Amy is unforgettable in director Jean-Marc Vallée’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel about journalist Camille Preaker (Amy), who must return to her small hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls after a brief stay in a mental hospital (for self-harm—her pain is literally cut in words on her skin).
Back in Wind Gap, Missouri, Camille encounters with people played by a consistently excellent cast, including her domineering mother Adora (Patricia Clarkson), half-sister Amma (Eliza Scanlen), investigator Richard (Chris Messina), and neighbourhood cop Vickery (Matt Craven).
The next time Amy appears on film, it will be in Adam McKay’s “Backseat,” a biographical drama about Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), who is regarded as the most powerful vice president in US history. Amy is a Golden Globe winner (for “American Hustle”) and a five-time Oscar contender. She portrays Lynne, a former talk show host and novelist who is Cheney’s wife.
Can you describe how those scars from your character’s self-harm were applied? The process of applying the marks took a very long time. When we performed the full body scars, it took roughly four hours. Trial and error was used the first few times, which was amusing given that they were truly made of glue.
I had to stand there for four hours pretty much bare. I’m not reserved, but I also don’t put on a show. So that portion really made me feel exposed and vulnerable, which helped when I entered the set.
How then did you survive the s-x scenes? Although it’s not always expressed in a s@xual manner, we notice it in the context of s@xual settings. It’s not intended to be alluring. It’s intended to tell the narrative.
According to Jean-Marc Vallée, he works by exerting a lot of pressure. How did that work out for you? He doesn’t push as much as he should. He simply won’t quit. He never felt the need to push me above my comfort zone with his words or guidance. However, the nature of never leaving the scene and always beginning from the beginning wears you out to the point where you are powerless to do anything but confess the truth.