This week, charlatans that we are, THN managed to infiltrate the Horrible Bosses press conference and bask in the paparazzi friendly face of Jennifer Aniston. This event was a welcome surprise, uncharacteristically filled with honesty, one-liners and non-stop joshing between the Horrible Bosses cast. Present were Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Jason Sudeikis and of course, Ms. Aniston at the centre of it all.
Predictably, much of the focus fell on the women’s weekly poster girl, and she was more than willing to spar with the masses of hungry media at her feet. Her character in Horrible Bosses is, as the annoyingly expansive ad campaign will tell you ‘a sex crazed nympho’ with a mouth like a docker.
When asked why she is so loved by female audiences, Aniston squealed, “I don’t know, I don’t even know how to answer that, I just love girls!” Bateman chimed in with a sarky, “there’s tomorrows headline.” As always, the Metro didn’t disappoint, sporting the quip as a news headline the next day without a hint of irony. Thankfully THN live on a healthy, irony filled diet.
Now, far be it for us to complain, but as a rule, press conferences can be pretty drab events. The usual drill involves the following;
– Listless actors spouting pre-prepared excerpts to promote the movie and left to dance before a skinny microphone like a very expensive marionette.
– An uncomfortable silence as those same red top journalists abandon the film in question to interrogate the talent about their eating disorder/divorce/trip for tea with Mel Gibson.
– Painful one word answers followed by the deafening sound of sparkling water being pored by a very bored and unhappy celebrity.
– Impoverished interns trying to steal whatever doodles that bored celebrity has created for a post-conference sale on ebay.
But the Horrible Bosses conference was cut from comedic cloth. Director Seth Gordon trotted out his comedians like a proud father (if a father could be proud of a child that uses language like ‘I fingered myself so hard I broke a nail’). The cast exchanged blithe grins and sideways glances. All except Jason Sudeikis, who took his place with one eyebrow raised and a face that said ‘you do not impress me’, ready to throw his sardonic wit in our direction. Spacey held complete control of the room, eager to get one over on his fellow cast-members. The playful insults shot among them like wet locker room towels. Oddly, Aniston looked like she was in her element. Maybe she’s not such a girl’s girl, after all. Read on for the best and worst from each member of the Horrible Bosses ensemble:
Jennifer Aniston
Q. Jennifer You’re quite often seen as a real girl’s girl and women love you. What do you think it is about you that women identify with?
Jennifer Aniston: [Sighs, smiles and collapses her head onto the microphone] I don’t know how to answer that question! They like my shoes and they like my hand-me-downs..No, I don’t know. I really don’t know how to answer that question. I love girls! There you go… I just love them. Yep, I said it! I love the girls [laughs].
Q. How do you look back on your days as the sweet Rachel in Friends?
Jennifer Aniston: Fondly… I look back at her fondly. She was a lot of fun. As for fans, I get people still referring to me as Rachel. But nobody is upset about this.
Q. After feminism and emancipation, don’t you think every woman has
the right to seduce a man?
Jennifer Aniston: Absolutely. Yeah. And I think it’s nice that we finally see that. We haven’t seen that very often in film, so it’s nice and I agree.
Q. Which were the most embarrassing scenes for you to shoot?
Jennifer Aniston: It was embarrassing for me to have to basically meet Charlie [Day] and after one day have to straddle him. I was embarrassed for myself. I hope he forgives me!
Q. Would you like to do some theatre? Has Kevin (Spacey) asked you to come to
The Old Vic perhaps?
Jennifer Aniston: Oh yes, I have and I would love to. I did the 24-Hour Plays. I started at bad theatre in New York, I did public theatre and things that aren’t remembered. But yeah, I love the theatre and I would love to go back to it if the right thing presented itself. Kevin Spacey: I’m sure she’d tell me to go fuck myself.
Q. I understand you’re going to take a break from acting, so what are
you planning to do?
Jennifer Aniston: Yes. But why am I going to tell you? I’m just going to take a break and not know what I’m going to do, which is the fun part. Travel… live a little.
Q. Do you care about what critics say about your performances in films?
Jennifer Aniston: Well, they’re so inconsistent and today critics seem to be… it really feels like it’s personal digs as opposed to constructive critiques of performances.
