海角大神

Director Jake Kasdan鈥檚 new raucous R-rated comedy (starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake) opens in theaters this weekend.

We had the chance to speak with costar Lucy Punch at the Los Angeles press event for the film. Subjects ranged from 鈥減laying crazy,鈥� to working in Hollywood vs. her native London, and being repeatedly thrown-up on by Cameron Diaz.

The tremendously gifted Lucy Punch (who you might know from such films as Hot Fuzz and Dinner for Schmucks) costars in Bad Teacher as the painfully perky and perfectionistic Jr. high school teacher, Amy Squirrel. The fanatically by-the-book and fascistic-girl-scout-type Squirrel acts as the film鈥檚 unlikely antagonist against Cameron Diaz鈥檚 hilariously and unapologetically inappropriate very bad teacher, Elizabeth Halsey.

Lucy Punch is the sort of person who you immediately feel is game for a laugh (I become quite British when talking about UK actors). The phrase 鈥渄own to Earth,鈥� is often applied to people we like, though it is not always the most accurate descriptor. For me, 鈥渄own to Earth鈥� denotes a person who has a fairly valid vision of their place in the larger scheme of the world and a good sense of humor about it. Lucy Punch has that quality.

Punch and I sat down together in her cozy (read: plush) hotel room and began our chat with following exchange:

Screen Rant: Hi, I鈥檓 Roth, as in David Lee, Phillip or the IRA鈥� we could also go Eli or Tim. I鈥檓 from Screen Rant. Screen, as in, 鈥渙h, look at this wonderfully hilarious film on the movie Screen鈥� and Rant, as in, 鈥淕rrr, they鈥檝e just broken canon six times in this film, I feel I must RANT!鈥�

Lucy Punch: "Lovely. Have you tried one of these?" (Points to a variety of high octane caffeinated beverages available to us.)

SR: Nooooo, but they look absolutely terrifying. I鈥檓 positive I鈥檇 be climbing these walls for days like a leftover from The Exorcist if I did.

To which Lucy Punch gave the following (quite perfect) response:

鈥淵eah. I think I need one.鈥�

SR: I鈥檓 actually off to your homeland in about an hour.

鈥淥h really!?! Why are you going to London?鈥�

SR: Top secret鈥�(she stares at me)鈥�really I can鈥檛 tell you鈥�alright you鈥檝e made me, it鈥檚 for the Queen.

鈥淚t鈥檚 Cameron鈥檚 other movie isn鈥檛 it鈥�it is I bet.鈥�

SR: No it鈥檚 actually鈥�

At this point I realize that Ms. Punch is not only a tremendously gifted comedic (and dramatic) actress, but she is also quite good at my job. I feel as though I must tell her everything 鈥� immediately 鈥� but forcibly restrain myself and make attempts to get us back on track.

SR: Is there a difference do you find between working in England vs. working in America, in general?

鈥淭here鈥檚 more work here.鈥�

We always appreciate pragmatism.

SR: Well that鈥檚 good.

鈥淵es! There鈥檚 more stuff going on, and I usually have to hide my British accent when I鈥檓 working over here.鈥�

SR: Is there a personality difference between the two towns do you find?

鈥淵ou know it certainly wasn鈥檛 the case on this movie because Cameron (Diaz) and Justin (Timberlake) and Jason (Segel) are the most wonderful, funny, grounded people 鈥� but sometimes when you鈥檙e working with stars, you really know you鈥檙e working with stars, do you know what I mean? And I don鈥檛 think that really exists in the UK because actors are a bit more grounded in general. I mean there鈥檚 plenty of very grounded and wonderful actors here, but movie stars don鈥檛 exist in the UK like they do here, so they don鈥檛 do the sort of giant trailers and the craft services, which are sort of fantastic 鈥� you鈥檙e lucky if you get a cup of tea and a morbid biscuit.鈥�

Punch plays the grating goody-two-shoes/hilariously cracked know-it-all to a comedic 鈥淭鈥� in Bad Teacher. She is initially reminiscent of Reese Witherspoon鈥檚 character, Tracy Flick, in Election. The portrayal is so detailed and nuanced that walking out of the theater after seeing the film, the following question was on the top of my mind: Who does Lucy Punch know that is just like her character Amy Squirrel?

