The gun in The Mexican is supposedly cursed. Do you believe in curses or superstitions?

Mildly. I do knock on wood.

If you'd gone to a psychic 10 years ago and she'd told you that you'd be at this level, would you have believed it?

I probably wouldn't have paid her.

Have you ever had a nightmarish road trip, like your character in this film?

Yeah! Two girlfriends and myself got in my car to go on this road trip. Prior to that I had put the back seats down. So one of my girlfriends is sitting in back and for hours I must have said a thousand times, "Can you pick a side! Every time I look in the mirror, I see your face." She says, "I'm sorry, I'm very uncomfortable back here." I give her, "Come on, we're on the road, toughen up." Finally, six hours, eight hours later and, God bless her little soul, we get to a diner and I realized that the seats had caught at their first catch point and she had ridden from Los Angeles to Omaha sitting [forward] like this. We laughed all the way to Wyoming on that.

James Gandolfini said you flirted with him at the Golden Globes last year.

I didn't flirt with him. It was so funny. I was sitting there from way across the room and I thought for a second he was looking at me and I was waving like a fan. And he kind of looked down and my face turned real red and I said to Benjamin [Bratt], "James Gandolfini ignored me." Then as I went up to present, I passed by him and I just thought, "What the hell." So I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "I just wanted to say hi. I waved at you before." He said, "I figured you weren't waving at me." And I said, "I just figured you were ignoring me." He said, "No, no," and introduced me to his wife, Marcy. That was the beginning of it all.

Gandolfini said he was worried about getting up to speed on this movie.

Getting up to my speed? [Smiles] Oh, he's a goddamned liar.

This isn't the usual Julia Roberts romantic comedy. And you took half your usual salary.

First of all, you couldn't call it a romantic comedy and leave it at that. That would be shortchanging all the other bits. And I don't think what we got paid has anything to do with the kind of movie it is.

But doesn't it imply that it's kind of a risk in that it's not a commercial film?

Why? I liked the script. But that's the reason I do any script. There's no difference. More money doesn't make better scripts. Less money doesn't make a lesser script.

What classic film role would you like to have played?

If it's classic and I loved it, I wouldn't disrespect it enough to put myself in it.

The Oscar nomination for Erin Brockovich is your third. Does it feel any different this time around?

You know, I don't think like that. I keep being asked that: "Is it better, more fun?" It's not a comparative thought process for me. It's just a time to be happy and thrilled and grateful. I keep being asked that; it's baffling to me. Maybe I'm supposed to sit and assess my level of happiness and look back in time and put it on a graph and see if it matches up.

But I can remember that you were so excited with Pretty Woman.

So excited, so excited. I am still so excited. As Brad [Pitt] would say, "Inside, I'm doing cartwheels upside down naked." All that kind of stuff. I am as excited it just manifests itself with a slightly less Southern accent.

What would you say if you won?

You're on a whole different calendar page than me, babe. Come on back to today.

What do you remember about your last Oscar night?

I remember being overwhelmed and I realize today that that sense in that sort of environment never goes away. I don't think my hair trembles quite as much. I think I've gotten that under control, to style it so it doesn't show. But it was so long ago. I just remember the positive things, the dreamy qualities. "Oh my God, look at that person!"

 

Were you knocked out by what the women were wearing?

Well, yes. That's why the gals all pull out their pretty frocks for that night, isn't it? I can't remember what they were wearing last year but I remember watching it on TV and thinking, "Some pretty things, some interesting things."

Your character in The Mexican dreams of moving to Las Vegas. You're going to film Ocean's Eleven there. What do you think of Vegas?

I'm there now on America's Sweethearts. It's my own little oasis. ¡¦ I hate it. Well, I don't hate it, but it's just not my thing.

Do you gamble?

Not enough, apparently.

Is there anything you do without security?

Everything. In fact, when I have to have security, they call me the Road Runner because apparently I just go and forget to give them the heads up.

Have you made peace with fame, with people coming up to you?

Can I handle it now? As opposed to not having handled it before?

Yes, as opposed to maybe not ¡¦

Just a little bit "maybe." [Smiles] "Yes" is the answer to your question. When it first comes upon you, it's like being hit with a big tsunami in the ocean and you panic and then you realize, "If I just calm down and see which way the bubbles are going, everything will be OK." So I'd have to say yes. Like anything, the more you do it, the more relaxed you become with it. It used to be if someone came up to me I live in New York it was, "What do you want? Don't touch. Here's my purse. Back off!"

