INSIDE MOVIES

'Baby' It's Oscar Time: Amy Ryan Q&A


By Angel Cohn

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She may be a dark horse among the contenders for the best supporting actress Academy Award, but Amy Ryan was a surprising bright spot in the bleak kidnapping drama 'Gone Baby Gone' (available on DVD now) -- as bright as a drug-addicted, foulmouthed distraught mom can be, anyway.


Ryan's no stranger to accolades: She's got two Tony nominations under her belt for her stage work. Still, she admits to being anxious about Oscar night, thrilled to be in such good company and happy to dish about the relationship between her co-star Casey Affleck and big bro Ben, who directed the flick.


Moviefone: Congratulations on the Oscar nomination! Did you have any idea when you took this role that you'd get such critical acclaim?
Amy Ryan: No. I didn't, oh my god, no. It is thrilling.

MF: You've been working for years, but now you're getting all this attention. What's that like?
AR: I feel pretty blessed. I've never had another job other than actor. I worked right out of high school. I've always felt very grateful for every job I've ever had.

MF: How should we explain this film to people who didn't get to see it in theaters?
AR: 'Gone Baby Gone' is the story of two detectives who take on a case of a child who has been kidnapped and how that affects their lives. It isn't a whodunit, but more about how this event affects everybody's lives. I think it's an action-packed thriller.

MF: I'm still expecting to hear the thick Boston accent you had in the movie.
AR: [Laughs] I don't even know if I could do it any more.

MF: How were the locals to you while you were shooting there?
AR: They were great. They let me record them to get the sounds. They were so excited to have their own, Ben and Casey [Affleck], come home and make this movie. They were really helpful and celebratory. It was just a nice environment to be in.

MF: How has this changed what kind of roles you're getting or looking for?
AR: I always just look for really good writing. It is like anything, you know it when you see it. The fear is always: That was it, you'll never work again.

MF: And you're on the critically acclaimed TV series 'The Wire' ... I think you're making good choices.
AR: [Laughs] I just think you've got to always stick with the writing. That's got to be the first ingredient. The base of your soup is good writing.

MF: Were you nervous about signing on with new director Ben Affleck?
AR: I certainly wasn't nervous about him. I was nervous about myself. You just always hope that what you are imagining in your head is going to translate, that the ideas you come up with are right for his story. And the caliber of actors [in 'Gone Baby Gone' made] it more thrilling. But that gets your adrenaline racing and your heart pounding ... that whole bucket of nerves and excitement. But that makes me lean into it. It doesn't make me recoil. I like the stuff that scares me.

MF: Helene isn't a glamorous role, so was that a little scary as an actress?
AR: I prefer that. I think it would be scarier to be done up in a gown in the movie with the hair and the nails and trying to maintain that for 14 hours a day. With [Helene] I could nap face down if I wanted to. When a costume is truthful to the story, then it is right and I can wear it with confidence. I'd feel guilty if I was trying to cheat it and get a fancy hairdo.


Oscars 2008 Nominees

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Picture
    'No Country for Old Men'
    The Coen Brothers' dark and violent adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel blew the Academy away, scoring eight nominations. (Miramax)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Picture
    'There Will Be Blood'
    Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling saga about oil, power and, yes, blood also nabbed eight nominations. (Paramount Vantage)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Picture
    'Juno'
    The indie crowd pleaser gives this year's mostly bleak best picture lineup a much-needed jolt of comedy. Seriously, teen pregnancy can be funny. (Fox Searchlight)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Picture
    'Atonement'
    The adaptation of Ian McEwan's devastating WWII love story has nothing to atone for -- except being a beautifully shot, well-acted film. (Focus Features)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Picture
    'Michael Clayton'
    The Academy loves George Clooney. They really, really love him. As proof, his underseen legal thriller scored seven nominations. (Warner Bros.)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Actor
    Johnny Depp, 'Sweeney Todd'
    Depp received his third nomination for his turn as a barber with demonic inclinations. He was nominated previously in this category for both 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl' and 'Finding Neverland.' (Paramount)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Actor
    Viggo Mortensen, 'Eastern Promises'
    The man formerly known as Aragorn showed the Academy a thing or two (including his unmentionables) in David Cronenberg's gripping crime drama, landing his first nomination as reward. (Focus Features)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Actor
    Daniel Day-Lewis, 'There Will Be Blood'
    Widely considered the best-actor frontrunner, Day-Lewis received his fourth career nomination for his turn as a vitriolic oil man. He won previously in this category for 'My Left Foot.' (Paramount Vantage)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Actor
    George Clooney, 'Michael Clayton'
    Clooney earned his fourth career nomination for his turn as a disillusioned legal "fixer" in Tony Gilroy's acclaimed thriller. He won previously in the supporting actor category for 'Syriana,' and was nominated in the original screenplay and directing categories for 'Good Night, and Good Luck.' (Warner Bros.)

