A Chat With Alexis Bledel

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By Associate Review Editor Yuan-da Eddie Feng
(on February 19, 2003 at 6 PM American Central Standard Time)

The luminous Alexis Bledel began her acting career with appearances in local theatrical productions, doing plays and musicals. While in high school, she also did some modeling, traveling around the world for photo shoots and runway shows. Miss Bledel is best known for her role in the TV show "Gilmore Girls". Her big break was landing a part in "Gilmore Girls"--which happened to be her first major acting assignment. Undoubtedly, her critically-acclaimed and industry-noticed performance as Rory Gilmore helped her win the part of Winnie Foster in "Tuck Everlasting". The Disney film, which was the second motion picture adaptation of Natalie Babbitt's 1970s children's novel--appeared in American movie theatres in 2002.

Recently, I had the opportunity of chatting with Miss Bledel. The interview opportunity kind of came to me by surprise. While I had made a preliminary inquiry concerning Miss Bledel's availability, I did not follow up on the matter because I thought that Miss Bledel would be too busy shooting "Gilmore Girls" to do interviews for "Tuck Everlasting". However, I got a call during the morning of February 19 from a public relations firm telling me that "Alexis will call you at 4 PM Pacific Time", so I basically had to conjure interview questions from thin air. It was great fun, actually. :-)

Eddie: Good afternoon, Eddie Feng speaking.
Alexis: Hi, it's Alexis.

Eddie: Hello, Miss Bledel! I'm the Associate Review Editor for the website www.DVDTown.com. I would like to discuss with you the upcoming DVD release of your film "Tuck Everlasting". Before we begin, could I ask you how much time you have for this interview? I don't want to cut into your schedule...
Alexis: Twenty minutes.

Eddie: Twenty minutes? Oh, okay. Oh, by the way, I'm a fellow Houstonian.
Alexis: I noticed from your phone number!

Eddie: So, what do you miss about your hometown?
Alexis: I think the people are really friendly, and I think that Texas is like its own little world compared to the rest of the states. There's something about it that is pretty different from anywhere else I've been. I miss it for lots of reasons...all my friends are there.

Eddie: Do you get to come back often, or does filming take up a lot of time?
Alexis: It takes up most of my time, but I have a break at the end of the year every year, so I get back as much as I can.

Eddie: Are the hours really long every day for "Gilmore Girls"?
Alexis: Yeah, they're about 14, 16 hours.

Eddie: Whoa, how do you get any sleep?!?
Alexis: Oh, we just cram it in there somehow.

Eddie: You did some modeling before you turned to acting. Do you think that modeling helps people prepare for acting?
Alexis: I guess in the sense that it makes you comfortable in front of a camera if you've done lots of photo shoots, because that's all what a photo shoot is (laughs)--you stand in front of a camera.

Eddie: Does it help people build their confidence, or is it just getting used to a professional feel of a set?
Alexis: I guess it depends on how your modeling would go. If it goes well, then I guess it would boost your confidence, but if it didn't go well, then I guess it probably wouldn't help much. I think that they're pretty different experiences. But yeah, you do learn something about being professional on a set and what the dynamics are between the people who are there, because it's a creative environment, so everybody's trying to have a good time while working long hours.

Eddie: Do you miss traveling around the world since I assume that you're mostly in L.A. for "Gilmore Girls"?
Alexis: Yeah, we don't leave Burbank (California) very much. I do miss it. It gets kinda monotonous, but that's television. There are plus sides and down sides. The positive side is that you have steady work for nine months of the year for however many years your show is on TV, so we're very fortunate in that sense.

Eddie: Do you know if The WB is committed to a long run for the show?
Alexis: Oh, I don't know--they don't tell me these things. They've been taking it year by year as far as I know.

Eddie: Now, let's talk about "Tuck Everlasting". Have you read Natalie Babbitt's source novel?
Alexis: Yeah, I read it when I got the part.

Eddie: What in the script attracted your attention and made you seek out the role of Winnie Foster?
Alexis: She has a lot to do in the movie. She basically has a pretty short experience in the movie, but there's so much that happens within the time that...you see her for the first time...by the time movie the ends, she?s really gone through a lot and through a transformation, so that's always fun for an actor to get to play.

