Interview: Elisha Cuthbert Talks to Cinematical About the 'Captivity' Controversy, the '24' Movie, and Why She's Not 'Looking for Lois Lane'

Earlier this week, I got a call from Elisha Cuthbert to discuss what has to be the most talked-about movie of the year so far, Captivity. If I actually tried to give you a rundown all the digital ink we've spilled on this little horror film since the beginning of 2007, I'd never get around to actually typing out this interview, so I'll just choose a few highlights, like the original outbreak of controversy over the film's graphic billboard advertising back in March, the harsh response by the MPAA, the arrival of the first trailer, the release-date musical chairs, and our exclusive interview with After Dark Films about the whole project and the fuss it had caused. As you can probably imagine, the first question I asked Elisha when I spoke with her was, inevitably, 'Do you get asked your opinion about Captivity every single day?'

Elisha is, of course, known for her starring roles in such films as The Girl Next Door, where she played a mercurial porn star called Danielle, House of Wax, the 2005 horror remake in which she starred alongside a pre-incarceration Paris Hilton and famously allowed the stunt people to glue her lips together for a crucial scene, and the Will Ferrell comedy Old School. She's also widely recognized for her work on the small screen, appearing for several seasons as Jack Bauer's daughter on the hit show 24. Those two worlds are expected to collide sometime in late 2008 or 2009 as a movie adaptation of 24 ramps up production, but until that happens, if it happens at all, Cuthbert has a number of projects on the runway to keep her busy. Here is the interview, and fair warning -- it does contain some spoilers about Captivity.

RS: What's it like being at the center of this film's controversy-fueled marketing campaign for the past few months? Do you get asked your opinion about Captivity every single day?

EC: Not every day, but I definitely get a lot of questions about it. To be perfectly honest with you, a lot of it baffles me, and a lot of it is intriguing at the same time, because I had no idea that, in the world of the Saws and the Hostels ... somehow our film has sort of stuck out. I'm grateful for that, but at the same time, I'm a little confused. I know that we had some controversy with the womens' groups, and I just feel like I wanted them to see the film before making any judgments on it. I set out to make a film about a woman who fights for her life and comes out in the end sort of strong and learns something from her experience. But 30 million people chatting about it online? I couldn't ask for anything more!

RS: Did you find the billboards personally offensive?

EC: I personally didn't, but then again that doesn't mean it's not going to affect someone in a negative way, and we're here to sort of appease the people who go see the films. The only thing I can say about it is that I thought that they were interesting enough to be up. I hope people see the film and give it a chance. We're not here to sort of ... this isn't a documentary about, you know, women getting kidnapped. This is a horror film.

RS: Where do you come down on the whole recent issue of R-rated horror films like Hostel II seeming to give ground to films like 1408, which are PG-13 and clearly less gruesome?

EC: I don't know, you know, it's hard to judge. I think that, back in the day, there used to be a lot of horror films that kind of had a checklist of what went into making the 'perfect horror film', and I think now people are raising the bar in the industry, as far as the types of horror films that are being made. There's a sort of psychological undertone to films. 1408 -- I think we're also in the same realm as that, just as the Hostels and the Saws, because there is that sort of psychological fear and we're basing something on reality. I don't know -- it's tough to say, I just think the industry in general and the genre in general has changed and modified -- people want to see more.

RS: When you're doing torture scenes in a film like Captivity, do you need to come to the set every day in a bad mood?

EC: You know, I've never been much of a method actor. I feel like, with every project I go in extremely prepared and I like to have a good time. I like to have a good atmosphere on the set, especially when you're doing something as intense as this. If you saw the stuff that goes into making the movie, you wouldn't help but laugh either. I mean, there's a moment in the movie where I had two grips above me throwing red food coloring mixed with cottage cheese on my face. We're joking and we're laughing about it. But then there's moments where ... we did the whole sand sequence, where I was really getting buried alive in this sand and that was really intense. I kind of pull in and out of it. I find that it's not so much of a process. If anything, I think that the romantic comedies are harder for me.

RS: Why is that?

EC: I don't know, it's just preference. I think with comedy I get very sort of critical of myself and try and do the best I can and it doesn't come as second nature. I work at those kinds of films. It doesn't mean I can't do them -- I've done two now, and I have a great time doing them, but I just find myself a little bit more neurotic. But when I'm doing these sort of physical roles, I guess because I get out so much energy throughout the course of the day, I come home and I can sleep, you know? I can sort of go 'wow, I did the day and I accomplished it.' I don't know -- I can't really explain it all -- it's just a preference, I guess.

RS: With this and House of Wax, is typecasting a concern for you? The horror genre is notorious for that, obviously.

EC: Yeah, I mean I love horror films, so I guess it's one of those things where I find myself interested in the script. Captivity is a bit of an interesting situation, because I think it was really wanting to work with Roland Joffe that triggered my interest in the film. But you know, I have such a great time making them. I do try and stay away from the stereotype and getting typecast. I do find myself trying to make the right choices, and avoiding that, but you know, I've got the romantic comedy coming out at the end of the year, and I've got a cool, dark indie film, and then this one, so I think hopefully that's enough to show the public that I've got a lot of different things going on and am capable of that.

RS: So if another great horror project came along next year, you wouldn't turn it away.

EC: You know what? I certainly realize that not only do I like the genre, but I'm getting really good at it and I'm having a good time making them, so if they came along and it was the right time, yeah, for sure. I'd be totally into it.

RS: Since they haven't let me see the film yet, how about describing the tone of it for me a little? Is the torture your character endures more physical or psychological?

