PURR-FECT PART FOR ACTRESS
Taking a break from adult comedies, Cheryl Hines herds cats in movie Nine Lives
Cheryl Hines might be best known as Larry David’s wife Cheryl on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. That portrayal earned her two Emmy nominations and a lot of middle-aged fans.
The millennial teen generation is more familiar with Hines as the nosy and often naughty neighbour in the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. And now kids will be introduced to the 50-year-old in the fantasy movie Nine Lives featuring Hines, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Spacey, Christopher Walken and a lot of cats.
Hines plays the ex-wife of a billionaire (Spacey) trapped inside the body of a cat as punishment for ignoring his daughter’s birthday. The cat ends up in the family home where he can learn about his neglectful ways and reform them before it’s too late.
Hines was in Toronto recently to talk about the new movie and her career.
Q How did you get involved in Nine Lives?
A Barry Sonnenfeld directed Nine Lives, and I had worked with him on RV, and he’s just the best. I said yes before I knew what it was. Q Your character is the villain but a nice one. Do you agree? A I don’t know that she’s nice. I didn’t think about that. I wanted to play her real and not as an ex-wife stereotype.
Q Did you enjoy the shoot?
A Yes. Most of my scenes are with Jennifer Garner, who plays the wife and the cat who used to be Kevin Spacey.
Q Do you like cats? A There were lots of cats, and yes I like cats, but I don’t particularly like cat litter. Q Were the cats difficult? A (Laughs) Cats aren’t really disciplined, so it can take a little time doing scenes with them. There was a lot of herding of cats in this movie. Q The wife (Garner) and ex-wife (Hines) seem to be friends. True?
A I really liked that about the story. I think it speaks to the modern dynamics these days. I’m meeting more and more people who have good relationships with exes.
Q Did you enjoy collaborating with Garner?
A We got along really well. We laughed a lot shooting this.
Q What’s your next project?
A It’s a new show called Son of Zorn. It will be out this fall.
Q Is it a comedy?
A It’s insane. Zorn is an animated character voiced by Jason Sudeikis. He’s a warrior who carries a sword with him. He wants to reunite with his son in a liveaction Orange County, but it’s a disaster.
Q Is the series as odd as it sounds?
A I think it’s groundbreaking because you don’t see this kind of thing on TV.
Q Do you like getting involved in offbeat material?
A I do. Zorn does remind me of Curb (Your Enthusiasm) in a way. When we were shooting Zorn, I remember thinking, just like I did with Curb, “Who is going to get this show?” I think Son of Zorn is unique like that.
Q Is the Fox network supporting it?
A Yeah, we are on after The Simpsons and before Family Guy.
Q Did performing improvised comedy in The Groundlings serve you well?
A I think so. You learn to trust yourself. And you know that, no matter what happens, life will go on whether you are funny or not.