Video:Red Riding Hood Amanda Seyfried, Virginia Madsen Interviews

Transcript:Red Riding Hood Amanda Seyfried, Virginia Madsen Interviews

Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the LA Premiere of Warner Bros Pictures' Red Riding Hood.

Amanda Seyfried - 'Valerie' in Red Riding Hood

Why are we still fascinated by this tale?

Amanda Seyfried: "I think it's because it's one of the most universally known fairy tales. I mean it's a fairy tale for a reason. We don't know really when exactly it originated, but all of us know it lives in our childhood memory. It's crazy; like I don't remember when I was told or who told me, but it was just like something that really exists as a legend, a cautionary tale. I mean, in my mind it scared the crap out of me."

We've heard a lot from your costars about your crazy sense of humor. Where does that come from?

Amanda Seyfried: "You know, I try not to take life too seriously, especially on movie sets when you're dealing with a lot of drama and fear and whatever. I try and make everything as light as possible. I love jokes, dark, dirty jokes. It's my passion."

A lot of your costars were talking about the tennis ball on a string in place of the wolf. What was that like?

Amanda Seyfried: "I don't know what they experienced but they weren't there when I had to pretend I was talking to this little imaginary piece of wood, sorry, imaginary wolf that was a piece of wood for me. That was like the most grueling two days of the shoot because I was hyperventilating, and I had to keep this level of fear for two days while 80 different angles. There was at one point a big styrofoam wolf called Stuffy who didn't talk back, and then there was an eye line which was a piece of wolf outside of a cabin and that didn't talk back either. It was just like really difficult."

Virginia Madsen - 'Suzette' in Red Riding Hood

Why are we fascinated by this story?

Virginia Madsen: "I think because it has things that we are universally afraid of: being lost in the forest, being lost in love, a big bad wolf that is going to eat you up. That's why we love fairy tales like this when we're children. This was always one of my favorite ones I think because it was gory and bloody, and I was an actress and so I liked the more dramatic flair. Not so much into the Snow White thing as I was into the witch in Snow White."

You play Amanda Seyfried's mother in the film. Did you give her any motherly advice off-set?

Virginia Madsen: "She didn't need much motherly advice, I have to say. She's a tough cookie, a lot tougher than I was at her age. I felt proud of her, you know? And she, I think because she looks so ethereal, she's such an exceptional beauty but in her nature she's very tough and very smart. And so I was like, 'You don't need my advice, honey. Just go.'"

How scary was the wolf?

Virginia Madsen: "Well, the wolf was like a stick with a tennis ball on the end of it, you know? We never really saw the wolf. When I get mauled by the wolf at one point, or we think I do, it was basically Catherine Hardwicke going, 'Rarrrrrr!' I was like, 'Catherine, I'm not scared of that. I can't scream at that.' I was like, 'Okay, do it again.' 'Haaahhhhh!' 'No, I can't. Please just let me act it.'"

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