In our efforts to reverse the tide of negativity that came with Bale-gate back towards a more loving film atmosphere, we have a confession to make. We have a bit of a film crush on Kat Dennings. And we’re not the only ones who can’t stop heaping praise onto the actress. Two-time Academy Award nominee and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” co-star Catherine Keener fancies Dennings a bit herself.
In the Oscars Issue of The New York Times Magazine, the actress who blew us away in “Being John Malkovich” and “Capote” chronicles her thoughts on the young starlet, including her opinion of Dennings when they met at the script read-through. “I thought, Who is this girl? She was kind of lit up from within. When someone is that beautiful, it’s great when they’re funny too, and from the beginning, Kat had her own rhythm: a way of being funny and emotional at the same time,” said Keener.
Keener also discusses her initial difficulty adjusting to director Judd Apatow’s shooting approach, which she describes being “shot like a controlled improvisation,” and Dennings’ instinctual ability to adapt to her surroundings.
“It took me a while to get used to that style of working, but Kat was a natural. In one scene her character, who is anxious to give up her virginity, is battling with me. As her mom, I don’t want her to grow up too fast. Kat’s character is in the bathroom, crying, and I’m outside the door with Steve Carrell, who played my boyfriend. Kat was just screaming at me — cursing and yelling and calling me all kinds of names that were not in the script. I was thrown and I turned to Steve and I said, “I don’t know what she’s talking about.” Even though it was improvised, Judd kept that line in the movie — I clearly sounded like a frustrated mom and it was all due to Kat’s rant.”
Keener offered a candid assessment on the struggles new faces have in the film industry, stating, “It’s tough on young girls in Hollywood — it’s easy to fall into the tabloid culture. But that’s not what she’s made of. Kat has beauty and youth and talent, but there’s something else that sets her apart: she’s comfortable being different.”
We applaud Keener for taking Dennings under her wing, and showing some love in the typical dog eat dog environment that is Hollywood. Dennings has written her own screenplay called, “Your Dreams Suck,” which we’ll be reviewing soon.