When you accepted your Golden Globe this year, you spoke of how nice it was to have someone to come home to and then you thanked Benjamin Bratt.

My cheeks are flaming red now.

Yet you've been very coy when asked about the relationship.

Well, how should I be to that kind of indictment, that interrogation? What would the appropriate response be?

What's wrong with telling the truth?

Well, apparently we got married three weekends ago or something in Las Vegas. Erin Brockovich was the maid of honor. Someone told me that. A good time was had by all. Can you imagine if I got married in Vegas!

Benjamin has a ring that he said you gave to him and that it was a reminder of what's important. Do you have one as well?

I have the twin to his ring, which is this one. [Displays the ring] And there's this one [Shows a sparkling diamond], which he gave me.

What is important to you now?

That's a long list.

The Mexican poses the question, "When, between lovers, is enough enough?" How do you answer that?

As Julia, I'd say respectfully that's really none of your business to be that far inside my brain. But it's an individual choice that evolves as a person evolves. I'd like to think the answer is the answer we say in the movie. I believe in that.

George Clooney said he sent you the Ocean's Eleven script enclosed a $20 bill.

[Smiles] Well, he's a liar. No, he's not a liar. He's a part liar. [After] Erin Brockovich, I had said to [Steven] Soderbergh, "Is there a part for me in Traffic? I want to be part of the team. I thought I was going to be part of the team!" I whined for a good two weeks over that, and he gave me the script for Ocean's Eleven and said there was a part for me to play. I said, "Ha ha! It's a movie for boys. There's 11 boys and no chicks. I'm not going to fall for this, Steven." He said, "No, I implore you to read this, there's one girl's part." I took the script and as I was leaving, he yelled, "She doesn't come in until page 42, and so don't stop at page 30 and say I'm a liar." And inside the script was a $20 bill and a note that said, "We hear you get 20 a picture hope you do this picture, Steve and George." First time I ever got paid to read a script.

You're not the lead in either of your upcoming films, America's Sweethearts or Ocean's Eleven. Is this a conscious decision?

It's just the way I like it. The biggest part isn't always the best part.

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You seemed to have a blast creating Erin's no-holds-barred personality on the screen. How much of you peeks through the character?

All I can say is it's a lot more fun to play someone who's going, "What the fuck is this all about? This doesn't make any goddamn sense." The no-nonsense energy with which she approaches her life was really appealing to me as an actor.

What about Erin's clothing--or, uh, lack thereof? Did you feel at home in miniskirts, spike heels and blouses busting at the cleavage?

Erin is so visually provocative--by my sort of modest, conservative standards of dressing--I was afraid the outfits would seem to be a contrivance. Like, "Oh, we hired Julia with really long legs, so let's give her the shortest skirts known to mankind." But the way I dress in the film is very authentic, and even though we realized the potential pitfalls of that, we tried to be realistic as well as truthful.

What did it feel like the first time you put on one of those getups?

It was a little bit of an adjustment because I have some things in my closet that I call dresses, and then Erin has some things in her closet that barely cover your ass. It did take a minute. But then you realize you're either going to do it or you're not. So, you've just kind of got to go with it.

Did you get any whistles on the set?

You walk on at 6:30 in the morning in sweats and flip flops, basically looking like a cute boy. And 45 minutes later, you come back to shoot and you're all glammed--you know, breasts up to your chin and heels up to your knees, the whole nine yards. So it was quite a little wake-up boost for everybody on the crew. They said, "It's the best cup of coffee you'll ever have in your life."

Rumor is you now have a "thing" for three-inch heels? Sounds kinky.

I love shoes now. I'm obsessed with shoes. But you know what's so funny? When the movie started, I just thought, Oh, I hate all these shoes. They're so tacky. Within days, I was like, "What about the red Ferragamos? I think they would look so smart with this blouse." I was into it. It was like a chock-full Barbie Dream House--you know when you're a kid and you open the thing and there are all the clothes? I became possessed.

Erin sort of proves that if you believe in yourself and you don't give up, you can accomplish a lot. Did you identify with that?

I believe that. I believe in tenacity, and I believe nothing is impossible. I think I've always believed that.

Erin's got a mouth on her, but it's part of her charm.

I think her use of language demands that you listen to her voice. It's like, "Stop looking at my shoes, and listen to what I'm saying to you." It serves a real purpose. Benjamin saw the movie with me, and now he calls me sailor. He actually said, "You have brass balls." I'm not quite so extreme in my expletives, but you know, I have a few here and there--a little peppering.