  • Oscars 2008 Nominees

    Best Actor
    Tommy Lee Jones, 'In the Valley of Elah'
    Jones got snubbed for his understated performance in 'No Country,' but scored his third career nomination for his turn in Paul Haggis' Iraq War drama. Jones won previously in the supporting actor category for 'The Fugitive.' (Warner Independent)

Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: British actress Kate Winslet arrives at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: Leonardo DiCaprio, nominee for Best Actor for his work in "Blood Diamond," arrives at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. AFP PHOTO Timothy A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: Actor Will Smith with wife Jada Pinkett Smith and son Jaden arrive at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. AFP PHOTO Timothy A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: Kirsten Dunst arrives on the red carpet for the 79th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. (HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: US actor Tobey Maguire and girlfriend Jennifer Meyer arrive at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. AFP PHOTO/Hector MATA (Photo credit should read HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: Penelope Cruz arrives at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. AFP PHOTO/Roberto SCHMIDT (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: Helen Mirren, nominee for Best Actress for her work in "The Queen," arrives at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. AFP PHOTO/Roberto SCHMIDT (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, nominee for Best Director for his work on "Babel," arrives at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. AFP PHOTO Hector MATA (Photo credit should read HECTOR MATA/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    Hollywood, UNITED STATES: Guillermo del Toro, nominee for Best Original Screenplay in "Pan's Labyrinth," arrives with a companion at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. AFP PHOTO Roberto SCHMIDT (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Oscars 2007 Red Carpet Photos

    HOLLYWOOD - FEBRUARY 25: Jodie Foster attends the 79th Annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on February 25, 2007 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)


MF: This movie stuck with me for weeks. This isn't a happily-ever-after kind of film.
AR: That's what I think is so good about it. It does get people talking. It's not wrapped up in a bow. It is a non-answer, and the answer is the bigger community questions. Societal questions, how do you help these people?

MF: You want to help Helene ...
AR: But you want to hit her. I don't think people really change 180 degrees. I think they change two degrees. I think they learn in teeny stages. To Helene it is a huge change in her life; she has a new TV and a date and clothes, so that's a huge change [for her].

MF: I have to know the truth. Did Ben and Casey really get along? You see all these interviews with them where they are chummy ... but were they secretly fighting off set?
AR: [Laughs] I wouldn't say they fight. They mess with each other. There is great love there, but they are very playful with each other. That might mean being sarcastic [sometimes], you know?

MF: Did you have fun on the set with them?
AR: Absolutely. Casey is one of the funniest people I've ever met. Ben ... there wasn't much hanging out because he was working so much. But they both seem like they were raised well. If you were to meet them, they are very present in who they are. They are very generous and want to get to know other people as well. They aren't self-involved.

MF: Are you looking forward to the Oscars?
AR: I'm looking forward to them happening. Knock on wood. I will have fun there.

MF: Are you sizing up the competition?
AR: That's a tough category. I'm not sure about taking on any of those women.

MF: So you are going to tell me it's an honor just to be nominated?
CB: It is exhausting to be nominated! It is an honor; I'll forever be in a category with Cate Blanchett. I've dreamt of following in her footsteps, so just to be uttered in the same sentence with her ...


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