a clear understanding that it is extreme and will require, to be done properly, a willingness to be extreme, and then being willing to let go and simply do it.
BugAshleyJudd: that type of material requires complete surrender to the process
every day
MoviefoneAngie: was this the hardest role you've ever played? it was harrowing to watch, can't imagine actually doing it
BugAshleyJudd: it wasn't any harder than ya ya, smoke, or others. just sustained over a longer period of days.
BugAshleyJudd: in fact, it was quite a bit easier than many of my films because we did the entire thing in less than 25 days.
MoviefoneAngie: right. i forgot about your ya ya breakdown (the role). wow -- that's pretty amazing. 'bug' is based on an acclaimed play -- had you seen it before you took the role?
BugAshleyJudd: i hadn't seen the play but i had heard it was remarkable
MoviefoneAngie: and you had Michael Shannon, who originated the role on stage, so he must've brought something from stage to screen
BugAshleyJudd: he absolutely did!
BugAshleyJudd: he played the role in 3 cities for an extended period and was deeply involved with and committed to his character, which was such an asset for me
MoviefoneAngie: did any of your prep for the film involve meeting people with the types of paranoia or schizophrenia that are in 'bug'?
MoviefoneAngie: or those with substance abuse issues?
MoviefoneAngie: (which were all represented in the movie)
BugAshleyJudd: no, not meeting anyone particularly for the film, but i did some reading, especially on 'follie a deux' the phenomenon in which one weaker personality allows him/herself to be completely subsumed into the reality of a more dominant personality
BugAshleyJudd: i am familiar with mental/emotional disorders and the disease of addiction
MoviefoneAngie: as so many people are -- either went through it themselves or have family or friends who have
BugAshleyJudd: it's is extraordinarily prevalent in our society
MoviefoneAngie: yeah, it is. it can be a pretty dysfunctional society!
MoviefoneAngie: so, let's move away from the dark side -- are you afraid of bugs?
BugAshleyJudd: no, i am not afraid of bugs
BugAshleyJudd: bugs are good and have their place in our world!
MoviefoneAngie: did you hear about that boy who had 2 spiders in his ear?
MoviefoneAngie: burrowed way down, a doctor found them when he irrigated the boy's ear?
BugAshleyJudd: no, but i once got part of a ham sandwich up my nose
BugAshleyJudd: wait, i think it was teddy bear fur
MoviefoneAngie: right! those 2 things are so easily confused. i do it all the time
BugAshleyJudd: yeah, i've heard of stuff like that. a lumberjack's son had a huge chunk of wood in his ear
BugAshleyJudd: see, it's follie a deux, the ham sandwich happened to someone else and i took it on
MoviefoneAngie: and do you remember the urban legend about a spider laying eggs in someone's cheek?
BugAshleyJudd: nah
MoviefoneAngie: that was big when i was a kid. it always gave me goose bumps when someone told it. not that i ever really believed it. but there's something about bugs that just makes people's skin crawl
BugAshleyJudd: i heard about those parasites tho that live in eyeballs and my friend's
sister pulled it out of her eye and it was really long.
BugAshleyJudd: okay, that is true, my friend is standing right here. African eye worm
MoviefoneAngie: i'm not believing you. but i'm laughing
Go to part 2
MoviefoneAngie: hi! is this ashley?
BugAshleyJudd: aye
MoviefoneAngie: cool. so, 'bug' is very intense. how'd you prepare for something like that?
BugAshleyJudd: well, willingness is really the key, simply accepting the material is what it is, having a clear understanding that it is extreme and will require, to be done properly, a willingness to be extreme, and then being willing to let go and simply do it.
BugAshleyJudd: that type of material requires complete surrender to the process
every day
MoviefoneAngie: was this the hardest role you've ever played? it was harrowing to watch, can't imagine actually doing it
BugAshleyJudd: it wasn't any harder than ya ya, smoke, or others. just sustained over a longer period of days.
BugAshleyJudd: in fact, it was quite a bit easier than many of my films because we did the entire thing in less than 25 days.
MoviefoneAngie: right. i forgot about your ya ya breakdown (the role). wow -- that's pretty amazing. 'bug' is based on an acclaimed play -- had you seen it before you took the role?
BugAshleyJudd: i hadn't seen the play but i had heard it was remarkable
MoviefoneAngie: and you had Michael Shannon, who originated the role on stage, so he must've brought something from stage to screen
BugAshleyJudd: he absolutely did!
BugAshleyJudd: he played the role in 3 cities for an extended period and was deeply involved with and committed to his character, which was such an asset for me
MoviefoneAngie: did any of your prep for the film involve meeting people with the types of paranoia or schizophrenia that are in 'bug'?
MoviefoneAngie: or those with substance abuse issues?
MoviefoneAngie: (which were all represented in the movie)
BugAshleyJudd: no, not meeting anyone particularly for the film, but i did some reading, especially on 'follie a deux' the phenomenon in which one weaker personality allows him/herself to be completely subsumed into the reality of a more dominant personality
BugAshleyJudd: i am familiar with mental/emotional disorders and the disease of addiction
MoviefoneAngie: as so many people are -- either went through it themselves or have family or friends who have
BugAshleyJudd: it's is extraordinarily prevalent in our society
MoviefoneAngie: yeah, it is. it can be a pretty dysfunctional society!
MoviefoneAngie: so, let's move away from the dark side -- are you afraid of bugs?
BugAshleyJudd: no, i am not afraid of bugs
BugAshleyJudd: bugs are good and have their place in our world!
MoviefoneAngie: did you hear about that boy who had 2 spiders in his ear?
MoviefoneAngie: burrowed way down, a doctor found them when he irrigated the boy's ear?
BugAshleyJudd: no, but i once got part of a ham sandwich up my nose
BugAshleyJudd: wait, i think it was teddy bear fur
MoviefoneAngie: right! those 2 things are so easily confused. i do it all the time
BugAshleyJudd: yeah, i've heard of stuff like that. a lumberjack's son had a huge chunk of wood in his ear
BugAshleyJudd: see, it's follie a deux, the ham sandwich happened to someone else and i took it on
MoviefoneAngie: and do you remember the urban legend about a spider laying eggs in someone's cheek?
BugAshleyJudd: nah
MoviefoneAngie: that was big when i was a kid. it always gave me goose bumps when someone told it. not that i ever really believed it. but there's something about bugs that just makes people's skin crawl
BugAshleyJudd: i heard about those parasites tho that live in eyeballs and my friend's
sister pulled it out of her eye and it was really long.
BugAshleyJudd: okay, that is true, my friend is standing right here. African eye worm
MoviefoneAngie: i'm not believing you. but i'm laughing
Go to part 2