SR: We鈥檙e you basing your character on anyone?

鈥淚 was thinking of someone, and I鈥檝e told a few journalists and they鈥檝e been like (makes shocked face) and I鈥檝e thought, 鈥榃ell maybe I shouldn鈥檛 say this.鈥欌��

SR: No, you definitely should.

鈥淲ell, when I read it I thought, 鈥楾his person reminds me of someone鈥︹�橝nd I was sort of channeling what I could imagine as the teacher/cousin of Sarah Palin. And I think they sort of share a lot of qualities.鈥�

SR: In terms of鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 not saying that Sarah Palin is unhinged or completely bonkers 鈥� but you know, she鈥檚 certainly incredibly perky and energetic and sort of this type A seeming character. There was just something about the sort of tween way of speaking, you know, 鈥楬oly guacamole!鈥� and shut the front door!鈥� and all those sort of expressions.鈥�

SR: I feel like with a character like this you just love to hate her. The same way that we love to love Cameron鈥檚 character even though it seems kind of paradoxical. You鈥檙e in theory (at least at first) 鈥渢he good guy鈥� and she is 鈥渢he baddy鈥� but as much as you make us laugh 鈥� we just can鈥檛 stand you.

鈥渊别蝉!鈥�

SR: And I think it鈥檚 because of the level of the sincerity that they each do, or do not, bring. I think that鈥檚 kind of what you鈥檙e talking about. It鈥檚 fake, all of the smiling鈥�

鈥渊别蝉!鈥�

SR: And the 鈥榮hut the front door鈥� 鈥� it鈥檚 all put on and fake. So how do you work with that as an actor?

鈥淲ell definitely it was kind of important that鈥�You know seemingly she does mean well. You know she has got a good heart, it鈥檚 just that she just gets it totally wrong. And Cameron is pretty awful, and is awful to her, so it was important that she was also really irritating and annoyed everyone, and that she was sort of universally disliked in the school and you just felt like she was this total pain in the neck. So that you were sort of rooting for Cameron to bring about her demise.鈥�

There is repeated mention in the film of an 鈥渋ncident鈥� in 2008 in which Lucy Punch鈥檚 character, Amy Squirrel (seemingly), went off the deep end and created all manner of chaos that no one wants repeated. The specifics of the ordeal are never revealed in the film, however, leaving the audience to fill in the (in my mind) debaucherous blanks.

SR: Now, I know that you said you didn鈥檛 want to give specific details about what happened in 2008, but did you and Jake talk about it at all?

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 actually, but you know in my mind it was just something totally embarrassing that she did, like she went crazy and perhaps started taking her clothes off in public 鈥� that sort of thing 鈥� and had to be sort of shuffled out and sent to the hospital for a couple of months to sort of rest, relax, and regenerate and find her inner Squirrel again. But I really enjoyed that aspect of the character that it was never divulged what happened. That it was sort of, you know, fresh in everyone鈥檚 memory 鈥� all these sort of crazy things that she had done.鈥�

You said that Cameron, Jason and Justin were all down to earth and lovely to work with. There also seems like there鈥檚 a lot of joking around. Were there any on-set shenanigans?

鈥淭here weren鈥檛 really pranks or anything like that, because I feel like within the script there are kind of enough pranks going on so everyone had gotten it out of their system. Also, we really were working pretty fast but certainly we were laughing all the time and it was such a pleasure because we were waiting for lights to be set-up and rather than just going back to the trailers everyone was just hanging around on-set and making jokes and just cracking each other up.鈥�

SR: Were there any scenes that were tough to get through?

鈥淚 found the scene with Justin where I give him Eat, Pray, Love (and it鈥檚 his favorite book) and we鈥檙e looking at each other and鈥� the pair of us kept cracking up during that scene. I think, sadly, it was so ludicrous to both of us that he could be falling in love with me. I mean it was just such a ludicrous situation, and I found the voice that he was doing so funny, he had on this very gentle voice, very sincere and earnest and he was just looking at me and falling in love鈥� it just completely cracked me up.鈥�

Even in our brief meeting with Punch we can see a myriad of reasons that JT would fall in love with her 鈥� Amy Squirrel however, is a whole other matter.