Jason Sudeikis
Q. You’re all famous, wealthy and SOME of you are good looking… Have you ever met, seen or been confronted with a woman like Jennifer Aniston’s character in real life? And be honest!
Jason Sudeikis: Oh I would do nothing but… if only to counter your honesty! I mean not exactly… she wasn’t a dentist. And it’s great. But she was a squirter… and out the back. It was a mess… an absolute mess. A little like a Jackson Pollock [at this point the room erupts into laughter].
Q. Which were the most embarrassing scenes to shoot
Jason Sudeikis: I was actually embarrassed to work with Jason[Bateman]. But probably sticking all of those things [toothbrush, razor handle and anything else his character can find] up my butt.
Q. With so many comedy geniuses on the set, what was it like filming?
Jason Sudeikis: Well, here’s the deal about being a comedy genius [sighs], you know you just sort of do what you do and… I don’t know if we have any funny stories. I get slapped a lot. We didn’t ‘break’ a
tonne because we knew the script and we knew where it was going. But some of the late hours and shooting late at night made us a bit slap happy, no pun intended. But that would bring about some laughter fits.
Kevin Spacey
Q. Have you had a bad boss? What’s the strangest thing a director has asked you to do in preparation for a part?
Kevin Spacey: I’ve never had a horrible boss but I have had really remarkably stupid bosses. And that is frustrating because you think: “How did they get this job?” And then you realise: “Oh right, they’re
the son of…”
Q. Do they have a nick-name for you at the Old Vic that you that you’re aware of?
Kevin Spacey: I think it’s asshole but I’m not really sure [laughs].
Q. Could you imagine asking Jennifer Aniston to come to the Old Vic?
Kevin Spacey: Yes, I can imagine that. I can also imagine her telling me to go fuck myself [laughs]. Come play Richard III! There’s an offer. But look, I’m always encouraging actors, whether they grew up
in the theatre, had experiences in the theatre, to give it a try.
Q. Do you care about what critics say about your performances in films?
Kevin Spacey: I think there is a tendency to criticise a personality rather than the content, or actually even the performance. That’s a way to go… but the days of Kenneth Tynan are behind us. He was a very well known and well respected critic.
Jason Bateman
Q. Have you ever had any horrible bosses? What’s the worst thing a director has asked you to do?
Jason Bateman: I was strongly encouraged to learn guitar for Juno. There was one scene where I play two lines from some Courtney Love song and I just didn’t see the need for it and I actually passed on the movie because they kept coming with guitar lessons! But we managed to find a compromise and I ended up doing the movie. You should see it [laughs].
Q. What’s the earliest time in the day you’ve ever had a drink, Jason?
Jason Bateman: Em, well does still being up count as early or late? If memory serves, there’s probably every hour of the day at some point…anywhere in the world, right? Depending on which time zone I’m in.
Q. Which were the most embarrassing scenes to shoot?
Jason Bateman: Well, if you act against Kevin Spacey you’re going to embarrass yourself… running a tight second at best.
Q. And were there any challenges on set?
Jason Bateman: Jamie Foxx gave me some challenges. You forget that he started on In Living Colour and he’s incredibly funny, but he also brought a lot of his dramatic acting to this part as well. So, he sort
of combined the too, which meant he wasn’t really winking as they say. So, it was pretty sneaky his funny and he got me quite a bit.
Q. How important are box office sales to you and do you care about what critics say about your performances in films?
Jason Bateman: I would say you care about box office dependent on your profit participation trigger. And critical love is good if it doesn’t make any money. You have to come out with some sort of a plus.
Charlie Day
Q. What was the most embarrassing moment on set?
Charlie Day: I had to remove my clothes and stand next to Jennifer Aniston, who looks fantastic, so I was embarrassed about myself.
Q. Do you care what the critics say about you?
Charlie Day: Well, I think you want the movie to do well. I think it’s a lot more fun…it’s one thing to make it and be proud of it but no one sees it. It’s a lot more rewarding when people are coming out and paying good money to see it. So, you care in so far that you’re happy that people are seeing your work. As for the critics, it really hurts when they knock you.
Q. Has this changed any of your perceptions of dentistry?
Charlie Day: No, I’m still not excited about going to the dentist. If anything, it’s got to be more of a letdown.
