AOL Chat with cast of Time Code

TimeC2000: Welcome, Saffron Burrows!

Question: What is your movie about?

Saffron Burrows: It's about the demise of a man named Alex. It's set within the Hollywood world of a very successful production company involving a lot of paranoia, a great deal of anxiety, a number of people who work within this world. Alex has a wife named Emma, which is me. He has a lover named Rose, which is Salma Hayek. Salma Hayek has a lover named Lauren, who is Jeanne Tripplehorn. And you have, I guess, this wonderful quadrangle of these relationships that take place during one day in the life of this little part of Hollywood. I would describe it as a sort of tragic comedy.

Question: How long does the average movie production last from first day to last?

Saffron Burrows: The average movie production can be anything from the normal length of three months through to six months, sometimes eighteen months, when people run a little overtime. Eighteen months is not unheard of. The average for filming time is three to five months.

Question: How hard is it to shoot a movie in one take?

Saffron Burrows: Well, in a sense you don't have the safety net of a number of takes and the fact that an editor can save your ass later on. A good script can often be a very strong framework for a piece of drama, which does give you the sense of a safety net. With this we have no editor and no script. And no way whatsoever of doing another take. I love it because it is incredibly exhilarating. It's like doing cinematic theater. We are all highly responsible for our element in the film. If one of us screws up, then the whole film sinks. There are twenty-some actors involved, and you have such a responsibility. It's incredible.

Question: You are beautiful. What other movies have you been in?

Saffron Burrows: Well, I'm playing a rather desperate actress in this film who hasn't worked for many years. I've done "Miss Julie," directed by Mike Figgis, "Circle of Friends," "Deep Blue Sea," "The Loss of Sexual Innocence," "In the Name of the Father" and more.

Question: Salma, how was it working with this great cast?

Salma Hayek: Great. It was really great. It was one of the things that made me very excited about this project, even before going in. But after meeting them, it was even more exciting because they were even more than what I expected.

Question: Salma, do you have America Online?

Salma Hayek: Yes, I do have America Online.

Question: When can the movie be seen in theaters?

Salma Hayek: It could be seen by the end of this millennium because there is no editing, but it could even be seen earlier than that, but it will be a matter of scheduling with the studio and what theaters are available and where it could be seen. But it could be seen right away.

Question: What are you doing for the millennium?

Salma Hayek: It's a secret. I have a secret plan that I haven't told absolutely anyone in the world.

Question: Hi, Salma! What type of role do you play in this movie?

Salma Hayek: It changes every day, depending on the version of the movie that we are doing. But it is an aspiring actress with a lot of personal and relationship problems.

Question: Salma, how would you compare this role to your others?

Salma Hayek: Well, it would be easier to compare to one specific other because they've all been so different, but the experience is not even comparable, because the process has been so incredibly different, and I have to improvise. I don't have a script, so it's a part that's been described to me by the director without having anything on paper. So obviously the relationship between the director and the actor is a lot stronger because of this.

Question: I love you! What are you working on next? I can't wait to see this movie!

Salma Hayek: I don't know what I'm doing after this one, but I have another one coming out before or after this one, and the name is "Chain of Fools." Although I shot that one before this one, it might come out after this one next March. Thank you for having me!

TimeC2000: We will be chatting with Jeanne Tripplehorn next!

Question: Jeanne Tripplehorn, what role do you play in the movie?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: The character I play is of questionable occupation. She's a business person but she deals in money sometimes illicitly, sometimes legitimately.

Question: How is this movie made? I am confused how is it shot.

Jeanne Tripplehorn: I am confused how it is shot as well. Basically, this movie is shot in real time with four cameras. You have four pivotal characters that each camera follows, and it's really anything goes as far as what happens in that hour. Know that when the movie is shown there will be no editing. We're shooting the movie at least twelve different times, and the movie that will make it onto the screen in your local theaters will be the best out of the ten shoots [sic]. So every day we make a movie. The next couple of days we will be shooting the movie twice in one day. So it's the first time in my life I can say I've shot two movies in one day.

Question: Jeanne, what is your favorite movie role that you have played in?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: That's a very difficult question. It's not easy to answer; every experience is different, and I have yet to play a role that I truly feel becomes a second skin, but it's something to look forward to.

