USA: Actress Meg Ryan and director Cheryl Hines talk about their new film, 'Serious Moonlight'

Record ID: 1540445

  • Title: USA: Actress Meg Ryan and director Cheryl Hines talk about their new film, 'Serious Moonlight'
  • Date: 10th December 2009
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHERYL HINES, DIRECTOR & ACTRESS, SAYING: "It was exciting because you're responsible for every moment in the film and it's also hard because you're responsible for every moment in the film. But I was so fortunate to be working with Meg and Tim, it was fun."
  • Embargoed: 26th December 2009 09:26
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA7PKX0RBQ0GB83Y684PLR0CYUN
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Some women will go to any lengths to keep their cheating husbands - just ask Meg Ryan.
    The Hollywood actress plays a high-flying lawyer desperate to change her cheating husband's mind about leaving her for a younger woman, in the new film 'Serious Moonlight'.
    In the black comedy, Louise (played by Ryan) arrives home from a business trip to discover her husband of 13 years, Ian (played by Timothy Hutton), is having an affair with a 24 year-old receptionist, Sara (Kristen Bell).
    Furious, Louise duct-tapes her husband to a chair, vowing to hold him hostage until he changes his mind about leaving.
    "It was fun to play somebody also who behaves so badly, really," Ryan says.
    Drama ensues when their sinister landscaper (played by Justin Long), decides to rob the couple, and hold the pair - together with Sara - hostage.
    "It is dramatic, but really funny at the same time," says director Cheryl Hines.
    "We can't explain it." Ryan laughs.
    "No, it's dark and quirky and odd," Hines says.
    "Odd. It's odd," adds Ryan.
    'Serious Moonlight' marks the directoral debut for actress Hines, who describes the increased responsibility as 'intense'.
    "It was exciting because you're responsible for every moment in the film and it's also hard because you're responsible for every moment in the film. But I was so fortunate to be working with Meg and Tim, it was fun," Hines says.
    For Ryan, her biggest challenge was the tight shooting schedule.
    "Honestly I was very, I just didn't know if I could do a movie in 15 days. That's what the challenge was for me. I'm like, wow, I'm curious if I have any capability for that, if I have an instrument that can handle that," says Ryan.
    Although a comedy, the film is eclipsed by tragedy. Screenwriter Adrienne Shelly was murdered, strangled in her New York City apartment in 2006 by a 19 year old construction worker after she discovered him stealing her purse.
    Hines and Ryan say they wanted to stay true to the original dialogue out of respect for their friend and colleague.
    "We really wanted to respect her writing and respect what she left behind. We tried not to change too much of it. There were very few changes made to the script and when they were changed, we really sat down and talked about it" Hines says.
    "It was very deliberate, even I remember a discussion about one word," adds Ryan.
    'Serious Moonlight' is now showing at theaters across North America.
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