Selma Blair Q&A: Dating? Don’t ask
The actress celebrates a new movie (’Hellboy 2: The Golden Army’), a birthday and more, including a new series this fall.
By Choire Sicha, Special to The Times
July 6, 2008
SELMA BLAIR costars in “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,” which opens Friday. She’s also in Lori Petty’s autobiographical drama “Poker House,” which just played at the Los Angeles Film Festival. This fall, she and Molly Shannon star in NBC’s American version of “Kath and Kim.”

Do you generally enjoy being interviewed?

Sometimes I think it’s really invigorating to talk about myself for a while! But then I feel really strange because I’ve been talking about myself for an hour. You know, it doesn’t make for a good conversation.

It’s maybe not dangerous but sort of exhaustingly odd to plumb yourself all day.

My whole life I’ve been missing a filter. I don’t censor myself very well. Thank God people don’t give that much of a hoot about me.

How do people in your career find a therapist?

I dunno! All the other actors recommend a good therapist? Everybody has confidentiality issues with a therapist. That’s kind of the law they’re not supposed to break. But I’m just in therapy talking about my dog dying when I was 18.

How are you enjoying being single?

Next question!

Yay!

Yay! Therapy’s working! I’m censoring myself!

“Kath & Kim,” the U.S. version, is coming to NBC in October –

That’s what I hear, Oct. 9, NBC, at 9:30, after “The Office.” I can be a salesman! And I’m smiling while I say it! Ben Silverman would be so proud of me. I’m a good team player. See, I can work for a network. My career is still going strong, exclamation, exclamation!

Were there ever doubts that you could be, as they say, on the team?

Doubts in my head, for sure. Well, I had done a TV show years ago . . . a show on the WB called ["Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane].” It was a thrill, to me and I was giddy and new. So I was on the WB, and it was the second-to-worst-rated show in the United States. There were things you had to do — affiliate dinners, cocktail parties, and you had to sell the show, especially because the WB was a fledgling network. . . . It was very difficult for me, and I thought, “Never again. I’m not cut out for this.” I get bored doing something more than a couple months. That’s why I like film. [But] I was away shooting “Hellboy 2″ in Budapest and I thought, “I don’t know if I want to be on location so much at this point in my life. One day I’ll have a family or a child, or I could get to know my house!” So I really fought for it. It wasn’t handed to me. When I went to the up-fronts and realized I had to talk to people and smile, I was like, “Oh, no! I don’t know how to be this affable. I need to go to the dentist and put veneers on my teeth.” I’m so grateful to be here. I want to do it well! But I think I have to put a disclaimer: “This does not come naturally to me. Please don’t be angry with me.” You have to try to charm people. I’m not dripping with that said charm. That thing they call charm I do not know.

It sounds like shyness and something else — not necessarily hatred of humanity.

No! I like humanity. I’m a little uncomfortable around humanity. But I like them there people. Those people you speak of seem kind and nice at times. But it’s a lot of work to be up and breathing, don’t you find?

Did you, uh, get fat for “Kath and Kim”?

I let myself go a little. I didn’t get fat, because that would sound wrong. I’m never going to be a big girl — I’m just a little floppy. It’s hard going to the gym. It hurts. And it hurts when you don’t see results. There’s mirrors all over the gym!

Do you have some monster putting you through the paces?

I have two very good-looking guys putting me through the paces. That’s right, I need two: Ryan and Matt. They text me and tell me to eat every two hours, to keep my metabolism up. Little do they know I’m eating macaroni and cheese.

That is like a Demi Moore routine!

I’m trying, baby, I’m trying. I had my birthday on Monday, and I went surfing for the first time. I’m making this year about being active.

How was your birthday?

It was great. I talked to my mom on my birthday, whom I worship. I turned 36 this year. She said, “Oh, baby, when I was 36 I remember laying in bed and thinking, ‘I’m 36, it’s halfway over, it’s halfway over.’ ” That was my mom’s birthday gift.

That’s what 36 feels like.

It felt halfway over when I was 5. I’m surprised I made it this far. I never thought I’d be 16! I thought I’d die tragically young and it’d be over.

How hard did you try?

I was pretty self-destructive, I’ll leave it at that. I was a reckless person. But those days are gone!

From the Los Angeles Times