Summary:
- Elisabeth Moss reflects on her teenage experience filming “Girl, Interrupted” alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.
- Moss recalls feeling intimidated by the “cool” energy surrounding Jolie’s camp on set, while gravitating towards Ryder’s.
- Despite the on-set dynamics, Moss cherishes the experience of working with Ryder and Jolie in the acclaimed drama.
In a recent appearance on Kelly Ripa’s podcast “Let’s Talk Off Camera,” Elisabeth Moss reminisced about her experience filming the 1999 drama “Girl, Interrupted.” Moss, then 15 years old, played Polly “Torch” Clark alongside Hollywood A-listers Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.
Moss described the filming atmosphere as “intimidating but exhilarating,” shaped in part by an unspoken division on set. “There were two kinds of camps,” Moss revealed. ‘The Winona Ryder camp and the Angelina Jolie camp… Off camera, but based on what was on camera, based on the script.'”
Moss admitted to being drawn to Ryder’s camp, while feeling intimidated by the “cool” energy surrounding Jolie. “The Angelina Jolie camp was really cool,” Moss said. “I was intimidated by the Angelina Jolie camp. I had no thoughts of ever being able to be in that camp.”
She elaborated, “I’ve spoken to Angelina since then and she’s lovely, but at the time it was just incredibly intimidating. I never brought it up. I’m sure she would have no idea what I was talking about anyway. I was just definitely not cool enough to be in her camp.”
Ryder herself hinted at the on-set dynamic in a 2010 interview, revealing a respectful distance maintained between her and Jolie.
“Girl, Interrupted,” based on Susanna Kaysen’s memoir, tells the story of a young woman (Ryder) institutionalized with borderline personality disorder. Jolie portrays Lisa Rowe, a manipulative sociopath who becomes a complex counterpoint to Ryder’s character.
Despite the off-camera divisions, Moss cherishes the experience. Making the movie was an incredible experience,” she stated on the podcast. It was like being dropped into the Wizard of Oz… I was so awe struck by my surroundings and working with Winona and Angelina, and they were so different and interesting.”
Moss joins other cast members in reflecting on a film that explored complex female relationships amidst the backdrop of a psychiatric institution.
