You were nominated for an Oscar for your character in Cape Fear. Did De Niro still scare the shit out of you the first time you watched it? Haha, I get asked this a lot. No, when you make a movie it’s like being a magician – you know the tricks, so it doesn’t scare you, you’re inside it. It’s a fake boat in a fake storm. Although all the energy you give, you give emotion, you’re heart beats fast, so when you’re doing fake-angry your body still pumps adrenalin. I can’t explain it – it’s a wild thing. De Niro has such a presence but it’s more inspiring than scary.
You’ve played some grizzly chicks in your time – what’s your fascination? I only played one psychopath, that’s in Natural Born Killers, but I must have done a really good job because that’s all people remember me for. I’ve been in a lot of films with killers or high stakes drama. I guess you could say I relish the complex primal energy of humanity. It’s something I tap into well. I don’t know, it sure beats playing the girlfriend and worrying about looking pretty and if your hair is correctly quaffed. That’s never been my thing. There’s a million actresses who do that.
You grew up under Hollywood’s eye and while I’d never put you in that category of the quaff-haired chicks, the Lindsays or the Britneys, do you empathise with their treatment by the papparazzi? Here’s my thing. You’re just going to get the lion’s roar. The media has gone fucking bananas. The internet and trivial little magazines, they need filler so that’s where you get into the minutiae, the explicit details. We’re honing in on ruffled socks, dresses, nightlife, stuff that’s not interesting. There are people with genuine problems and they don’t realise it, it’s usually at a certain age. Hopefully they get a handle on it and go “wait a second, let me evaluate my priorities”. Usually there isn’t these nightly exploits of this person being a fuck up. But everyone goes through their own version. When I went through my troubled times, I didn’t go through it in the tabloids for the most part, there’s a little shit here and there.
When did you feel the rock itch? Since I was a little wee lass it grew in my belly and then it turned into a monster I must feed – you like my metaphor? I’ll keep it in a nutshell, I’ve been obsessed with musical sounds, bass tones, melody, drum filler – if there’s a distant sound playing in an airport, I can hear the bassline. I’ve always used music to create an emotional life before a scene, so I’ve always had a relationship between music and drama and I avoided doing a band ‘cos it scared the shit out of me. I knew it required all of me, I had no writer or director. I really had to decide what it is I wanted to say with my music. So after honing in on what I wanted musically I put a band together. I want to do rock n roll through a live show experience, not a pampered studio environment.
Many actors before you have tried rock n roll: Keanu, Russell Crowe, even Steven Seagal has a band. Were you discouraged by the public perception of actor-turned rocker? No, because I’m delusional enough to have the steel wool and conviction in what I had to give… or something. I don’t know. For me the pursuit and the journey as a songwriter and an artiste are more significant than fear and worrying. Plus I’ve been an actor among many actors – into the fuckin’ hundreds and thousands. That’s a rough business, it’s no easy thing, with rejection and judgement. I just have a thick hide, I couldn’t really give a fuck. For me it’s a love of electric guitar, bass and drums.
You’re coming to [Australia to play some shows and host the MTV awards. Ever hosted an awards show before? No… wait, have I? Not like a big ol’ show. I’m a bit intimidated. I hope the Australian award show bad-jokes writing is better than the American award show bad-jokes writing. Look, forget about the hosting, I’m excited to play. I always try to bring a sense of danger to the shows. We’re also playing our own shows so I must tell people to check out our MySpace page – www.myspace.com/julietteandthelicks.
You travel lots. What tips can you give travellers to find the real essence of a city or country? Okay. I got it. Ask the locals where the good beaches are. Don’t go to the beach the hotel recommends. I won’t name names… you know the beach. I like to find the real character of the place you’re in. And judge people by their shoes. If someone has some Birkenstocks they might have some haunts you’re gunna dig, or if they’re wearing some beat up alligator boots they might have somewhere to suggest, or Chanel heels…
Juliette and The Licks play Wednesday 23 April at Brisbane’s The Zoo, Friday 25 at Sydney’s The Forum and Sunday 27 at Melbourne’s Prince of Wales. Tix $47+bf. For more info visit www.kmwproductions.com.
