Blake Lively

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 11:23

In the mood for something different (and flexing her untapped talents), Blake Lively downscaled from the snobby side to become an unhinged semi-single stripper in the upcoming crime thriller The Town. The statuesque Gossip Girl (and two-time Vogue cover girl) describes how she got high on kicking, screaming and fighting her way through a movie and switching up personalities along with hair colors.

Story by Prairie Miller; photos provided to INsite

Blake also put out some buzz about next summer’s Green Lantern, and how she can be less into gossip than bossing a man around. She’s definitely squeamish about exhibiting her more sexual side on screen, and would prefer watching herself getting it on with a guy than pretending to do so. And don’t even get her started about being left dangling for any dude, even if he is some kind of superhero.

Hey, Blake. Your new movie, The Town, deals with Boston bank robbers. What are you up to in the movie?
I’m screaming, I’m crying, I’m fighting. And I’m on drugs and in the hospital. And every scene I had was cataclysmic.

How so?
Everything was very rough—rough to perform, and rough to experience and watch. But you feel like, “Wow. I can do that. I did that.”

Tell us more about your character, Krista.
I fought for this role. She’s a 29-year-old drug dealer from Boston. She’s on welfare and has a 2-year-old kid. So it’s very different.

What was it like getting up close and personal with director and co-star Ben Affleck?
Ben is a terrific director. You never know what you’re getting into, but Ben really knows what he’s doing. So it was a wonderful experience.

What about doing sex scenes?
It’s uncomfortable, you know, in front of some strangers. That’s always uncomfortable. Everybody is uncomfortable with those scenes; you’re never going to be comfortable being half-naked in front of anyone. And for me, it’s more uncomfortable to watch. It’s like, “Oh no. All these people are seeing me like this!” So I just want to hide.

What’s a big thing people tend to get wrong about you?
People think I’m goofy. I don’t have that whole Angelina Jolie air to me. But I wish that I did. And that’s an insecurity of mine. You know, I was always much taller than the rest of the kids. I was just like tall and lanky and clumsy.

Did you have issues with your name too?
Oh yeah. People are always like, “Blake Lively? Okay, what’s your real name?” So it’s always been kind of embarrassing to tell people, because it sounds like a really cheesy stage name. I know that seems silly, but it’s true.

Where did the Blake part come from?
Actually my grandma—her brother’s name was Blake. And they said, “If it’s a boy, we’ll name him Blake.” Everybody thought I was going to be a boy. And then I came out, and I was a girl. But they had already been calling me Blake for months, because they were positive I was going to be a boy.

Well you’re definitely all woman. What turns you on about guys these days?
I don’t like to talk about my private life. But I like someone who makes me laugh, and someone who’s really fun.

Are you into Facebook or anything?
No, I’m not. But there are enough people who pretend to be “Blake Lively.” Like somebody told me that I had been online, and I was like, “That wasn’t even me.”

What’s the best thing about being “Blake Lively” in movies and on TV?
I absolutely love it. And I can’t imagine doing anything else. So I guess it worked out perfectly.

How about getting into clothes?
Oh yes. I can get into changing more than once a day, even when I’m not going out.

How do you stay in shape?
I don’t like to exercise. But I can’t go without muffins and brownies.

Are you comfortable with fame?
Getting recognized on the street feels unreal, because I pretty much live in a bubble with the work I do. And anytime anybody comes up to me, I’m always a little shy.

Okay, so you’re a real Gossip Girl. But what about when the gossip is about you?
If the gossip’s about yourself, it’s very weird. Like when they were saying that I had been clubbing with some guys. And that hurt, because it’s not me who does something like that. I just think for too many people, it becomes a way of life instead of a job. And at the end of the day, I just want to go to dinner. And like, watch a movie. I don’t want to go to a club and not wear panties.

Did you grow up with any gossip girls around?
Definitely. I think there are catty, insecure girls everywhere. And many of my classmates were often mean to me. But I loved school. And I loved growing up in Burbank. But I was never part of the Hollywood scene.

You and co-star Ryan Reynolds recently (and very visibly) promoted your upcoming movie, Green Lantern, at the Comic Con. What can you say, if anything, about playing comic book character Carol Ferris in the movie?
It makes you nauseous, and you spin in every direction. I was in, like, this gyroscopic waistband. And it required so much core strength that I don’t have. But I spun like crazy until I felt just so nauseous. And I was like, “You’re not going to make me do that again, are you?” But it was a really nice dynamic to play every day.

Your character in the movie is brunette. How different is that?
As a brunette, I felt a little more serious. I don’t know. But it was fun being a brunette; it was very different.

How come?
Like, I felt that even the way I move is different. You know, it kind of changes. So it changes a lot of things about you.

Is Carol Ferris somebody you always dreamed about playing one day?
Actually, I always really wanted to be Spiderman, and fly around like that. I don’t know; I was also like a Ninja Turtle fan. I know he’s not a superhero, but I really always wanted to be a Ninja Turtle.

But I thought Green Lantern was wonderful.
You know, to get to rival the hero is something that’s so unique, because the woman is always, like, the one on the train tracks that he saves—or the one who the villain is dangling in front of him.
And you know, to not start out just being somebody’s love interest. But just inhabiting Carol was great, like the way she’s a strong, tough girl. And she’s also his boss, and she has to save the guy a few times.
But I think I’m Superwoman sometimes, because I try to do everything.

Read our other celebrity interviews!

Catch just about all local events on our blog.

Stay up-to-date on what's going on in your neighborhood by following us on Twitter and Facebook.