drDrew.com Interview (2000)

Sand(y) In Your Face: An Interview With Sandra Bullock (2000)
By Jaime Wells

In an industry built on breast implants, tummy tucks and nose jobs, Sandra Bullock got her big break from--believe it or not--bionics. In 1989, a half-dozen years after graduating from Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School (where she was voted the girl “Most Likely To Brighten Your Day”), Bullock landed her first big role, starring opposite Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner in Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman.

Bullock actually got her first taste of showbiz by spending her formative years on the road with her late mother, an acclaimed German opera singer. The acting bug bit her at an early age, and in 1985, she dropped out of East Carolina University and moved to New York to jumpstart her career. Her star grew slow but steady, eventually going supernova, thanks to films like Demolition Man, Speed, A Time To Kill, and last year’s Forces of Nature.

She’s currently starring in 28 Days, the story of a jaded New York journalist whose party-hearty lifestyle lands her in court-ordered rehab. To research the role, Bullock spent a week in rehab, sharing her life with strangers, and dealing with personal issues. drDrew.com spoke with the D.C.-born actress about opening up and jumping in.

drDrew.com: You went to rehab to prepare for 28 days--what was that like?
Sandra Bullock: It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I found a place that allowed me to [take part] in one therapy group for the week. The counselor said, “If you feel like sharing--which would be really important for everyone--I think you should.” So, I gave a rundown of my life, which made them more comfortable because they realized I’m no different than they are, except I’m in this crazy business that glamorizes things and makes it seem like there are no problems.

drDrew.com: What was it like to share the intimate details of your life?
SB: Those next four days were incredibly painful and real and beautiful, and some of the most honest time I spent with myself. I was more honest with those people than I’ve ever been with my parents or my friends.

drDrew.com: Why do you think it was easier to talk to a stranger?
SB: It’s because you don’t have anything to lose with them. We always want to mask ourselves as these great imperfect creatures that can handle anything, and it’s just not true.

drDrew.com: How did you feel when you left rehab to make the film?
SB: I didn’t want to leave because I’d seen these people during family week and met their families. I also started dealing with stuff on my own. I felt like I was leaving in the middle. But what was nice was we continued the story through the film. So I felt like I was dealing with things that I never took the time to deal with, and here I had a nice job that allowed me to do that.

drDrew.com: There was also a lot of humor in the film.
SB: In rehab, you are laughing your ass off. You’re crying one second and laughing the next. Life’s hardest moments always seem to be laced with a lot of good humor.

drDrew.com: Were you hesitant to share your stories for fear someone would repeat them?
SB: I did not for a second think that they would leave talking about my business because that’s not what it was. This was real life. This was as real as life gets. And if they did [talk], that person isn’t being honest with his or herself.

drDrew.com: What was it about the film's subject matter that interested you?
SB: To me it’s about the fact that we are all exactly the same. We are all insecure in the same areas.