Question: Jeanne, you are my fav actress. How did you get started in acting?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: Well, my family will tell you it started in the living room at age two. But in actuality, I began acting at age fifteen. I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I had my own radio show and television show, and then I acted in theater at night, and then I moved to New York and pursued television everything from there, and here I am!

Question: Jeanne, can you wave to the camera? Do you enjoy working with Salma?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: I love working with Salma. We have many laughs -- she's a real firecracker.

Question: Jeanne, you have played funny roles; what do prefer, funny or drama?

TC2000Cast: Which is good that we get along, because we play lovers.

Jeanne Tripplehorn: Honestly, I prefer funny, because those roles are so few and far between, so when you play them it really is a special experience. I personally enjoy a good comedy and would be proud to be a part of a great comedy. It hasn't happened yet.

Question: Jeanne, what are some actors or actresses that you would like to work with in the future?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: That is a difficult question. I don't think too much about that. I'm really open to working with anybody.

Question: You are so gorgeous; what are you filming next?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: This is the third film in a back-to-back summer-fall filming. I'm going to take a break, and it's the holidays, and I want to spend time with my family. So at this time, there are no plans for work.

Question: Jeanne, did they pick the take that will be the movie?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: We're actually still filming right now, and the next few days, we'll have all the takes from which to pick. Personally, I hope they haven't found the one yet, because I still have four more films in which to improve!

Question: I’ve always wanted to be an actress, ever since I was little and I got into a Theater Arts Gifted and Talented class in my school district eight years ago. And right now I’m starting to think of majors for college, and I was wondering if I should consider acting.

Jeanne Tripplehorn: That's such a personal question, it's difficult to answer. If acting is your calling, of course you should follow your dream. When I graduated from high school, I attempted a year of university with just straight courses, and I realized after that year that my heart wasn't in it, and that I should pursue acting full time. I went to New York and pursued my dream. I'm always in favor of an education, and although I generally have no regrets, I wish I had completely a four-year university general education -- but my accountant is glad that I didn't. :)

Question: What city are you filming in?

Jeanne Tripplehorn: Los Angeles. Hollywood, USA!

TimeC2000: We will now be chatting with Stellan Skarsgard.

Question: How hard is it to shoot a movie in one take?

Stellan Skarsgard: It's mainly a logistics problem. Acting-wise, you have to be able to hold the concentration span for an hour and a half, but if you've done theater that's not a problem. But it's incredibly exciting, and you get the endorphin rush that you get when you do theater, which you normally don't get when you are shooting movies.

TimeC2000: Stellan played the math professor in “Good Will Hunting”!

Question: What is the craziest thing you have ever done on a set?

Stellan Skarsgard: Sometimes I think my films are very crazy, and compared to the films, I'm pretty straight, LOL.

Question: Hi, Stellan! Did you enjoy working with Salma and Jeanne?

Stellan Skarsgard: Oh yeah, I loved it... I still love, because we have four more feature films to do this week. It's a terrific cast, and when you work like this, you work tightly together and get to know each other in a way that you don't normally when you are doing a film, because actors just come in for a day.

Question: Stellan, did you enjoy playing a role in “Good Will Hunting”?

Stellan Skarsgard: That was a fabulous shoot, because Gus Van Sant is an extremely pleasant person to work with, and since we had Matt and Ben, who wrote the script, they were very flexible and had no problems with playing around with the text. And because we didn't know what... a success it would be, we were just a bunch of people having fun on a very low budget.

Question: What did you like most about this movie?

Stellan Skarsgard: What I like about [it] is the freedom you get for an hour and a half -- whatever you do, no one will say "cut." It's such a thrill working this way. To me it doesn't matter if it turns out to be a good movie or not, it's just the joy of the process that turned me on to this film. And I enjoy working with good actors, and I get to do this a lot in this film.

Question: What would be the one piece of advice that you would give an aspiring artist/actress?

Stellan Skarsgard: The shortest one would be "have fun." I could actually talk about it for hours. The other thing is, be more interested in your work as an actor than in your career.

Question: Stellan, have you started working on “Dancer in the Dark” and if so, how is Bjork?

