Krysten Ritter talks about starring in 'Jessica Jones' and being a feminist hero

hey everyone my name is Yvan Villarreal and I'm a TV reporter here at the Los Angeles Times and joining me today is Krysten Ritter who appears on Netflix as Jessica Jones as the trash-talking tough-as-nails heroine at the at the lead of this show and you dare not ask her not to smile right exactly right yeah thanks for joining us okay having me what's it like being here getting up and and promoting the show even though it's been a while you know um it's exciting because this show was for me is like the gift that keeps on giving and I love the show and I'm so proud of it so I'm happy to keep you know promoting it keep living it let's talk about your initial thoughts when you were told about this series where you sort of ambivalent I know Marvel is like sort of notorious not giving too many details so how was that sort of pitched to you um so I got a set of dummy sides with different character names I think they had my character name is Julia so then of course I'm like googling as much as I can like Julia Marvel nothing you know I find anything but I was given a couple of scenes that were from the pilot and they were so juicy there was so much work for me to do even just with these five to eight pages I was so layered there were so many seeds in there one of the scenes was with Luke Cage in the bar which was in the pilot and I was like oh what are they talking about what it was Luke pays what was Luke cages name Lance Lance yeah Julian Lance yeah what is that perfect and then the other scene was with Trish um who is played by Rachel Taylor and just like her showing up and she's in this emotional state telling her friend that he's back and I don't know who that is so I had to create all of this the scenario so even just for the audition there was someone to work for me to do and so much to play with that it was really exciting and then I met with Marvel and Melissa and was getting more information and they always talked about the show kind of like Dexter or Melissa I worked on Dexter or homeland in terms of of the the tone just the vibe of the show and so it was I was I wanted the part from the beginning and I was kind of willing to do whatever it took to get it whatever it said yeah and so like now you're part of this universe is it sort of surreal to be a Marvel hero like what is that like yeah it's definitely it's very surreal and the whole thing is is just more than I could have ever imagined when you're auditioning to get apart and having the part is a totally different thing eh because the show is picked up it's also on a global platform like Netflix and this is something I've never been a part of it's such a new thing and also Jessica Jones is part of a bigger project yes we're like a cog in a wheel this bigger scope so it's just like a huge I mean it changed my life getting this part completely changed my life it changed where I lived it changed like like the amount of promotion the shooting you know it's changed everything what is that like sort of being on the Netflix platform like once it launched did it feel like you're being inundated all at once yeah I just non-stop your Twitter ads must have been crazy yeah totally it was it's insane that so many people watch the show right away and binge it that first weekend and I remember for first like going out of my house like someone be like oh my god I love your show and I was thinking are they talking about Jessica Jones are they talking about don't trust the V like I really really didn't know so it was a it's it's been a it's been a crazy crazy ride and people are still finding it or people are rewatching it yeah so it's must be like a weird sort of thing to navigate it's it's so cool I mean I love Netflix I love the shows that they're doing and also because of they've been launching in different countries we'll go to these other countries and you have a lot of face time with either the executives or like the heads of the network it always feels very like I don't know like a little Club uh-huh it doesn't ever feel like I don't know it doesn't feel like s versus them like this big it just feels like I kind of like a cool Club to be in that's yeah I mean I get to travel with like I've got to go to like Milan with Taylor Schilling and hang out with her for a couple days and got a bad gig fly somewhere with Will Arnett yeah or Chelsea Handler it's it's definitely it's really cool thing that they're doing I'm happy to be a part of it well how about playing you've spoken about this before like sort of playing a character without really having gender in mind and that sort of is a you know it lives or die by the writing and you've spoken about how Melissa has sort of made that her mission and talk about how freeing that is or how how different that was from pasts characters you've played it was it was a very unique experience I never really felt I hadn't thought about this before but I never felt pressure to like look great I see because Jessica doesn't give it about sorry that's fine Kate okay so make sure it better nobody nobody brief you about the cursing um but but yeah I never felt a lot of pressure to like be like bright and fresh and perky um I was never obviously in high heels I was enclosed that like really like hid I could hide behind gave me like a physical weight like the world um and so that was really cool it was so cool yeah I think jessica is just there's no other part on television that I would want to play how about it must have been a lot to sort of get into the Jessica that we don't see on screen like to create that backstory for her and sort of live in those sort of emotions that she's dealing with talk a little bit about what the prep work was like for you yeah so that's getting really into a character's skin that's the exciting part for an actor so getting a character with this incredibly rich backstory everything she does is informed by this backstory is really exciting because I always knew where I was coming from right but yeah you know after a while it definitely takes a toll because I in real life I'm more um bubbly and alive and like zestful and like to have a good time so after a while you're like oh my god getting getting really really depressed yeah um and I just I tried to all of the elements I was I had to move across the country I'm in an apartment that doesn't have my furniture I'm not around my friend so I was very isolated from in the