Playboy Interview: Mena Suvari

The American beauty talks about her crushes, fighting temptation and the joy of having 36DDS--even if they're fake

Q1

[Q] Playboy: In American Pie, the movie that put you on the map, you play a sweet high school girl who sings in the choir. But the image of you most people remember is from American Beauty; as Kevin Spacey's Lolita fantasy you're spread out on a bed of roses, naked except for some artfully placed flower petals. What's the inside dope on the filming of that scene?

[A] Suvari: I was wearing a thong, and they had cut the sides off it, so it was just taped to me on the front and back. They strategically stuck on the rose petals, and the cinematographer stood way up on a ladder and sprinkled petals down on me. Even in the bathtub scene, when the tub is filled with roses, they had to carefully place the rose petals on me. The scenes took about a day to film, and I got to take some roses home. The other day I was in downtown Los Angeles at the flower market, and this man came up to me with huge long-stemmed red roses and said, "These are for you." Free roses--just one of the perks.

Q2

[Q] Playboy: Another perk has been more movie projects. For instance, in 2002 you were in Sonny, Nicolas Cage's directing debut about a male hustler in New Orleans, as well as the indie Spun, in which you play a speed freak.

[A] Suvari: Every film I've done has changed someone's idea of me. In American Pie I was kind of wholesome. American Beauty showed a darker, more devious side of me. I know I got extremely lucky with those two movies. I really had to grow up fast after those and figure out what the hell I was doing. That's when I started working on projects like Spun and Sonny. People were shocked by Spun. I think it's a cool movie, and I've always wanted to do a film that's down-and-out and gritty. It didn't really have a release. It initially played one theater in L.A. and one in New York, so you had to look for it. It wasn't for the masses, who weren't going to get it; it was really for the coasts. I don't want to do something just because it's going to get me on the cover of a magazine or because it's commercial. The risk you take is that not everybody will like or identify with everything you do.

Q3

[Q] Playboy: Did you always want to be an actor?

[A] Suvari: I never said, "I'm going to become a movie star." I started modeling when I was 12, and when I first came to L.A., at the age of 15, I got a Rice-A Roni commercial. I mean, that's not the same as getting a movie, but some people have been in L.A. for 10 years and can't get a commercial. I didn't know any of that then, though. When American Pie and American Beauty came along, I didn't even know what a huge studio movie was, and I certainly didn't have the ability to see the potential in a script. I didn't say, "I've got to do this movie because it has the potential to be really successful." I just kind of did my thing, auditioning and meeting people, because that's what you do.

Q4

[Q] Playboy: You said you had to grow up fast after your first big successes. Before those you had done such movies as Slums of Beverly Hills and The Rage: Carrie 2. Did suddenly becoming a hot, talked-about young star force you to deal with a lot of new challenges--such as easy access to drugs and hard-partying Hollywood types?

[A] Suvari: Are you asking why I'm not an alcoholic or strung out on drugs? [laughs] Listen, I used to get upset about the downsides associated with this business, but you have to find your priorities and discover who you really are. I've experienced a lot of things in my life and been in many kinds of situations. If you want to look for the world you're talking about, you can find it anywhere, not just in Hollywood. The first film I worked on was Nowhere, directed by Gregg Araki, which was very much that kind of world. But I don't think I put myself out there for that type of attention.

Q5

[Q] Playboy: Last year you appeared on seven episodes of Six Feet Under, playing a lesbian performance artist who, among other things, masturbates a guitar onstage and seduces the character portrayed by Lauren Ambrose. Did you have any "Hmm, I'm not so sure about this" moments?

[A] Suvari: Playing Edie was therapeutic for me because a lot of her qualities are ones I always wanted to have and never felt as though I did--like being so strong and outgoing. I was a little apprehensive about her personality but not about the subject matter. I think our society is mixed up in its perspective on that. When people care about each other, there are no boundaries. My first day of work I was onstage doing a performance piece in front of a hundred people, mostly strangers, and I was yelling "Yeah, baby!" at the top of my lungs and jerking off the guitar. If I had reservations about the scene on the bed with Lauren, they were just that I was concerned about her and didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable in any way. We both had concerns about our bodies, but I think we knew what we were getting into. I really had to be the driving force, very aggressive, and just go for it. I feel I morphed somewhat into that character. It was fascinating to realize that the role was a test for me. I could easily have said I was afraid to do it, that I didn't know if it was really me.

6

[Q] Playboy: You're also in the big new comedy Beauty Shop, with Queen Latifah, Kevin Bacon, Alicia Silverstone and Djimon Hounsou.

