HOLLYWOOD — Some of the most memorable characters in Hollywood history have been stalkers: Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction," Anthony Perkins in "Psycho," Cameron Diaz in "Vanilla Sky." Sure, the word has received a negative connotation over the years — but now, the reigning queen of romantic comedy is hoping to put the "fun" back in, um, "fanatic."
"From his point of view, yes [she is a stalker]," Sandra Bullock grinned when we caught up with her recently to discuss this weekend's "All About Steve," an unusual rom-com that has her character developing a misunderstood obsession with a television cameraman played by "Hangover" star Bradley Cooper. "Until he realizes what he said and what actually happened."
The misunderstanding begins when Cooper's Steve goes on a blind date with Bullock's Mary. She falls in love with him immediately — and when he's called away for work and innocently throws out the phrase "I really wish you could be there," she takes it way too literally.
"Steve does think [she's a stalker]," Cooper explained of the plot, which has Bullock's character following him into hurricane territory. "It's one of those 'Three's Company' things, where you think you know something, but the audience knows it's not. She holds a machete up — but it's not really a machete, it's a piece of a car, but he thinks it's her trying to go after him."
Somebody other than America's sweetheart might have a difficult time pulling off the comedic stalker situation that distinguishes "Steve" from other films in the genre. But with the red-hot Bullock coming off one of the summer's biggest hits in "The Proposal," audiences seem unlikely to file a restraining order against this comedy.
"It's a very different character than she's played before," explained director Phil Traill, glad that the role of Mary gave Bullock enough space to wear a wig, tinker with her voice and create a wholly original character for herself. "She's got a little bit of a lisp in it. She had little fake teeth made. ... She had weird eyes, like gray-brown contact lenses, made. ... We went out there and reined it back in, and hopefully you haven't really seen her like this. But at the same time, it's also her — you know her and love her, and that's her."
MTV is taking you "Behind the Screen" on Friday, September 4, at 7 p.m. Tune in to check out exclusive clips from "Jennifer's Body" and "Ninja Assassin," your first look at "Clash of the Titans," a special appearance by Rain and a revealing exclusive interview with Megan Fox.
Check out everything we've got on "All About Steve."
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