There Will Be Oscars

When I watch "A Mighty Heart," I think it's a very political movie, but not overtly-its politics are in those scenes around the dinner table, where there's all these different people from different cultures working together. There's a kind of commentary in that. Did you discuss that when you were working on the movie?
Jolie: Yeah, we were very conscious of it. It's something that Mariane made a big point of in her book, and it's very much who she is, and what that family represents today. They all continue to work ­toward dialogue. Just having all those actors at the table was a nice balance, because during this time when our country is at war and there's so much happening, to be in India and Pakistan with Indian and Pakistani actors, who usually also don't work together and don't cross each other's border, to have them asking us questions about politics, to actually have open discussions about 9/11, about Muslim culture, American culture, sharing food, sharing ideas, writing each other's kids' names down—that did something for us. It was really exciting to say, "God, that Pakistani actor or that Indian actor is one of the best actors I've ever worked with," and I don't often think of actors beyond, you know, the list we're all used to. I think that is very symbolic of what the piece represented.

Daniel, there's a lot of politics in "There Will Be Blood." Do you think about those things?
Day-Lewis: No, not at all. I just figured it would take care of itself.
Jolie: Your process is just amazing. You are just so brilliant. We all look to you as this mad genius, like, "He must have the most difficult time because of the work that comes out of him."
Clooney: OK, let's get it out right now. All actors bow to this f---er right here. And it makes us crazy when he goes, "Yeah, and then I went and I was a cobbler for a year." He made shoes for a year! You're amazing, and you just kill it for the rest of us. [The audience applauds]
Day-Lewis: Thank you, George.
Clooney: Yeah. Whatever. [Laughter]

Speaking of shoes—
Clooney: Wow, that's a segue.

Actually, it came up when we were doing this roundtable with Annette Bening and Kate Winslet. They were talking about how they physically create a character, and how important clothing is. Bening said that for her it begins with the shoes—that once she gets how the character walks, she gets the character. And Winslet said that it was her bra. I think she was serious. Is there some physical aspect that helps you find characters?
Page: I really have to say, I think the most commonly asked question—and the most annoying question—is, how do you relate? How do you relate to Juno? How are you like Juno? If you're playing someone who is honest and whole and well written, you are going to be able to relate to that individual, because we are just all made up with the same stuff.
McAvoy: But Ellen, can I ask, how do you relate to Juno? [Laughter]
Clooney: She gets a new bra.
McAvoy: I had an experience when I did "Narnia"—I read that book a lot when I was a kid, and I imagined that character from the ages of, like, 8 to 24. So when I was given the script, I already knew how I was going to play him, because I imagined him so much. And it taught me that when I got a new script, clothes and all that stuff are important, but I try to imagine the character like he's been in your head for 12 years. It's about finding the character in your head first, and then recognizing him in the right clothes.

That character didn't wear shoes.
McAvoy: Or a bra.

I have a technical question, Marion: when you were playing Piaf, you had to spend several hours a day getting your makeup done. How long was it?
Cotillard: Depending on the day, it was from three to five hours.