beginning and I spent a lot of time by myself just kind of like walking around in my apartment like finding Jessica's body and kind of like doing the scenes by myself in my apartment and kind of like leaning against walls like just I would spend a lot of time by myself finding her and then so that all that helped me all that helps me find Jessica's like kind of loneliness and did you do a lot of talking with Melissa about who she was and yeah Melissa and I have had a very open dialogue from the beginning um we also have a great director SJ Clarkson who I always felt like was in it with me mm-hmm um she was like the constant like she would whether I do have a lot of scenes where I'm all by myself and so I would like turn to her afterwards and she would be the person I connected with mm-hmm how about um did you were you happy or a little disappointed that you know this is a show where there's not a lot of CGI a lot of these sort of action moments are sort of like physical moments were you happy with that or were you sort of like bummed you weren't experiencing that aspect you mean of like big Crazy's yeah big well you know I always loved how they pitched the show from the beginning which is a very gritty grounded character study this is psychological character study so for me as an actor like that was that's the dream so I didn't really think about it in terms of like the big you know stuff because I loved how internal her story was don't get me wrong I had a lot of fun doing the stunts and I jump the jump fairly fun when I got to go on the wire that was really fun the wires really fun although my first time I got like I got I could like swung into a street sign I was like this is my first experience at a wire but then once you get cuz I was scared once you get comfortable with it it's a blast now you're like a pro on the wire I love the wire and I love throwing punches and the best when someone else's on a wire and you throw them and they go really far and so I love the stunts but it was always about Jessica's in her life and so I think that I didn't really call for a lot of CGI and special effects let's take some questions from Facebook or social media in general there are many let's see and now it's blank oh really no Rafael asked what do you like most about Jessica I love Jessica as you know in now that I've finished the season I've been talking about her in different ways I realized like how she's kind of a symbol of no matter what your background is or what you've come from or what you think story defines you you're still capable of total greatness hmm and you're still able to find like to live up to your potential uh-huh so that's what I love most about Jess what frustrates you better what frustrates me about her um you know I I guess I should say like all of the stuff she does wrong but that's what I love about that part yeah yeah I love how flawed she is um I love that she doesn't give it uh-huh how about um you get to work with David Tennant yeah talk a little bit about bad how that was you know you're only as good as your scene partner and I got like I've gotten very lucky all of that the entire cast on the show really top-notch actors but David Tennant I had a lot of scenes you know where I'm under his control so I had the privilege of kind of getting to sit back and watch him uh-huh and I was always completely blown away by by his choices that he would make it about he could do the same five page scene 20 times and changed it up a little bit but still hit his mark you know like he's just a master with like when you got when it's like cut and you guys are on a break what is what is the even either with him or just in general what's what's it like on the set of Jessica Jones when Dave's not so intense David Tennant is running to set all the time yeah he is very very like warm and you know and just a good guy he's a really good nice guy same with Mike like Mike is gabbing about Game of Thrones so I think the most amazing thing about the show is is the cast and it's so cool when a casting director like puts you with these people you've met before and never met before um carrie anne moss amazing i mean she she's like one of the most inspiring women I've ever met she is so fierce and so fabulous and so unlike her character in the show she's like a yoga Kundalini like healthy food like just an amazing warmth she is a radiating light and she plays that like fiercely shark lawyer yeah um rachel is a girl's girl through and through I got one sore throat on the show and she sent me flowers to make yeah I know it's just an incredible I'm at I felt an incredible amount of support mm-hmm we'll take another question um Stephen Bush asked should Tennant returned he was a strong character is he replaceable at David tennis and that is totally irreplaceable he is one in a million but I I'm excited to see what the writers come up with next I think because David was so exciting yeah in the role that will hopefully allow us big opportunities for somebody to come in second season I don't know I don't know anything about second season obviously um were you surprised that she would opt to you know kill horses I kind of felt like I around episode 12 before I got the finale uh-huh I was like she's got oh she's got a killer she's gotta kill it's got to kill him after Hope died hmm everything kind of shifted I know for me playing her at the moment when Jessica kills him very conflicted very conflicted because he was her purpose he was a reason the she what is she doing what does she do now yeah and it's a little bit of like a Stockholm thing they she's almost become codependent right on that relationship but he's he's he's just been so awful and Jessica almost needs to kill him yeah to get to that next step so I I don't know I don't know where she goes next emotionally but I know at the moment when we were playing that scene it was very difficult for me how was it playing those scenes in general when you're sort of like held captive by exhausting like because it seems so just I felt like I couldn't complain after coming home from a long day of work because I'm like Jessica Jones has it way worse than me you know it was it was its debt it's exhausting because even because you do those scenes and even when you're just standing there listening you want to like make sure like you're very alive like anyway PTSD works is you are reliving that moment so I was doing that as much as I could and and so it was definitely draining and