Eddie: Did you notice any key differences between the movie and the book?
Alexis: They kept pretty close to the book. In the movie, we tried to be loyal to the book because the book has many fans, and we don't wanna disappoint them in any way. Of course, the visual aspect doesn't exist in the book besides in the readers' imaginations. Jay (Russell), our director, is a really intelligent guy...he said that he didn't want to compete with the readers' imaginations because he said that you can't win because that's so unique to every person--you just can't compete with that. He didn't try to manufacture the book verbatim onscreen, and he just did his own interpretation very beautifully.

Eddie: In the book, Winnie is much younger than she is in the movie. Do you think that that change changes the dynamics in the movie, or was it inconsequential?
Alexis: I don't think that it changed anything about the core of the story, but I think that it did allow us to develop the love story a little bit more in the film and make it more believable to people of our modern day because...to see 12-, 13-year-old kids falling in love, I don't know how many people would believe it as readily as 15-, 16-year-old kids that maybe high school kids can relate to.

Eddie: How is "Tuck Everlasting" different from other fantasy stories?
Alexis: It's very different as a fantasy story and also as a children's novel because it deals with very heavy issues like death and how to live your life, and it's all wrapped up in this story that can be told to children, and it's not too much for them to handle--they "get" it. I think it's a really good way for kids to be told about death, which is a part of the natural cycle of life and not to be scared of it. There's just a lot of things that you wouldn't think a kid would be able to grapple with, but through the story they somehow can, and it's not shocking or too much...they just sit quietly and intently and watch the film.

Eddie: In the movie, Jesse Tuck and Winnie Foster look about the same age. But, in reality, he's about 100 years older than she is. I'm sure that you've heard this point brought up before...do you have any reactions to that?
Alexis: He drank from the spring that made him and his family immortal. It's an interesting concept to bring up, to throw into the mix, because on top of life and death you have immortality...I think it's something that kids would more easily believe, to suspend your disbelief and accept that that's part of the story...something that's easier for a child to accept than an adult. Once you do suspend that, though, it just becomes a fact of the story.

Eddie: Did you enjoy wearing period costumes for the production?
Alexis: Yeah, I had a great time with it actually, because a lot of the movies that I liked as a kid were period pieces, and it's just such a beautiful time that the film took place in. So, we had all these beautiful garments. The costume director, Carol Ramsay, is just incredibly good. She found all these vintage pieces from the era that had been preserved really well. It was fun--there were, like, eight layers to every outfit.

Eddie: Wow, it got a little hot, didn't it? You shot in Maryland, right?
Alexis: In Maryland, in the late spring, so it was very hot on some days, and on some days it just rained a lot.

Eddie: Did you get to keep some of the costumes?
Alexis: Since they were real or custom made, they had to be returned back to their owners.

Eddie: Did the director make you go through some sort of wilderness training?
Alexis: No, no...we really didn't have much time for that. We just started shooting when we got to Baltimore. We had a week or so of rehearsals where the actors and Jay the director would sit at a table and talk about the major themes and make sure that we didn't contradict ourselves. We wanted everyone to be on board with what we were presenting because it does deal with such heavy issues. We did rehearse some of the scenes, but mostly it was just talking about the themes.

Eddie: Like you said earlier, the book and the movie deal with a lot of things that aren't usually presented to children. What do you think is the most important theme or lesson that "Tuck Everlasting" can give to kids?
Alexis: I think the main one that struck me the most was...it takes place in the scene where Winnie and Angus Tuck (the father) are in the rowboat and he says that not to fear life but the unlived life and it's more important to live your life fully than to have a long life and fill it with material possessions.

Eddie: What was it like acting opposite Sissy Spacek, William Hurt--Sir Ben Kingsley!
Alexis: It was crazy because they all had a very different take on acting and a different process, and they all had different ways that dealt with their success. It was interesting to see, interesting to see how they all worked on a set, and I think that I learned something different from each of them because they're such different people.

Eddie: Did some of the veteran actors mentor the younger members of the cast?
Alexis: I think we would probably offer ourselves up to be mentored rather than to have a mentor choose us. But yeah, we would ask them questions, and I remember one scene where I wasn't making a big enough reaction out of what I was supposed to be doing, and William kept on telling to just do it and to throw myself into it and to let go, and it was crazy to have them all there because it felt like they were all watching, and I was like if I wasn't doing something, I would hope that they would call me on it. It was almost like a safety net or something.

