Opening this Friday is the new Wachowski Brothers movie “Speed Racer.” As most of you know, it’s based on the animated show from the 60’s, but it’s been updated with a modern twist.

Since Warner Bros. has been loading the TV with commercials and most of you have seen the trailer, I don’t think I need to give too much more background on the film. The only thing I really want to say is how much I loved the movie. Yes, I loved the movie.

While I think it’s safe to assume some critics will dismiss the movie as nothing more than cotton candy for the brain, I ate up every bite and have actually gone back for seconds. Seriously, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen and it’s completely safe for every age group as the Wachowski Brothers have made a family film. I can't believe it either.

Anyway, to help promote the movie I recently participated in roundtable interviews with most of the cast and producer Joel Silver. I’ve already posted the interview with Matthew Fox and up now is Christina Ricci who plays Trixie - the love interest of Speed.

During our time talking Christina talked about how she got the part, working in Berlin and on nothing but green screen, and a lot more.

As always, you can either read the transcript below or download the audio as an MP3 by clicking here. And if you want to watch some movie clips from “Speed Racer,” click here.

Again, “Speed Racer” opens this Friday and I really suggest checking it out.

Question: Is the lighter hair for a role or just for you?

Christina Ricci: No, it’s for me.

Q: It’s cute.

Christina:  Thank you.

Q: What attracted you to this?

Christina: I loved the idea of working with the Wachowskis.  I’ve wanted to work with them for a while and then Speed Racer was actually always something that people had mentioned to me like ‘oh, you know they’re gonna make Speed Racer.  You’d be a good Trixie’, blah, blah, blah.

Q: Were you familiar with her?

Christina: I was familiar with her from all the hipster paraphernalia and the Geico commercial but I’d never seen the cartoons. So then, they sent me the script and I had to go in and audition very quickly afterwards. 

Q: What was the biggest challenge about playing her?

Christina:  There really weren’t any challenges.  I didn’t enjoy my haircut but that’s really the only challenge.

Q: But it looked good on you.

Christina:  I know, but when you have long hair and then, all of a sudden, you get a really drastic haircut, you know, us ladies, we cry.  But, other than that, she was a great character to play.  She was amazing  and fun and they dressed me up like a doll every day but then I got to do all this actiony stuff and had a really good time.

Q: When she got to race, I was a little disappointed that she didn’t get to finish the race and was replaced by the Rain character.

Christina: Well, he recovered from his poison and I couldn’t show up at the end and cut out because then I’d be cheating.  We were cheating a little bit by having me in there.

Q: You have said you pick characters who are afraid and a little ashamed of who they are and disgusted and they go to extremes because of it and this character seems completely opposite…

Christina:  I don’t think I like characters who are afraid and ashamed of who they are.  I think I like complex characters and, for drama, the people who do the most dramatic things are the people who have personal problems.  Recently I have grown up and become a little less afraid of sincerity and I have a real vested interest in women’s issues and the next generation of girls and also, just looking around a little bit more and seeing all of the negative images that are out there for young girls.  It’s like what are they supposed to grow up into if the only images they have out there are like the brats?  It’s crazy.  So, I really like the fact that she, to me, is the ultimate feminist character.  She’s as girlie as she wants to be but then she does everything the boys do and there’s no commentary on ‘ooo, it’s a girl doing that.  Oooo, it’s a girl flying a helicopter’.  And the brothers are very much responsible for that kind of thing because they have a very strong sense of equality and an interest in leaving the world a better place than they found it.  So, I was really excited about that.

Q: How was it working with them?

Christina:  They’re great.  They’re so much fun and they’re just wonderful people and they’re so smart and just like, at a party, they’re the most interesting people to talk to.  But, working with them was great because they want to have a good time and they want everyone to be happy so, on a set, it’s just everyone hanging out, having fun, laughing at what’s happening, just having a good time.

Q: What’s it like working with green screen.  John Goodman compared it to working in really, really low budget theater where there’s no props, no sets.

Christina: I liked it because it immediately created a bond amongst all the actors and a lot of our stuff, especially at the beginning of shooting was all family stuff so it was all ensemble, all of us together.  Immediately, you walk into this big green room and you look at everyone else dressed in various hilarious costumes and you just say, ‘Yeah, okay.  What are we doing today?’  Then, they like, ‘it’s snowing’, ‘oh, Susan, did you know it’s snowing right now’? We’re laughing and kind of like it’s ridiculous but we’re committing to it.  We don’t know what’s around us but we’re gonna do what they tell us to.  It creates a bond that is really wonderful.

Q: Did you watch the cartoons for research before filming?

Christina:  No.  I saw it but it didn’t tell me much.

Q: I heard the script was quite long.  Were there any scenes of yours that didn’t make the final cut?

Christina: No.  The script was quite long but only because all of the action in the races was described.  You know what I mean?  Like ‘he turns left and jumps over and double, triple jumps.. nah, na, na, na na’. Half of that stuff I didn’t read [laughter]. I’m like [running her finger across imaginary script pages] ‘race, race, race, race, he wins’.  Okay, ‘race, race, race, race, something evil happens.  Oh, a little sabotage, okay, good’. But, other than that, I read all the stuff that wasn’t descriptive racing stuff.

Q: Was there any time to have fun off set in Berlin?

Christina:  Yeah.  We had a great time. The brothers threw a lot of parties and people on the crew threw parties, a lot of the actors went out and socialized among themselves and we were all staying at the same hotel so we spent evening together.  It was just really fun.  It was summer in Berlin which didn’t necessarily make it warm but there were some warm days that we went out and had a good time outside.

Q: Everything was inside on the sound stages?

Christina:  Everything, yeah. 

Q: No location work?

Christina:  No. 

Q: Did you get to do some of the more physical stuff like ride the gimbal for the race scenes?  How was that?

Christina:  It was fun.  So much fun. I love doing that stuff and I love getting little battle injuries and stuff like that, battle scars.

Q: Did you get hurt?

Christina:  I did get a little hurt.  You get banged around in the gimbal thing so much and you end up with bruises.  At one point, I had to get out and throw up and then get back in because it’s a lot of shaking and craziness but it was just really fun.  I had a good time.

Q: Was there anything the cars did that you thought “I wish my car could do that?”

Christina: I’d like to be able to jump over people; jump over other cars.  That would be pretty good. Also, that whole changing the tire thing by leaping up in the air, that would be great. I just learned how to change a tire myself but it would be so much easier if I could just leap up and press “D.”

Q: We’re here at the Long Beach Grand Prix I was wondering if you have any interest in watching some of the races?

Christina:  I’m definitely curious, yeah.  I’ve never been to a racecar race before.  Is this Nascar?

Q: No, it’s Formula 1.

Christina: Oh, okay, I’m curious.

Q: I read that you were nervous at your interview for this.  You had on black Converse sneakers and so did the brothers.  Tell that story.

Christina:  Oh, I thought I gave a horrible audition but, at one point, I caught Andy’s eye and Andy looked at my sneakers and I looked at his and looked back up at him and sort of smiled. I was like ‘maybe the Chuck Taylors will work’.  [laughter] But, I thought I gave a horrible audition. 

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