[A] Suvari: It was a huge production, and everybody on it was really lovely. I had a great time playing a socialite who is really, really blonde, works at Saks and is manipulative and insecure. She's completely lost. The way she defends herself against all that is to be snotty. All she can think about is getting a boob job, and she's constantly on the phone talking about how she can't wait to get it done and how she'll get extra pain medication for her friends. They made a bra for me, a 36DD--and that's just huge. The role is a take on Paris Hilton, in a way.

7

[Q] Playboy: So how did it feel to be temporarily superendowed, thanks to Hollywood prosthetics?

[A] Suvari: My back started to hurt after the first day of shooting. I didn't like it. I like my own and appreciate what I was given. It was like a psychological experiment, because when I had the bra on, people would treat me differently. They put me in tight tops, so on me these breasts were really prominent. I remember walking out of the trailer in my costume, and from a hundred feet away guys would be like, "Hi!" If you give people the opportunity to change something about themselves, they'll probably name something. I'm really petite, and I've thought, Oh maybe I could look like that, or, I wish I were taller. But I looked at myself on the set with this cleavage, and it was just too big. I think proportion is a lovely thing.

8

[Q] Playboy: Speaking of Paris Hilton, what do you make of the phenomenon of celebrity porn videos, whether or not they're made for public consumption?

[A] Suvari: Well, you know my husband and I have a video coming out, but I didn't want to compete with Jessica and Nick, because they're special. Maybe we'll release it for next Valentine's Day. [laughs] No, I think it's about an out-of-body experience. You're removing yourself from the situation when you make it, and later you get to rewatch it. It's like dissociation--you're detaching yourself so that you get to see it from a different perspective. It's not about a couple watching themselves; it's about a couple watching another couple, and that's tantalizing. People are naturally voyeuristic. They like to push the boundaries and do something unique. I also think it goes hand in hand with the whole revolution in porn.

9

[Q] Playboy: What has shocked you most about Hollywood?

[A] Suvari: One thing comes to mind. You might take offense to it. [laughs] I was naive when I got out here, and after American Pie and American Beauty, being innocent and a huge pleaser, I was thrust into all these interviews. A couple of times I read interviews I'd done, and they were made up. Things were put in that I never said, sometimes in boldface. I took it personally. I didn't know why someone would do that. It's really a test of your patience and your sense of self. You learn to let it go, but that was a big shock to me. When I was younger I would read magazines and think the person being interviewed said every word, and now I take them with a grain of salt.

10

[Q] Playboy: No offense taken, by the way. And you'll notice this interview is being taped with two separate recorders. Do you enjoy being recognized?

[A] Suvari: When I was in New Orleans working on Sonny, I was checking out at a supermarket. The checkout girl said, "You look like that girl from American Pie." She said, "You know, you should do one of those celebrity look-alike things, except that American Pie girl's hair is a little different and she's a little thinner." I watched an interview with Samuel L. Jackson on The Daily Show, and he said he always takes the subway in New York but that nobody really thinks he's him. In this checkout girl's eyes I was supposed to be in Hollywood, driving around in my limo, not in a supermarket checkout line in New Orleans.

11

[Q] Playboy: Your father is an Estonian and a retired psychiatrist. What are some must-know facts about Estonia and Estonians?

[A] Suvari: A lot of people don't know what Estonia is, let alone where it is. I remember talking to somebody in L.A. who actually asked, "Estonia, is that in California?" I grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, and you know, Estonia and Rhode Island are similar--they're like the smallest, most nonexistent places around. When I mention Rhode Island, people think it's an actual island, or they say, "Don't you mean Long Island?" My father came from Estonia in the 1940s with no money, worked his way up and started studying medicine. I haven't been to Estonia, though one of my three brothers has. The little I know is that a lot of its heritage was lost because of the Russian invasion. The Russians tore down buildings and replaced the statues with Russian ones.

12

[Q] Playboy: Did you ever give your parents enough grief to make them consider sending you to one of your father's psychiatric colleagues?

[A] Suvari: No, not in the way you're mentioning. I had my phases, but I was a very good child. Yes, my father was a psychiatrist, but going to see one is a big deal. You've really got to have a reason.

13

[Q] Playboy: You've been making movies for eight years now, but do you still take (continued on page 162)Mena Suvari(continued from page 130) a lot of flak for your unusual name, which has an Egyptian association?

[A] Suvari: Yeah, my name gets mispronounced all the time. At a party last night I said my name three times to this guy I was talking to, and he was kind of looking at me, going, "Um, Me? Mia? What's your name again?" I get "Menna" a lot, too. I'm named after my godmother and the Mena House, the hotel at the base of the pyramids in Egypt.