Stellan Skarsgard: I worked on “Dancer in the Dark,” and originally I was supposed to be one of the leading roles, but a conflict with another film prevented me, so took a smaller role with two lines. Bjork is fantastic, she's like a little animal in front of the camera, and she's about as difficult to handle as a wild animal, but what turns out on the screen is incredible and the music is incredible. And it will be a very different musical, I can guarantee that.

Question: Do you have fun making movies?

Stellan Skarsgard: Oh yeah. It's too hard work to be doing if you don't enjoy it. But I also try and have a very varied diet and pick projects and roles that are very different. And I don't think I could do anything of any value if I didn't enjoy it.

Question: Stellan, your name is unique; does it mean anything?

Stellan Skarsgard: Not that I know of. So you can use it for any purpose you want! LOL

Question: As a child, was it your dream to become an actress, Holly?

Holly Hunter: Probably when I was about fifteen years old, I decided that that is what I wanted to do. So I wasn't terribly young, but not old either.

Question: Hey Holly, what role did you like best in your career?

Holly Hunter: I couldn't narrow it down to one, because there are roles I've enjoyed tremendously. The first one that I did that was a fantastic opportunity was "Raising Arizona," but "Broadcast News" goes down as a fave. "The Piano" and "The Positively True Adventures of the Texas Cheerleading -- correction -- Cheerleader-Murdering Mom."

Question: Holly, if you have started filming it, what was it like working with George Clooney and the Coens on "O Brother, Where Art Thou"?

Holly Hunter: We actually finished shooting that, and I only worked a few days on it in June, May and June. It was fantastic, and of course I love working with the Coens, and George Clooney is incredibly funny and gracious and really a lot of fun to pass the time with, and I think he does a lot of interesting and great work in the movie.

Question: I loved you in “Raising Arizona”! What do you remember from that filming?

Holly Hunter: Well, probably my friendship with Joel and Ethan Coen and Frances McDormant. -- correction -- McDormand.

Question: Hey, Holly how are you? Well, my question is, was it hard to cooperate with the other actors on the set?

Holly Hunter: This is really, truly what collaboration is. The process of doing this movie defines collaboration, and it's a very clearly defined process, and that's because of Mike Figgis. People feel very safe to collaborate on this set, and the safety is due to the fact that Figgis is so confident and knows the story that he wants to tell in broad strokes.

Question: Holly, what working actresses today do you admire most?

Holly Hunter: I think that Claire Danes and Christina Ricci are doing really exciting things with their careers. I love Laura Dern, Melanie Griffith, Jessica Lange. I kind of feel inspiration from many different actresses. I can't even begin to name them all. But I get turned on by a lot of different people that I see.

Question: Holly, what is the hardest part of this business? Is it the hours, staying in character over numerous takes, or what?

Holly Hunter: Probably the business part of the business.

TimeC2000: What is your character in the movie?

Holly Hunter: I play a studio executive who, along with two other men, formed the company, and I am certainly out of the loop in some ways. I've got a family, I ski in Aspen a lot, I play tennis. I have a life outside of the office. My life is not my work. It was in the beginning, but I've moved on to responsibilities that interest me. But there is also a paranoia that moves throughout the movie that sweeps me up.

Question: Holly, what is the most outrageous rumor you have ever heard about yourself?

Holly Hunter: I kind of try and not pay attention to them, so I don't really know.

TimeC2000: What are you doing for the millennium?

Holly Hunter: I am going to be with family and my husband.

Question: When can the movie be seen in theaters?

Holly Hunter: Around Christmas.

Question: Holly, what are some of your favorite designers?

Holly Hunter: Dries Van Noten. I like Curve. I like Vera Wang, I like Dolce & Gabbana. Gucci, Prada. The usual suspects. Thanks for having me!

TimeC2000: Thanks so much, everyone, for all of your great questions! And thank you's to the cast of “Time Code 2000” and to the great crew for having us on set live for part of last week and this week! Be sure to check out “Time Code 2000” when it hits the theaters. Take care and have a great day!

OnlineHost: Thank you for your time; we appreciate you joining us for “Time Code 2000.” Mike Figgis is unable to chat with us due to his production schedule. Thank you for joining us!

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