Dylan Grant: You look remarkably like the girl who plays the younger version of your character in 13 Going On 30.  How did the casting process work?

Judy Greer: I do look a lot like her, which is odd because I looked nothing like that when I was that age.  I was cast first and they found her later, and Gary [Winick] had us watch each other so we could pick up some of each others traits.

DG: I wanted to ask you about working with Gary Winick.  He came from independent film.  Did that have any effect on the dynamic on the set?

JG: He handled the set like an independent film, which was great because it was Jennifer [Garner]’s first really big role and it was Mark [Ruffalo]’s first big film, we were all kind of pinching ourselves because it was so hard to believe it was really happening.  So the way Gary handled it really kept us down to Earth.  He was great.

Director Gary Winick, Judy Greer, and Jennifer Garner.

DG: Did you know anything about the big corporate magazine world before the film?

JG: Not at all.

DG: How did you prepare?  Do you have a set process?

JG: How I prepare really depends on the character, so it changes.  I might go shopping and buy something I think the character might buy, things like that.  I usually try to find the character from the outside in.

DG: Do you still have to audition, or are you at a place where you are being offered roles?

JG: I have to audition for everything.  I mean, I’ve been offered a few things, but I actually prefer to audition because then I can find out right away whether it will work or not.  The director and I are on the same page right from the start.  When you are just offered something and you find out later that it doesn’t work at all, you’re kind of stuck.

DG: You’ve worked with some notable people – David O. Russell, Spike Jonze, and now M. Night Shyamalan among others.  Is there one experience that really stands out?

JG: They all stand out for different reasons.  I think the big one recently was when M. Night Shyamalan called me personally to tell me that I got the role in The Village.  Usually you get those calls, and it’s the agent or the manager and ten other people in the room – very businesslike.  But Night called me himself.  He may not have thought twice about it, but it really struck me.  I think more directors should do that.  It really helps the relationship.

DG: What did you think of the Sci-Fi Channel’s faux documentary on Night and The Village?

JG: I didn’t get to see it but it looked interesting.  I guess he might seem mysterious to a lot of people, but I loved working with him.

At the premiere of "The Village" - photo: Jim Spellman, wireimage.com

DG: The Village seems like a bit of a darker turn for you.

JG: Well, the film is darker than some others I’ve done, but I’m more the comic relief.  The drama really comes from some of the other people in the film.

DG: Do you find comedy or drama to be more natural?

JG: I started out in comedy, so I like that a lot.  But I don’t really labeled as either.  For me it’s more about playing real people, so however I can do that, be it in comedy or in something more dramatic, that’s what I want to do.

DG: You’ve got some interesting projects coming soon, too.  You’re working with Wes Craven and Cameron Crowe.

JG: Yeah.  I did Cursed with Wes Craven.  It’s a werewolf movie that’ll be out next year.  I love Wes Craven.  And I’m also doing Elizabethtown with Cameron Crowe.  Orlando Bloom is in it, and Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon.  It’s about a southern family who reunites when the father passes away.  I’m really excited about that.  I think it’s going to be great.

DG: You’ve also got The Great New Wonderful coming out in 2005.  It looks like an interesting look at post-9/11 New York City.  Can you talk about that film at all?

JG: Sure.  It’s actually five stories, slices of life, but only a couple of them deal with 9/11 directly.  All of them are probably touched by it.  In my story I get to work with Thomas McCarthy, who is great.  I play a mother.

DG: You’ve been keeping busy lately.  What do you do when you’re not acting?

JG: I like to walk my dog, I love Ebay.  I bought a house about a year ago, but I’ve been so busy that I’m just now getting around to any kind of decorating.  I’m so bad at stuff like that.

DG: Do you keep in touch with people that you’ve worked with?

JG: It depends on the time and the people.  Making a movie really is like being at summer camp, so once you get back to the real world it can be hard to stay in touch, but then when you run into them again later on it’s like no time has passed.

DG: Do you like doing these kinds of interviews?  Be honest.

JG: I’ve been doing so many lately.  It can be stressful because it’s one right after the other and  most of the time you’re getting the same questions over and over.  It really sucks when they don’t like your movie.  When we were at the junket for 13 Going On 30 Mark Ruffalo was telling me that it’s worse when they don’t like you, and I was thinking, come on, Mark.  Who doesn’t like you?

DG: Come on.  You’re a charming girl.  They must go pretty easy on you.

JG: Am I charming?  I don’t know.  Thank you…

DG: Thank you, Judy.