Norah Jones Interview

20-02-2008 11:32

What were your first thoughts on being asked to play the lead in My Blueberry Nights?

Amazement. It came out of nowhere. The director, Wong Kar Wai, approached my agent and asked for a meeting. I went along and saw this odd-looking man, very tall, in dark glasses. He said:’Well, Norah - do you want to act?’ I said:’I don’t know whether I can, but I can try my best.'Did you feel flattered to be asked by such a well-known director? I had never heard of him - or his great film, In the Mood for Love. But I watched the film and thought it was amazing. Suddenly, the prospect of working with him seemed very appealing.

How confident were you of your acting talents?

I had no confidence at all. I felt tense, awkward and very stiff. I found it hard to relax. †Fortunately, the film was being made in sequence. My character has to feel such tensions and awkwardness in the first few scenes, so that is what saved me.

But you are used to performing, live, to tens of thousands at a time?

That is very different. I am in total control. I write the songs, decide what to sing and how to sing. I even control the recording process.But, with a film, there is no control at all. I just handed it over to others, like the writers, director and those behind the camera. It made me feel insecure at first.

Was there a turning point?

The other actors - Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman all said and did the right thing to help me relax. They said they were fans of my music, for a start. That helped me feel good about myself.

How long did you spend kissing Jude Law for that one erotic scene?

Three days. It was filmed from every angle, in every way. He had to kiss the cream from my face, so it meant that for every take a lot more cream was smeared on. He must have eaten about a gallon of the stuff.