James interviewt Jessica Biel

James hat für das amerikanische Magazin Interview seine Schauspielerkollegin Jessica Biel (bekannt aus "Eine Himmlische Familie", "The Rules Of Attraction") interviewt. Es geht überwiegend um ihren neuen Film, den Horrorstreifen "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

Von James erfahren wir nebenbei, dass er Horror-Filme hasst und dabei im Kino die Hand seiner Frau Heather hält. Außerdem geniesst er nach dem Ende von Dawson´s Creek seinen ersten freien Herbst seit Jahren.

Hier ist das Interview im englischen Original.

James Van Der Beek:

How is James Van Der Beek finding the life after Dawson's Creek?

"It's absolute heaven," says the recently married actor, who spoke with Jessica Biel for this issue. Of his first work-free autumn in many years, Van Der Beek says, "It's great to have my creative energy be my own... I'm still honeymooning, until somebody pays me to go back to work."

Jessica Biel

She's frightened of big spiders, but that hasn't stopped this actress from slashing her way to the top of the horror-film genre.

By James Van Der Beek

She ruled the teen airwaves for six years as one of the WB network's young, sexy soap stars (she still occasionally revisits her series, 7th Heaven, now in its eighth season), but lately Jessica Biel jas been focusing on feature films. To talk about her role in the just-released, much-anticipated remake of the grisly cult favorite The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, we set Biel up with an ex-WB-colleague and co-star in last year's The Rules of Attraction, James Van Der Beek.

JVB: Hello?

JB: Hey, James. How are you?

JVB: Very good. You know, this is my first interview. I'm excited.

JB: Being on the other end, it's got to be strange.

JVB: I don't know. I've never done it before. [Biel laughs] So where are you - L.A.?

JB: No, I'm in Vancouver.

JVB: Oh, right. You're up there for Blade [III]

JB: Yes. I've been here for two weeks, and we don't start shooting for another two. I'm working out like a maniac. I work with a trainer every day, and I'm learning martial arts and archery.

JVB: Wow. You are going to kick ass.

JB: And I'm on this nutritional plan - no salt, no sugar, no bread. Just some fruits, every vegetable you can think of, lean meat, and water. They say they want me to have a six-pack stomach, but I think they really want me to have a twelve-pack. [both laugh] But it's fun getting paid to work out.

JVB: Let's talk about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's got a big buzz around it, huh? And it's got such a cool trailer. What made you decide to do it?

JB: Well, I was skeptical about doing it at first because it's such a cult classic and --

JVB: -- Had you seen the original?

JB: I had. I'd seen some of the sequels too, and I was *not* a fan of those. I was worried that this was going to be another sequel, but I met with Marcus Nispel [the movie's director], and he wanted to remake it in all its 1970s glory, but also update it. Then I read the script, and I was surprised by how well written it was. And when I found out that Micheal Bay was one of the producers, I was ready to jump on board.

JVB: There are all kinds of horror movies coming out these days with a lot of talented, creative people behind them. It seems like there's a horror renaissance.

JB: I love horror movies.

JVB: What are some of your favorites? Are there some that scare the crap out of you?

JB: Poltergiest [1982], The Shining [1980], The Exorcist [1973]. Oh - Candyman [1992]! I was terrified by Candyman. Have you seen it?

JVB: No. I'm a wimp when it comes to scary movies. That's one of my deep, dark secrets.

JB: Well it's out now. [both laugh]

JVB: When you're on set making a movie like that, can you get a sense of "Wow, this is going to creep the hell out of people?"

JB: Sometimes. And sometimes it was even scary for us.

JVB: You were out on location, right?

JB: We shot on a stage once, but everything else was on location in Texas, in the middle of nowhere. Even going to Porta-Potti was terrifying [Van Der Beek laughs] Not only were you afraid of something or somebody coming out of the woods, but the spiders down there were the size of my palm.

JVB: Well, everything's bigger in Texas. [both laugh] Tell me about your character.

JB: Her name's Erin, and she's the glue that holds everybody together. She's compassionate and kind of mothering. She tries to save all her friends, though they end up getting killed anyway. [laughs] What's really cool about her is she has a will to survive and the strength to fight. She's not a victim. She's a strong, pissed-off young woman.

JVB: Oh. I can definitely see you playing that. [Biel laughs} I'm going to have to see this movie now. I'll go with Heather [Van Der Beek's wife] She'll hold my hand.

JB: My boyfriend gets scared at horror movies too. He hides his eyes sometimes.

JVB: I've never actually done that, but I do look away from the screen. "Okay. That's the side of the theater. This is just being projected." [Biel laughs] Now. how long have you been acting?

JB: I started 7th Heaven when I was 14.

JVB: Had you done any other work, like theater or singing?

JB: Growing up, I did lots of plays in Boulder and Denver. I remember thinking, This is fun! I can really do this! My parents were amazing. They said, "Okay. Let's go for it." I took some classes, and I performed at a competition where casting agents and managers from all over the country came in to see the kids in my area, and I won a scholarship to an acting school. Then I came out to L.A. for pilot season - I came out for pilot season three years in a row, and in the third year, 7th Heaven happened.

JVB: Did you realize how big it was to get a pilot that was picked up?

JB: I never really thought it would happen. I remember my manager saying, "This won't get picked up - they almost never do - but you'll do it and it'll be great to put on your resume."

JVB: Now, a series is a dream come true, and every actor wants to work, but at some point, the series inevitably becomes less fulfilling. How many years into 7th Heaven was it before you started to think, The grass might be greener somewhere else?

JB: Probably around the third or fourth season. I knew this character so well, and I wondered what it'd be like to try something else. Did you feel that with Dawson's Creek?

JVB: For me, it got to a point where the characters were getting older, and a lot of things that happen to people the age that we were playing could never be covered on the show because of the time slot and because of what the show had become. It felt like we weren't able to tell the truth anymore, whereas when we first started, we felt like there were no limits. Now, when we were making The Rules of Attraction together, early on we had a difficult scene together - the one after we had sex, and I'm on mushrooms - and you just nailed it.

JB: Thank you.

JVB: So, I was wondering, how do you prepare? What's your process?

JB: It's different every time. For that scene I tried to think about what it would feel like to be used. When I feel comfortable, as I did in that situation, my emotions come out. I accessed the guilt I've felt in the past, applied it to the guilt that my character was feeling, and it just kind of happened.

JVB: I remember being blown away by how proficient you were. You should be proud of that work. But tell me, is there any work you've done that you're embarrassed by?

JB: Ummm... [laughs]

JVB: Oh, come on! What?

JB: Okay. When I was about 11, I did this 15-minute short that the filmmakers wanted to take around like a pilot and say, "This is our idea for a movie. Here's a quick taste." It was a musical that involved all the fairy tales, like "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel." But it was a bit off: I played Gretel, but my name was Regretel. And for some reason, I was painted blue. [Van Der Beek laughs] And all these slightly off fairy-tale characters were fighting each other. So what happened was this little animated guy who looks like a calculator - his name was Diggy Digital - popped out of this boy's computer and saved the town. Then we all sang this song called "Digital World." [Van Der Beek laughs} That's not all! Afterwards, I went out to dinner with my parents, and I was like, "This is the best thing ever. I'm going to be a superstar!" [both laugh hysterically] Oh, God, I'm really going to regret saying this.