Ginnifer Goodwin is Gigi, the heart and soul of He’s Just Not that Into You. She is also charming audiences as the most naive of the three wives of Bill Paxton’s HBO hit, Big Love.
Ginnifer glows
Other than, perhaps, a certain Shopaholic, there is no other film more anticipated this winter than He’s Just Not That Into You. Starring Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Connolly and Kevin Connolly, the page to screen gem arrives in theaters nationwide February 6.
SheKnows has the inside stories of the He’s Just Not That Into You cast as each day this week, we roll out a different star interview. Tomorrow, it’s Scarlett Johansson.
Today, the spotlight shines solely on Ginnifer Goodwin.
Her Gigi is, of all the star-studded storylines, one of the most relatable. Considering every connection between performers in this film is pure gold – check back for our review February 5 – watching Goodwin soar on screen is a glimpse of an actress on a meteoric rise in Tinsel Town.
SheKnows: Gigi in many actresses’ hands, could have come across as overly demanding and unappealing. What was your secret to making Gigi adorable?
Finding the one
Ginnifer Goodwin: It’s interesting because I’ve been asked a lot about the neediness and the annoyance. It is something I’ve clearly never thought about. So I don’t think that anyone thinks that she’s needy or annoying, right? In playing her open and resilient, and choosing to have her walk boldly, even in the wrong direction, I think it certainly couldn’t as desperate and clingy, but our entire goal with Gigi was to play her as intelligently as possible because I thought it was important that she not stumble out of ignorance. None of us can relate to that. Doesn’t every woman think that she’s brilliant?
SheKnows: Gigi’s knack for over-analyzing what the men around her are saying and not saying, Gigi as you player her is completely relatable, unlike say your character on Big Love.
Ginnifer Goodwin: We make decisions using the information we have. The information she has is misguided. Therefore, her falling on her face with commitment should be humiliating in a really relatable way. It was actually pretty cool. I didn’t feel like I had to walk any particular line. I am rejected on a daily basis for what I do for a living and it was easy for me to play a character who embraces rejection in her personal life. I had really great fun trying to live in the moment and not play the end of the story knowing that she will be OK at the end of the movie. I think we see that is what we always see in movies and I find that incredibly boring.
He’s into a page to screen
SheKnows: The script, in turn, based from in many ways a self-help book, transfers effortlessly on screen and still manages to impart priceless life lessons. Did that come across to you immediately on first read? Ginnifer Goodwin: That is what is so refreshing about this script. It’s full of hopeness and sweetness and a non-judgmental quality that we managed to bring to it.
SheKnows: You didn’t read the book prior to tackling Gigi, but did after completing the film. After reading He’s Just Not That Into You, what insight would it have provided for you tackling the central character – Gigi.
Ginnifer Goodwin: I didn’t want that information until the end of the story. Is she OK? She’s got to learn her lessons from Justin’s character. She becomes obsessed with the sign reading. She’s wasting life in that way. I did buy the book before filming (laughs). I did a lot of other homework.
SheKnows: Reading it afterwards did it affirm your decision not to incorporate the book into your performance?
Ginnifer Goodwin: I’m glad I hadn’t read it before. I don’t think you can read that book without gaining some inner strength and becoming a little less tolerant of foolishness. I did want to have that strength in my heart while filming.
Mending hearts
SheKnows: How do you get over a guy that may have broken your heart?
Ginnifer Goodwin: I’m a girl’s girl. I have honestly to God had girlfriend and sisters pick me up from breakup location (laughs). I have actually stopped in the middle of a break up and said I have to call my sister. (Ginnifer pretends to cry) Could you get me and bring me some Starbucks? I have the best girlfriends in the world. I’ve learned about myself that there is a certain amount of codependence. I may need a sleepover for weeks straight and eat an awful lot of cookies. Yeah, I’m all about surrounding yourself with girlfriends.
SheKnows: Recently having a public break up, was it difficult to portray a character without people linking you to your own relationships?
Ginnifer Goodwin: I don’t think we have a choice. Surely, the audience’s opinion of a character is affected by what you know about the person is in real life.
SheKnows: Now what about the misreading signals, not only do women suffer from this communication affliction, men do as well.
Ginnifer Goodwin: I did it everyday and now I get paid to do it (laughs). The script is so balanced. It is so subtle. The message could not have been as effective if it wasn’t so subtle, because life is subtle. That’s why it’s so relatable.
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