difficult but it was really important to me to to give this her PTSD into this backstory a lot of integrity and and and and yeah crush it well because what were the discussions like with Melissa about those PTSD scenes and the way it sort of tackled the sexual abuse aspect of of her backstory what were your discussions like well I was sort of you know working on that with Melissa and also on my own and also with my tea with my coach and with SJ is like kind of like just pulling all of the information I could but you know she's Jessica's been through some very very awful things and it wasn't just like having oh I have a flashback of that and then a shudder like she would feel like she was back in that situation um and she couldn't she could barely cope she drinks all day she's cut off all of her friends she has no social community she she is a really hard time mm-hmm we'll take another question from Jenny from Facebook who would win in a fight Wonder Woman or Jessica Jones y-you know I'm Jessica Jones is so scrappy that I wouldn't pay anything pouncer yeah she is pretty scrappy Isabella from Facebook what was your crazy ex craziest experience with fans you know I just think like having fans the crazy these ones are intense like yeah yeah passionate yeah and I think that's one of the coolest things about Jessica is that she has kind of a lot of people have connected with her in a very deep way and I've had a couple of interactions with women who have been very emotional about their own experiences and how when they saw Jessica they felt like she was they were represented on screen so I'd say that that has been the most moving and the most humbling kind of amazing reaction and are you sort of ready because you know this is all sort of leading up to the defenders which is the Avengers like series that Netflix is releasing how do you think that's going to play out for you like are you ready to sort of be part of a sort of like a mishmash of characters yeah I'm really looking forward to it I love Mike I've met Charlie a couple of times he's lovely I don't know fan um but I'm excited to see how they pull it all together I think Marvel is proving just over and over and over again that the quality is so high I mean I don't know how Jessica fits into that world yeah I think we kind of all feel that way like well how do we all get together how does that work but I'm excited to see what they come up with mmm and we didn't obviously there's no costume for her there's like sort of illusions with Trish like wishing that Jessica would get a costume right we did see you in a hoagie sort of right customers yes how was that for you like are you sort of glad you don't have that sort of yeah I mean I love wearing I love wearing the jeans and the boots in the jacket because it's comfortable yeah it's practical it's it's cool um yeah and I can kind of like hide behind it I don't know how I'd feel about like walking around some some latex - good and you guys shot in New York right yeah how about York New York is an amazing place to shoot it looks great there's like always fun places to eat food that's the Teamsters always know like oh this is where you get the best Avesta you know here oh the best Bond me sandwich the best Residential's yeah shannon williamson asks what do you want from season two what I want from season two I guess I would I just can't wait to see what they come up with first of all and to dig even deeper into her the psychology of what's going on with her post kilgrave it'd be fun to do a couple of big stunts mm-hmm well it's that's like sort of the problem is you know where you're like people really it's not a problem but people really liked the first season and they're sort of like waiting and waiting for the second yeah it's like we got to wait a while a dozen like how is that for you like I mean I feel the same way yeah yeah I'm like let's do it let's do it already also I want to watch it yeah but I feel that way about all the shows that I binge watch yeah that's true it feels like such a long way yeah I mean yeah and you run out and you're like oh my gosh like a joke at last thing you binge Outlander that's that's a good Vince show that is a good thing show yeah so are you caught up to the current season or I am NOT caught up to like last week's episode but I met Sam for a press thing and I wanted we were interviewing each other so I wanted to be prepared yeah like a good like nerd that I am and so I watched the entire show yeah in an intense season yeah in the end yeah yeah oh it's crazy yeah yeah but I loved it I loved it they have such hot sex scenes on that she's good oh you do too but those are like yeah yeah those you guys had intense sex things Isabella asked how do you feel being a big symbol of feminism it's exciting I'm so I'm honored I'm thrilled I love Jessica I love that she is just her own thing and this is my hourly resonated with women you know and when we were doing it I kind of I didn't quite get it yet really until I read it a piece on it I was like oh my god like I but I'm also like getting doing it over the course of eight months or six whatever and not I then sing it all together I was like so moved by that and now if anybody like says smiley didn't you see just a joke that's really the real should we go yeah like that's the thing to say now yeah it's really it's really exciting that they came up with that people listen what it would an amazing career moment for her to make such a cultural impact with her show I guess it's it's very exciting well so where are you guys sort of talking about what's ahead or when production starts or sort of all in limbo right now you know I wouldn't yeah but I can't yeah thanks come on come on listen I really don't know anything about the story you don't yeah but it'll be a while before we get it yeah yeah I don't know yeah I'm not I mean they briefed you before you go on camera don't say anything like this we won't tell Ted sir and oh so you told it we promised isola ass would you be open to a DC Comics role um I'm always open to good material I don't think I can do that and so actually maybe actually an yeah yeah Marvel Girl all right um well Kristen it's been a pleasure talking to you thank you much for joining us and thank you all for watching uh please tune in for our feature Emmy contender chats thank you

Channel: Los Angeles Times

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Length: 21min 13sec (1273 seconds)

Published: Wed May 04 2016