Speaking of your main squeeze, Benjamin, I swear I just saw him in bed with Madonna. Or did I dream that?

No, it wasn't a dream, it's a nightmare. It was my nightmare. You saw him in The Next Best Thing--yeah, they roll around, they make out. What're you gonna do? What can you do? I pretend to be furious for a couple of days, and then he brings me flowers. No, I'm kidding. If you have to watch your boyfriend roll around with somebody, it might as well be an icon, right? That's pretty cool. I pretend to be furious, but secretly I'm, like, calling my girlfriends and going, "Benjamin's with Madonna!"

Do you find it a little weird that when you publicly have a boyfriend, everybody suddenly starts noticing the gold band you've worn on your left hand for years?

You're right--it's been going on for years. Reporters who try to make something of it are blind, because I was wearing the same rings at the People's Choice [Awards] and the same ones last year at the Emmys. I mean, what can I do?

You could stop wearing the ring.

Why should I limit my horizons just because reporters can't shut their mouths? Now it's a joke. It's like I need to find a flashier ring just to taunt everybody.

What about marriage, kids, a family? Is all that on your wish list?

No, it's not on my wish list. Red Ferragamos would be on my wish list. You don't wish for things like that--you just let life evolve. I don't see marriage and children as an aspiration. Why is the media so impatient? It's like, "Marry, have kids, get on with it!" Doesn't anybody understand that life just kind of flows? I really do enjoy my life, but if you plan too far ahead, you can be way down the road and missing the moment. As a mother, I think I'd be okay with my children. My test is my little niece, whom I just adore. We get on just fine.

When you're just kicking back between movies, getting the rest you say you crave, don't you miss the excitement?

I don't really miss it, no. I have fun at home. I like being at home with my family, going to bed early and waking up when I want to, and cooking and doing all that stuff. So, no, I don't really miss it at all.

Why wasn't Erin Brockovich released earlier so it would have been an Oscar contender this year?

Just to give you people something to bitch about. Everybody has been complaining that it wasn't released sooner.

Is that golden statue overrated?

My super in my building said, "You've got to get yourself an Oscar--you don't have one of those." I'm like, "Okay, Dave, I'll be right back." You have to have perspective about it. I don't think it's the ultimate goal of an actor, but it's a nice thing to have on the old bookshelf, I would think. I've asked friends of mine that have them and they seem to enjoy them around the house.

What do you read about yourself or overhear about yourself that bugs you?

That I'm a bitch. That's probably the biggest misconception.

Why do you think people have that misconception about you?

Because I'm tall, and I'm really smart. No, you know what it is? I'm very opinionated. No, opinionated isn't the right word. I have lots of ideas, and I'm willing to share them. I think that when you're energetic and aggressive about things, it can be intimidating to people who aren't very smart themselves.

Richard Gere was commenting during Runaway Bride on how much you've grown up since Pretty Woman, as if that should be a surprise. But you've grown up onscreen and in the spotlight. If you had it to do another way, would you rather not have had that scrutiny?

This is my chosen profession, and I really love it, so the good has always outweighed the bad. Scrutiny is the comments of a stranger who's not willing to say something to your face. What does that really amount to? So, I wouldn't trade it, is what I'm saying. Would I rather be a dental hygienist and have nobody say bad things about me? No way.

You broke the ceiling in terms of what women are paid in Hollywood. How does it feel to be a $20 million woman?

You know what? It's like the bonus round that has nothing to do with why or what I'm doing or how I'm doing it. It is kind of the bonus round on Twenty-One, where they say, "Okay, answer these questions, and you'll win all this money." So, I'm winning tons of money. It doesn't make me a better actor. It doesn't make me work more or less hard. It doesn't make me more or less on time to work.

Nothing changes because of how much you get paid, except for how much you get paid. And the fact that everybody wants to talk about how much you get paid--which, where I come from, is an inappropriate question to ask somebody. No offense.

Did playing Erin inspire you to use your own money and power as a star to make a difference?

I'm not Paul Newman, but certainly I have my philanthropic side. I just don't feel compelled to call all my media pals to come with me when I do it. But I think Erin should be an inspiration for everybody, because if you only extract one concept out of this movie, it should be that one person can make a difference in a situation that seems too enormous to even confront. It really is the idea of a waterfall starting with one drop. So, if that's all you get from this movie, it has served a purpose.

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