JUDE LAW
On the challenge of portraying Alfie:
His duplicitous behavior is perhaps not so upfront. He juggles them and doesn't let them know where they stand. It is a challenge to rise to that everyday and believe that you have that kind of capacity, which Alfie has, and believes he has. He's absolutely certain, confident, and an expert in his opinion at how to pour women what they want, what they need, and how to get what you want.
On Alfie's playfulness:
Playfulness is the word to describe him. He’s playful with women, and therefore it is not threatening. He comes to them with almost a fair deal. You know what you want, I know what I want, let's enjoy it.
On the women in the film:
This man has a particular way of approaching women, a particular way of treating women. Some of them you do meet, some of them you don't meet. You're introduced to them through his eyes and his opinions of them, and what he gives and gets from them. To me, it's like being a host at a cocktail party and having different guest arrive at different hours and having to entertain more, all coming with different approaches and different personalities and different needs and wants.
On Charles Shyer:
He has incredible flair for visual. He has an incredible understanding of comedy and he also has a desire and a capacity for investigating drama, in particular, emotional drama, drama relating to relationships and couples, and finding the humor in that.
On the film as a morality tale:
I think in his heart, it's a morality tale, an investigation and analysis of relationships. I think there is something revealing and eye-opening for both sexes on the film. There is deceit on both sides, there is intimate connection on both sides, and there is heartbreak on both sides. The humor that Charles has instilled in it makes it infectious and fun, but there is tragedy and drama to it.
SUSAN SARANDON:
On the things she likes about the film:
One of the things I like about the film is that all the women leave with their dignity intact. Charles was very involved and that’s not always true of every director. In what you show and what you don’t show, that makes every woman distinct and different from each other.
On how her character meets Alfie:
Alfie is driving my car. That’s how we meet. He is a chauffer and I’ve never met a chauffer quite like Alfie. He's also a one-stop shop, in that he manages to give me fashion expertise and encouragement while I am with someone else.
On working with Jude Law:
Oh poor me! I have to kiss Jude all day. The thing about Jude that is so surprising is he doesn’t have to be nearly as good as he is because of the way he looks. He comes from a theater tradition, so the concept of hard work isn’t alien to him. He’s not someone who is counting his lines, although, he's the entire film!
On her character's relationship with Alfie:
Talking to the camera like that is no easy task. They made it more about having the audience believe that he believes she sees him in a way no one else has, and so that kind of connection can happen on screen no matter the age or gender or race or whatever. And focusing on that as our form of intimacy, we really, now after all the sex has happened, see each other for the first time.
On Jude Law:
He is one of those people who is genuinely a good person and I think that really helps. There is something about him on screen that he can get away with, not because he is slick and gorgeous and funny, but because he has a goodness that reads.
On the film:
It was really fun to dress up and to have Jude and to have that apartment and be her (Liz) for a while. It was great. But I think that Alfie is a good date movie because you can go to it and have a good conversation and think of it the next day. I think that is the most that you can hope for in a movie.
MARISA TOMEI:
On Alfie Elkins:
Alfie is a cad, a rake, a bad boy, and completely charming. He has a lot more to him that he doesn’t allow to come out out.
On her character Julie's relationship with Alfie:
I suppose my character kind of sees the potential in him, plus of course, he's very pretty. He lets his guard down a little with me and it’s just enough to keep me hooked into him, to keep thinking he's going to let it all down, but he doesn’t. And he feels kind of safer and cozier, and kind of a domestic bliss with Julie.
On Charles Shyer:
Charles knows exactly what he wants and he has a great sense of comedy. There is nothing better than getting him to laugh. He's right there with you in the scene and he’s focused on everything you say and he's a great partner to have.
On the film:
I think it’s really funny and really true, and I think that it will be entertaining, but it’s about something and about what goes on between men and women and, particularly, with that kind of guy.
OMAR EPPS:
On his character, Marlon:
For me personally as an actor, this was a chance to show that vulnerable quality that us men love to hide. This guy Marlon is so sensitive and just open. It’s the first character in a while that challenged me intellectually. How do I get into that part of myself and justify it so it’s quite interesting?
On Marlon and Alfie's relationship:
I think Marlon and Alfie have a great relationship. What makes the relationship interesting is both of these guys come from the same side of the tracks. But Alfie is Alfie. Alife's a man's man and I would say Marlon is a man's man, but he's evolving now, so their relationship is interesting.
On working with Jude and Charles:
Working with Jude is great. Before we got together, I was aware of his work and I respect him as an actor, but being on the set with him, his process and how passionate he is shows. There’s so much passion going around on the set and I think it all stems from Charles. Charles is like a kid. It’s like the first time he's directing and that’s so exciting as an actor.
On the film:
This film is witty, it’s sort of whimsical, but there’s depth and heart to it. There’s so much of that, but without being preachy, without trying to have a moral to the story. But definitely, Alfie makes you want to get from point A to point B, and to point C, and continue on to grow in life.
On Alfie Elkins:
Alfie is many things. He's a lady's man, very charming, witty, and a bit irresponsible, but I think the film teaches him about responsibility. And you know even though there’s a saying, “You can repent, but you still have to suffer the consequences of your actions,” and I think this film definitely teaches Alfie that.
JANE KRAKOWSKI:
BOn Jude Law:
I think it’s really hard to find the right person to play Alfie. Everyone has to love him in the audience, men have to admire him and think he's cool, and woman have to be attracted to him. But he also can’t come off as being a complete cad, or otherwise why would you want to spend time with him? When I heard they hired Jude Law, I thought, He's perfect!
On Jude having an edge:
He's the perfect guy to do this. He's English, so he has that English sensibility, the English charm, and obviously, the English accent, but also he's someone you know could get away with it, and girls would still love him. Jude has this edge that I didn’t really know would come into his characterization of Alfie. He's sexy, but there’s also a dark side to his sexiness, and that’s even more attractive to woman. So I think it makes it even more today because it is a bit more dangerous.
On Charles Shyer:
Charles is just so cool! From the minute I met him we had some sort of connection. I thought it was so easy and effortless to talk with him and to play the character, to just jump right in. He’s got such a huge heart. There’s something about him that you don’t feel insecure doing anything in front of him because his heart is on his sleeve, and you know he's going to be kind and you know that he’ll always take care of you.
SIENNA MILLER:
On her impression of the script:
The thing that stood out for me most was the comedy and how incredibly English it was. It was a story I could really relate to because Alfie is so London. I was quite impressed that two Americans had written it and managed to pull it off.
On the film:
It's got elements of absolutely every emotion in it, which is great. And the journey he goes on is really interesting. It’s kind of like he's this untouchable, very confident, perfect life, living every man's dream. He's living in New York with fit chicks, and suddenly he starts to see the consequences of his action.
On Jude Law:
Jude has a lot of that London, cool vibe, which is relevant to Alfie. He also has the charm and the charisma, which Alfie had to have in order to make him as magnetic and in order for woman to fall for him as they did.