Eddie: You play a character that is caught between choosing what the Tucks have or a normal life. Did you feel that you had the burden of carrying the movie a little bit?
Alexis: I didn't feel that way. I think that I'd probably be more nervous if I considered myself in that position. But, I definitely didn't do this alone...I had a lot of help. There are so many great actors in this movie--I see it more as an ensemble type of thing. I knew that she (Winnie) would have a lot to do, but I don't think that I was particularly carrying the movie.

Eddie: What was the most memorable experience that you had while filming "Tuck Everlasting"?
Alexis: I went to Preakness while we were in Baltimore, which was fun because I'd never been to a horse race before.

Eddie: Do you ride horses by any chance?
Alexis: No, I don't, but it made me want to start, though.

Eddie: Here's a bit of a sour question...I hope that you won't mind too much. Were you disappointed by the film's box office performance?
Alexis: No, I mean...that wasn't my main focus when we were making it. I just wanted it to get good reviews and for people to enjoy it. I think that the business persons behind it were probably more upset about that than I was. In my life, I don't need to have my face plastered everywhere. It's not really something I want. I was happy with it. I was happy with the reviews. I didn't read anything bad about it. People responded well to it. I'm happy with that.

Eddie: You mentioned having your face plastered everywhere. I don't know if you were here in Houston when the movie opened, but your face was everywhere!
Alexis: I know!--I'm saying! I'm just glad that it wasn't more so. I guess it just comes with the territory, though--it just something that...if it comes with the territory, that's fine, but it's not something for me to lament over...if we didn't make that much money, that's fine, you know...

Eddie: Here's a related item. "Gilmore Girls" shows on a channel (The WB) that is watched by a lot of young people, and young people know how to use computers. There are actually a lot of Alexis Bledel fan sites out there. What are your fans like? Are they really nice?
Alexis: Yeah, my fans are great. Most of the time, they're mothers and daughters who can relate to the characters on "Gilmore Girls", either have that relationship or want that relationship in their lives. Yeah, very nice--most of the time!

Eddie: Did they ask you to participate in the making of the DVD?
Alexis: Yeah, we did a commentary. I think the boys did most of the talking, but yeah, from time to time (I would speak up).

Eddie: Like we said earlier, this movie is about the possibility of choosing between immortality or a mortal existence. Let's talk about you--if you were in Winnie's shoes, what would you do?
Alexis: I'd probably make the same decision (that she does) because I wouldn't want to be stuck in the same kind of thing forever. I think that's what makes life interesting--the evolution of getting older, and it's kinda fascinating to me, the whole process, so I wouldn't want to hinder it in any way.

Eddie: Do you want to make more family films like "Tuck Everlasting", or do you have something else in mind?
Alexis: I'd definitely like to do something darker, something...maybe an older character. You know, maybe a more conflicted character. The right project hasn't popped up yet. I read a lot...when I read the next thing, then I'll know it. I like independent films, so I'd like to do some of those. We'll see if any good ones pop up, I guess.

Eddie: Have you thought about doing a Spanish-language production? I hear you're fluent in the language. (Miss Bledel's first language was actually Spanish, which she speaks at home. She learned English in school.)
Alexis: Yeah, I'd love to do that--it'd be a lot of fun.

Eddie: You started in theatre doing plays and musicals. Do you that you'd go back to the theatre--stage work?
Alexis: Yeah, it's a possibility. It'd be fun to do that one year, during my break in New York or something. I've looked at different plays before, but nothing's ever worked out...

Eddie: Should your fans look for you in any upcoming projects in the next, say, six months?
Alexis: Not in the next six months, but I'm sure I'll talk to you again before something comes up!

Eddie: Final question--do you have any college plans? Do you want to get a degree or something?
Alexis: I did one year at NYU, and I'd love to go back there someday. But, I'm based in L.A. right now, and I don't know how long the show is going to be on, and until I know that I can't make any plans because I'm kinda tied up to the program.

Eddie: Well, I guess that's it, then.
Alexis: Okay, thank you so much, Eddie!

Eddie: Thank you!
Alexis: Have a good one!

Eddie: You, too! Bye!
Alexis: Bye!

Selected Filmography for Alexis Bledel:
Tuck Everlasting (2002)

Gilmore Girls (2000)

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