SR: Is there anything that you鈥檙e looking forward to seeing that was cut out of the final film?

鈥淚 did a scene that was my worst scene to shoot that didn鈥檛 make the movie, and it鈥檚 where Cameron vomits on me. I鈥檓 sort of talking about my sort of ideal guy and it鈥檚 totally nauseating and she鈥檚 also really hung over and she threw-up all over me. And we did so many takes and Camron is incredible, she was just holding this awful stuff in her mouth. It was like mushroom soup mixed with something else 鈥� cold 鈥� ugh, and the smell of it, I wanted to be sick. Phyllis and I were both doing the scene and we were both just like gagging. I鈥檇 like to see that because I just need to see it once. I guess it was so gross that it got cut. It was decided that we don鈥檛 need to see people throwing up 鈥� but I鈥檇 like to see it.鈥�

SR: How many takes did you do?

鈥淎-lot! And I had to get changed 鈥� it was going down between my boobs鈥︹��

At this point the two of us must pause to make ralfing noises and laugh.

鈥淚t was awful! I was really, really awful and I just couldn鈥檛 believe how great Cameron was about it. She was just like happy holding it in.鈥�

SR: Where do you go from being thrown-up on repeatedly by Cameron Diaz?

鈥淚鈥檓 actually about to start working on Yellow which Nick Cassavetes is directing. I鈥檓 excited for that because it鈥檚 really dark and a very dark character. She鈥檚 this girl that鈥檚 just getting out of an insane asylum, I keep playing all these unhinged characters, and she cuts herself and she鈥檚 talking in tongues and she鈥檚 in love with her brother.鈥�

SR: Who鈥檚 her brother?

鈥�Ben Foster.鈥�

SR: Oh wow. I literally measure an actor鈥檚 performance by degrees of Ben Foster. Eight degrees of Ben Foster is pretty much Brando.

鈥淚sn鈥檛 he wonderful?

SR: Yes, he really is. So she鈥檚 in love with her brother and is he in love with her?

鈥淣o, she鈥檚 kind of the monster in the attic, this crazy girl. But no he鈥檚 not, that鈥檚 sort of why she was so screwed up because he鈥檚 sleeping with our other sister.鈥�

SR: Whaaaat! So, does it become a thriller, a modern-day Jane Eyre-esque thriller?

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a thriller. It鈥檚 actually got comic elements 鈥� but the darkest of dark comedies.鈥�

SR: Okay, so it鈥檚 about the interplay in those relationships?

鈥淵es. Nick Cassavetes鈥� wife is the lead character in this incredibly dysfunctional family.鈥�

SR: She鈥檚 the other sister?

鈥渊别蝉.鈥�

SR: Well that sounds absolutely amazing.

鈥淵ou know I love doing comedy, but it鈥檚 lovely to go between the two. So as soon as I finish that up it鈥檒l be like, 鈥榳ell now I鈥檓 ready to do something light and fluffy!鈥� "

SR: What about your character at the end of the film, where does someone like Amy Squirrel goes from there?

鈥淲ell at the end of the movie she鈥檚 going off to Malcolm X high school.鈥�

SR: I know it鈥檚 hilarious.

鈥淚 know. I mean I think that鈥檚 another spin off. I don鈥檛 think they鈥檙e going to make another movie about that but maybe a webisode. I think it would be really, really funny to see her life at the school and to see how she copes. I think she kind of, she鈥檇 light the charge鈥︹��

SR: Or get shot. (Both laughing)

鈥淥r get shot. Yes.鈥�

SR: Or a little of both, I feel like she鈥檚 a little unstoppable.

As is Ms. Punch, who (aside from playing a mad-as-a-hatter brother-lover for Nick Cassavetes) is now also slated , the new show based on the comic series about a homicide detective who works cases involving people with superpowers.

You can see Punch go toe-to-toe with Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher, beginning this Friday, June 24th.

Roth Cornet blogs at .

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