14

[Q] Playboy: Do you and Mira Sorvino ever get each other's mail?

[A] Suvari: I don't get her mail, but I definitely get called her name. My favorite is being on the red carpet at events where 49 photographers are yelling "Mena!" at me while one guy keeps yelling "Mira!" Okay, you don't have to know who I am, but wouldn't it tell you something if 49 people around you are saying one name and you're saying another? We don't look anything alike. I got to meet her, and I said, "Oh hi, I'm Mena. A lot of people think I'm you." And she gets people calling her Mena, which shocks me because I wouldn't have thought it happens in reverse." I think she's a little uncomfortable with it, actually. [laughs]

15

[Q] Playboy: Have you ever embarrassed yourself in the presence of another famous person?

[A] Suvari: When I met Daniel Day-Lewis I was such a dork. It was at an awards dinner, and I said, "Hi, I'm Mena," and he said, "Yeah, thanks, I'm eating dinner. Bye." He didn't know who the hell I was. [laughs] He's a brilliant actor and not just because he's handsome. Joaquin Phoenix is someone I would just die to work with. I'd be a bumbling idiot. Because these people are so talented, I'd turn into a really stupid fan. When I was younger I was obsessed with Tom Cruise and would watch every movie he was in. He was my first crush. It's not there anymore, though.

16

[Q] Playboy: Has working with someone in a movie ever made you lose your cool?

[A] Suvari: You don't know what it's going to be like to work with a lot of people who've been in this business for so long, but Christopher Walken was so sweet, funny, down-to-earth and humble. I was peeing my pants when he said his lines. He was so funny that one time I almost said, "I can't do it." I'd never before had the experience of not being able to get through my scenes. I think he did it on purpose. He really messed with me. It was one of the best times I've had on a movie.

17

[Q] Playboy: You, Kirsten Dunst and Sarah Michelle Gellar, among others, apparently competed for the Mary Jane role in the Spider-Man flicks. With competition so fierce in Hollywood, are there any actresses you wish would just take a break?

[A] Suvari: Why? I know I can't do every role. We all have our own personality. We're all fit for certain things. Everyone brings something unique to this business.

18

[Q] Playboy: Movie sets and location shoots can be filled with booby traps--flirtations, casual affairs and other temptations. How do you handle them?

[A] Suvari: Being on the set has always been about forming relationships with people and having a good time. That's part of the collaborative effort. But listen, if I were put in an awkward situation, no is no. There's a fine line between somebody being friendly and someone flirting with you. Nobody's ever been over-the-top with me. Maybe I'm just blind to it. I don't know.

19

[Q] Playboy: You have a movie coming out this year, Rumor Has It, about the longterm consequences of a secret love affair, kind of a spin-off of The Graduate, with Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner and Mark Ruffalo. What was the filming like for you, considering that Rob Reiner came in to replace first-time director Ted Griffin (who was fired after 10 days of production), Griffin's screenplay was rewritten and several cast members got canned?

[A] Suvari: It was a horrible experience at first. I felt so bad for everybody involved. It was extremely unfortunate. Ted is very talented and a great guy. I had finished part of my work and was going to go out of town when I found out. I was terrified for a week. Was I going to get the boot? Was the movie ever going to be made? It's the worst thing that can happen with a film. The movie has a complicated plot: Jennifer Aniston, who lives in New York, returns home to Pasadena for my wedding. Shirley MacLaine, who plays our grandmother, sort of slips up and mentions that our mom, who passed away when we were younger, had run off with a guy a week before she married our father. It turns out the guy our mom ran away with was the basis for the main character in the book and movie The Graduate and that Shirley was Mrs. Robinson. So Jennifer starts to think maybe our mom and the guy ran away together and that she got pregnant with me. We ended up having a great time shooting it. Rob Reiner is an amazing director.

20

[Q] Playboy: How weird does your life get?

[A] Suvari: A lot of people think I have a twin. I've heard so many stories about my being somewhere or doing something when in fact I wasn't there. My lawyer called me when I was in London filming a movie and left a message on my husband's cell phone, asking, "Are you okay, Mena? Call me back." I called her, and she said she'd heard I'd been hit by a car while I was on my bike. I said, "I'm in London. What are you talking about?" So I guess I must have a twin. Sometimes I think, What if I weren't actually Mena Suvari but just went through life accepting roses and other perks from people?

They made a bra for me, a 36DD--that's just huge. It was like a psychological experiment, because when I had the bra on, people would treat me differently.