Carrie Preston recently opened up about a surprising moment she shared with Julia Roberts while filming their 2009 movie Duplicity. During an episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s ‘Dinner’s On Me’ podcast, Preston told why Roberts seemed “mean” to her on set and how it actually helped her perform better.
Preston said that before filming began, Roberts gave her a warm hug. But later, she gave her warning that things were about to change. “She told me, ‘I’m gonna be mean to you for the rest of the day,’” Preston said this with a laugh. “And she really meant it.”
There was one simple reason behind the behavior of Roberts. They were shooting a very emotional scene where Roberts’ character stares at Preston with anger after she finds out she had slept with her boyfriend. In order to make that particular scene feel real, Roberts decided to keep her distance so that the required emotion for the scene would come naturally.
“She didn’t talk to me all day,” Preston said. “It was hard, but it worked. You can’t be joking around and then suddenly cry in front of the camera.”
Preston said that the experience falls among the most intense moments of her career at that time. Later, she realized how thoughtful Julia Roberts’ approach was. “She did it for me,” Preston said. “I didn’t see it then, but now I know she was trying to help me get into the right emotional space.”
Duplicity, which also stars Clive Owen, is about two spies who fall in love while keeping secrets from each other.
You can hear Carrie Preston’s full interview on the ‘Dinner’s On Me’ podcast.
