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The edgy redhead’s a family girl at heart...
HERE AND NOW
Once America’s reigning indie queen, and still Hollywood’s domestic-tragedy specialist, Julianne Moore’s taste for soul baring (and sometimes flesh baring) continues apace. This year, she’s boozehound buddy to Colin Firth in A Single Man and shows Amanda Seyfried how it’s done as a suspicious wife in Atom Egoyan’s saucy Chloe...
How do you spend your downtime?
I spend it with my family. My family life is incredibly important to me. I want to be with them as much as I can.
What do you do together?
We have a beach house in Montauk, Long Island. We spend a lot of time out there, in summertime especially. We rented there for years and finally decided to buy a little fisherman shack. Our dog can run on the beach!
What do your kids think of your job?
It doesn’t affect them too much. I try to work in the city [New York], or I work in the summertime when my family can come with me. The days of me doing a big film where I need to be away for months during the school year are over.
Does that mean you miss out on some good roles?
It doesn’t seem to affect the roles I get. That’s the reality of my life so I don’t think about it much.
A Single Man and Chloe are both great parts for you...
I’ve been friends with Tom Ford for years. I thought his script was lovely and the part was terrific. I think he was surprised how quickly I said yes!
What made you take the role of Catherine in Chloe?
I’ve always liked Atom Egoyan’s films. And there are so many movies about getting married, whereas this is an exploration about what happens in a long-term relationship. You don’t always know what’s going on in a relationship, even if you’re inside it.
Looking back to the ‘90s, you were cinema’s indie queen: Short Cuts, Safe, Boogie Nights...
I had an auspicious start in film, I was lucky. I hadn’t done many movies and then I had all these movies come out at the same time and they were all by important directors and all independent...
Was Robert Altman a bit of a hero?
I absolutely worshipped him. I never dreamed Bob Altman would call me for a job. He was the one person that I grew up wanting to work with. I saw Three Women at the revival house when I was 19 years old, when there used to be such a thing as revival houses. It was the first time I’d ever noticed the presence of a director.
You’ve played plenty of women embroiled in domestic tragedies. Is that a deliberate move or a bit of a coincidence?
Coincidence. I mean, I specialise in domestic tragedy but I don’t relate one role to another. I’ve played a lot of so-called ordinary people but that’s what life is for most of us. Very few of us climb Mount Everest, but most of us have a partner and family.
Would you like to do more comedy?
It’s not my forte... I wish it were. I love to watch it. I watch stuff like The Office and Arrested Development, which was genius. I thought, “God, why can’t I just do a show like Arrested Development? I would be so happy!”
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done on screen?
I don’t feel like any of it’s brave. You’re only being brave if you’re afraid to do something. I had to ride a snowmobile recently. That felt brave. Acting? No. Snowmobile? Yes... | 
