Blockbuster.co.uk's Marshall Julius enjoys an audience with the fabulous Uma Thurman.
Though it's hard to stay focused in the presence of an actress as sparky, smart and luminously beautiful as Uma Thurman, I was determined to make the most of the ten minutes we had together. Currently doing the cape and tights thing in big screen comedy blockbuster My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Thurman is chatting with me about the rather more down-to-earth Prime, a sophisticated comedy drama in which she plays a 37 year-old career woman named Rafi who falls for a passionate younger man of 23 (newcomer Bryan Greenberg). Complicating matters further is the fact that her new man is also the son of her therapist, perfectly played by the famously nice Meryl Streep.
"There were a lot of different things that drew me to this project," explains Uma. "The naturalistic writing for one, and also the lifelike, believable characters. It was great to play a more Earth-like, realistic person than I normally get my hands on. It was a straight acting job, no fight scenes and no special effects. I loved it. It was a total thrill.
"Then there was Meryl Streep. Sitting with her on a set for three weeks, talking about life, love and sex, was a dream come true. It was wonderful to work with her. She gave me so much encouragement. Her performance is so honest and so subtle, it was really special for me to play opposite her. Especially since I'm such a big fan. I think I like everything she's ever done, but Silkwood and Sophie's Choice are two big favourites of mine. And Heartburn. And Falling in Love..."
And what of her twentysomething co-star Bryan? "He was talented and malleable and he always came on time. Kind of silly, kind of smart - perfect, perfect, perfect for the boy!"
As much as Thurman loved her co-stars, they loved her right back. "What a surprise," says Meryl Streep. " I didn't know how wonderful an actress she is until I sat across from her and watched her work." Director Ben Younger echoes the sentiment. "Uma's bringing the life to Rafi I imagined when I wrote it. I wasn't sure who was going to be able to do that, but she's amazing to watch. I feel Rafi's joy. I feel her pain."
Turns out Thurman's a bit of a softie. "I love romantic comedies," she reveals. "I love the subject of love. As an actress I most like making comedies and dramas, and as a viewer I'm quite squeamish. I don't like brutality or animal suffering. I have much softer tastes."
Raised on the silver screen romances of Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and the like, Thurman's dream leading men are such Hollywood greats as Sidney Poitier and Richard Burton. "He was such a great actor," she says with genuine enthusiasm. "And Jack Nicholson I love."
Maybe one day Thurman will play opposite Nicholson in a May-December romance, where she can play the younger partner. It would make a perfect companion piece to Prime, and add to the tremendous variety of her colourful career. "I love variety," says the actress, signing off. "It's what makes life so incredibly, endlessly interesting."