Amy Adams didn’t have to look very far for inspiration behind her “Big Eyes” role. Her everyday role as mom helped her see the part in a whole new light.
“Being a mom, I kind of saw [Margaret Keane] as a more complete woman and…[I] was just sort of really interested in exploring that complexity,” she explained to Access Hollywood‘s Scott “Movie” Mantz at the film’s press junket on Sunday in New York.
“Big Eyes” is a true story about Margaret Keane, an artist and mother whose second husband Walter Keane (played by Christoph Waltz) takes credit for her paintings until the truth is revealed.
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Amy also drew from her experience meeting with the artist herself at her San Francisco gallery.
“It was just really helpful and very sort of crucial in me being able to bring her to life,” Amy said. “I’m glad we’re getting to tell [her story] and I’m glad we’re getting to tell it from Margaret, who is such a quiet, dignified woman. She would never come out and seek this attention for herself, so it’s nice to get to bring attention to her and to her story.”
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Margaret has already screened the completed movie multiple times and had a different reaction after each viewing.
“The first time she was so traumatized going back to that time period in her life and sort of re-experiencing those emotions and that kind of betrayal and just sort of the weight of deception,” Amy said. “I think she actually got to enjoy it [the second] time. She got to really be thrilled at her story being told and the way it was brought to life.”
Director Tim Burton put his own signature on this film.
“Tim has this wonderful way of creating a very Burton-esque universe and you get to walk in it and if you’re willing to play with him, you’re going to have a great time and get to explore things in a new way,” Amy said. “The common thread with Tim’s films is even if you look at all of the effects, there’s always a very true personal story at the heart of the film and that’s what this has as well. It sort of tells Tim Burton’s story through film and it’s just wonderful how personal everything is to him.”
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Amy’s performance has already received critically-acclaimed recognition in the form of a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category.
“I was very excited,” she said of getting caught off guard with the news while packing for New York.
“Big Eyes” opens Christmas Day.
— Paige Feigenbaum
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