Rationalising an obsession

From left: Idris Elba, Ali Larter and Beyonce Knowles in Obsessed

Ali Larter looking good

While Beyonce needs no introduction, Elba was named one of People Magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People. You may remember him in the HBO series The Wire as Stringer Bell.

Larter made her feature film debut in Varsity Blues. She also appeared in independent films Crazy and Marigold, Disney’s A Lot Like Love, American Outlaws, The House On Haunted Hill, and Drive Me Crazy, among others.

A native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Larter began modelling at the age of 13 and travelled the world before moving to Los Angeles, where she currently resides.

In Obsessed, Lisa is the perfect co-worker. She gets hooked on Derek, and becomes more unhinged with every refusal he delivers. Soon, he becomes terrified with how far it appears Lisa’s obsession will go.

And she takes it home, to the wife. One terrific cat fight scene later, and death resolves the issue.

Larter, best known locally for her role in Heroes, takes time off to talk about her character in Obsessed.

“I read the script and I thought it was a really fun homage to the classic sexy thrillers like Fatal Attraction and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. I was excited to get the chance to play a femme fatale. I love playing women who are dark and vulnerable and sort of filled with a little bit of crazy emotion.”

n It looks like you get to do a lot of crazy things in Obsessed. What was the most fun for you?

It was a pretty hectic schedule because I was shooting Heroes simultaneously. So the biggest thing was trying to stay sane. I was working 12 hours on one project and then 10 hours on the other. It was wild. I was barely getting any sleep. But it was really great. I think that the most fun was choreographing the fight scene with Beyoncé.

n You play intense characters in both Obsessed and Heroes. How do you get into your character’s frame of mind?

Well, for me, one of the interesting things is figuring out the clues as to why people do the things they do. An easy trap is just playing her crazy. So for me it was more about love and what happened to this girl to make her need love so badly. And I want to make sure that the audience knows she thinks what she’s doing is completely rational.

Lisa has many facets to her personality. It was a chance for me to take something that could have been interpreted in a really different way, to try to see outside the box and find creative solutions and ways to illuminate her.

Lisa is really just a lonely young woman who wants to be loved.

She’s filled with love. But she has a lot of insecurities in her life, and she overcompensates for them in certain ways.

From my character’s point of view, Obsessed is about a woman who falls in love and will do anything she can to keep her man.

She’s fallen in love on the deepest levels, and there is no rationalising why they shouldn’t be together. For her, there are only reasons why they should.”

n What was it like working with Beyoncé?

She’s just wonderful. She couldn’t be sweeter. She’s vivacious and kind. She’s such a hard worker. She’s just really cool.

n Have you ever done anything crazy or obsessive to get a guy?

You know, I think you just have to love and be yourself. Give all you have. You can’t be worried about getting hurt. Just give all of yourself.

n What are you currently obsessed with?

Tangerines. What am I currently obsessed with? The Gilt Group. Balenciaga shoes.

n What other films are you looking forward to seeing this summer?

I don’t know what else is coming out. I just saw Grey Gardens which is fantastic. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are a tour de force – they’re incredible. What else is coming out this summer? I’m so knee-deep in promotion right now I don’t even know.

n What plans do you have for the summer?

I’m going to be travelling. I’m going to Paris. Things are just wonderful. Just working and enjoying life.

n You obviously have to train a lot to play your roles, but what’s your advice for women who are trying to get bikini ready?

Get your butt out there. Go running, exercise, do yoga. You know, I follow the same traps as all women. I’m such a late-night eater so that’s the worst. Stuff yourself with berries, not tasty cakes.

n What else are you working on now?

I’m about to do a film with Ed Burns. I’m so inspired by his script. I’m excited about going to New York and getting to the nitty-gritty with him and the rest of the actors.