Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winsteadis an American actress and recording artist, best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films The Ring Two, Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, The Thing, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and 10 Cloverfield Lane. She appeared as John McClane's daughter Lucy in Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard, the fourth and fifth films in the Die Hard franchise, Ramona Flowers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Kate...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActor
Date of Birth28 November 1984
CountryUnited States of America
When you are playing someone who is dealing with issues on a really personal level, if you don't bring your own issues into the equation, it's not going to feel really personal to the people watching it.
Going forward, I would love to work with directors like Rian Johnson and Joss Whedon; people like that who are doing big films but do have really independent voices. That's kind of what I want to focus on, is always working with people with at least an independent point of view, even if it's not an independent film.
It's surprising to a lot of people because ballerinas look so long, but it's more of a proportion thing. Their legs are long in proportion to their body but in reality they're very tiny.
I realized that the people weren't just characters but they were people and they were getting to do something that was so fun and I wanted to be a part of it.
My first movie was a movie that had a bunch of people dying in it - the typical popcorn movie. That's where I got my start.
There are obviously people who want to be very niche, but I think for the most part everybody is trying to reach a larger audience.
Normally as an actress you're constantly worried that people think you don't look good enough. It's just like an unnecessary stress that's just frustrating.
It's always been a lot of fun for me, just to be in films that people see and they connect to, big or small. The big ones tend to reach a wider audience, so it's exciting to feel like you've got fans in countries, all over the world, who are watching what you're doing. That's really great!
I don't think people understand when you say you are making a micro-budget film that you are getting paid no money,
I can remember when 'Pulp Fiction' came out. I was, like, 10 years old. But I remember the impact that it had.
I was always telling myself I could handle a more complex role, I could handle something bigger and more interesting than the work I was doing. But I wasn't demanding that of myself. At a certain point, I realized it was never going to come my way unless I started taking more control of it. That's what I realized I had to do.
I acted in theater and I took film classes when I was 12 and just obsessed over it. I loved it and spent hours and hours in the film studio learning and watching.
I've never worn incredible clothes - I'm not used to playing someone so put together and fashionable.
I actually came to New York when I was 12 and did ballet school for a little while. I was being groomed to be professional, and a lot of the professors and teachers there were drawn to me and thought that I could become a professional ballerina.