I know you're a private person, and you've expressed your distaste in the past with publicity. Did that make exposing your personal life as you do in this film painful?

It's like what Alan's character says in the movie about his book: "It's a novel." You draw on stuff that's personal. But that's the great thing about it. As an actor you're always doing that, you're just doing it with someone else's words. To do it as a filmmaker is really incredible. The only time you feel exposed at all is talking about it --like right now. But actually creating the work is the most enlivening, enjoyable and gratifying thing. There's nothing else like it.

Where's the line between your character, Sally, and yourself?

There are many things that are similar, but many things that are different. When this first came about I was going through a breakup and trying to recover from that. All my creative energy went into things that had to do with breakups, getting back together or both. You become the most creative during the saddest times. It's also a time where you reach out to friends a lot. So it was such a perfect thing, this film -- and it came together easily because of that.

What appealed to you about a party being the catalyst for an investigation of relationships?

I like the idea of something taking place within a 24-hour period and all that can happen in that 24-hour period. A party symbolizes life and fun and hope and joy. The fact that it can completely derail and undermine this relationship it's supposed to be celebrating is inherently funny and truthful to me.

Your character has a lot of issues with marriage and with the possibility of having children.

She's in total denial about it because she's so hopeful. She's willing to completely efface herself for this marriage. She's willing to uproot herself and move to London because that's where her husband is happiest. She wants to be anything he needs her to be, so she can hold on to this marriage. Also, they're both at that point, in their 30s, at which they have to decide whether they're going to have children or not, and if they do, what that means for their work.

How does that apply to you, since you're in your 30s?

I'd love to have children, and I think marriage is great, I really do. This movie examines all kinds of marriages. We examine so many almost microscopically. They're all kind of flawed but they work. And there's something beautiful about that. We know that every marriage in this movie has gone through some horrific nights and somehow managed. So maybe Sally and Joe will make it. I wanted to leave that as a question in the viewer's mind.

Your film addresses the creeping paranoia people feel in Hollywood over the subject of aging, especially women. Why was it important for you to satirize that?

Not only are we satirizing Hollywood, we're also indicting it. It's a true thing about women aging in Hollywood -- that suddenly there are no parts. But that's the great thing about this movie: There are lots of great women's roles. And that's an exciting thing to bring to the table. I plan to write and direct more good parts for women, myself included.

Yet everyone in the film is lying about their age.

Yeah, even the youngest woman in the film lies about her age. But Kevin's character lies about his age too. It's the nature of the business. People equate success with youth. And if you haven't had a certain amount of success by a certain time in your life, it's never going to happen. There's a fear about that. So people start lying about their age really young. I've never done that because I think it's so insignificant. You are the age that you are, no matter what you say, and you look the age that you look. That's why I can poke fun at it, because I don't feel threatened by it.

Do you and Cumming plan to direct together again?

Oh, yes. I think Alan will do one on his own and I'll do one on my own, then we'll come back and do one together.

What draws you to the darker roles you're known for?

Happier characters are usually pretty dull, unless they're very funny and well written. The darker ones -- like in "Georgia" or "Mrs. Parker" -- are better parts. They're more dynamic and challenging. I care more about them because their lives are so hard. But they're really courageous in the way that they live. There's something vulnerable and naked and daring about them. That's what makes playing them more satisfying.

Some reviewers have said, "Oh, Leigh will never get an Oscar because what she does is too edgy." Do those sorts of comments piss you off?

No, we joke about that in the film. For me it's, like, can I keep working? That's where my joy is.

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