EC: It's a bit of both. Roland Joffe really works with a lot of smoke and mirrors. There's elements of pure gore and there are moments of psychological terror, and in the midst of that, there's a love story. So it's really all over the map, and I think it's just a fun ride. I finally saw the final product, and I'm just so pleased with it. I was in a group of friends and everyone was just sort of covering their eyes and screaming and having such a good time, and that's really why we made the movie. That's all I could ask for, you know?

RS: Were there any big changes to the script after you got onto the set and got going? Any changes from the original concept?

EC: Well, yeah, the original set shooting was in Russia, and we went to the page and then got back and screened it and changed the ending a ton of times. Nowadays you can screen films for people and you can judge what works and what doesn't. So we sort of modified and then also, selling it to Lionsgate and After Dark, they had their own opinions about the film and went in and changed that, too, so it was a bit of a collaboration with a lot of different people -- unfortunately and fortunately -- because I think the end product, all the changes were worth it and made sense. It was a bit of a process, but the original filming took place in 2005, and we stuck to the original script.

RS: Did you find working with Roland enjoyable?

EC: Yeah, you know he's so quiet, but for some reason he demands so much respect in the way he works. You can't help but sort of be in awe of him. He never raised his voice once -- such a sweet, sweet man, and had so many ideas and a lot of visions for the film, which was amazing. Every scene in the film was so epic, and he cared a lot about the lighting and the visual aspects of it as much as the performances.

RS: I've noticed you tend to choose roles that prompt some odd criticism. Long before the whole Captivity controversy, Roger Ebert famously pounced on your porn star character in The Girl Next Door, calling her "the most unpleasant movie character I've seen in some time."

EC: Well, I'm not here to play characters that are one-note and boring, you know? So if that generates controversy in my roles, then fair enough. I think, as an artist, whether you're making people laugh or cry or be frustrated or excited -- the fact that you're generating some sort of emotion out of an audience is, to me, worth it. To sit through a film where you're just unmotivated to be interested in a character is probably the worst thing that could ever happen. I find myself maybe just pushing myself to create characters that are a little outside the box, and if that sort of gets the critics talking, then I can take it.

RS: Is there a role that you wait for? Maybe a great villain role, something like that?

EC: No, not specifically. I mean, things are always changing. You get scripts daily that are all completely different. It would be impossible for me to say 'this is the exact kind of movie that I want,' but I do tend to switch it up as far as the genre goes. Once we finished Captivity, I was really gung-ho about, you know, doing a romantic comedy but holding out for the right one. You try and make some choices along the way, but it's art -- it's impossible to be on the nose.

RS: So what's up next?

EC: Next I'm gonna go off and do a movie with Tim Allen. It's a comedy and it's got a huge cast. Coming off of Captivity, where it's pretty much only me in the film -- with Sassy Girl, I'm playing opposite Jesse Bradford -- I sort of wanted to find an ensemble film, and this one happened to come my way. It's called The Six Wives of Henry LeFay and it's a really fun family film about a girl who has to organize her father's funeral in the midst of dealing with six ex-wives. It's so funny. It's so much fun, and it's gonna be great to work with six different actresses. It's gonna be a great time, so I'm looking forward to that.

RS: What about the 24 movie? When is that gonna happen?

EC: Your guess is as good as mine. My whole theory is that I've got the phone waiting by the bed, and I'm just sort of waiting for it to ring and them to tell me 'hey, we're gonna go do the movie.' You know, that would be the ideal situation, but I think Kiefer is so busy getting these seasons done that it's almost impossible to get anything going. But we've been talking about it since the first season. I think it's on everyone's mind, but it's got to be good. Their standards are so high over there that if it happens it's gonna happen at the right time and have the right script and all the elements have to be in the right place, obviously.

RS: So is there actually a script? Is someone working on that?

EC: I don't think so, but I could be totally wrong, so you can't quote me on that. But they're so sneaky over there, I bet they've got all kinds of things on the go.

RS: You went out for Mary Jane in Spider-Man, right? Are you a big fan of the superhero genre?

EC: Yeah, I guess so. It's interesting because that was the first audition that I had when I first moved to California, for Spider-Man, so it was kind of an interesting story, but I'm not here looking for it. I definitely think that I'm strong enough and would love to play sort of the 'action hero,' especially as a female, you know. It would be so much fun. I'm not really looking for Lois Lane. I'm kind of looking for someone who has got the guns, you know what I mean? I would rather play a Lara Croft than sort of play Lois Lane.

RS: Maybe if Angelina Jolie opts out of a third Tomb Raider, they'll come to you.

EC: [Laughs] The blonde version.

RS: So what's left to cover about Captivity? What kind of audience do you think will enjoy it?

EC: I don't know, my brother called me, and he's sixteen years old. He saw the preview on TV and said 'wow, this is the one that I want to go see,' and I found that interesting, because that's the first time he's ever been vocal and excited, aside from the fact that his sister's in it. Just as a movie in general, it'd be something he'd be interested in, and I thought 'what a great thing for him to say.' But you know, I want the die-hard horror fans to get a kick out of it. They are the ones that know what these kinds of films should be like. They know what they're looking for, and I hope that we deliver for them. But you know, I've had a lot of women come up to me and say how insane it was, so I guess it would be a good date movie. I would recommend females going with a good date.

RS: Do you have a favorite horror movie, by the way?

EC: Yeah, Fire in the Sky. I watched it when I was twelve years old, and it affected me for about a year. It was based on a 'true story' about a guy who got abducted by aliens, and it fascinated me. Im really fascinated by sort of 'E.T.'s and all of those kinds of supernatural films.

RS: I remember the sheet of plastic-like stuff all over his face.

EC: Oh God! Isn't that the worst? That was horrible. It traumatized me. That's when you know a horror film delivers. When you're walking out of the theater going 'Oh my God!' You can't get the images out of your mind.