EA LeeLee: It was great, an amazing cast. I found Morgan Freeman very sexy. I was surprised. I was expecting to feel that way about Johnny Depp, but Morgan Freeman surprised me. But we didn't have any scenes together. I'm glad I met him on the press junket in NY.
Question: Leelee, I am 16 and in the entertainment industry. I'm represented by the Gold/Marshak-Liedtke agency in LA, and I was just wondering if you had any advice for a young performer like myself?
EA LeeLee: I'm also represented by them. My advice would be, just be yourself. Do the best that you can do.
EAMC Host: How did you get started?
EA LeeLee: I was in my school cafeteria in my school eating lunch and a casting person asked me to audition. I never thought of being an actress. But I said okay, why not. My parents were behind it. The audition went horribly. But I was interested in it. I didn't know all that was involved.
Question: Leelee, hi I'm Matt! I really like you, you're so cute! OK, well I was wondering if you have a boyfriend??
EA LeeLee: That's sweet. Well, sort of. But not really.
Question: LeeLee, I thought that Deep Impact was awesome and when your parents gave up their lives and made you go, I actually cried and I didn't cry in Titanic! How Long did it take to make the movie? And did you enjoy making it?
EA LeeLee: I don't remember quite how long. Four months on and off. I'm so happy that you cried in my movie and not Titanic. But I cried in Titanic. But I didn't want to die.
EAMC Host: You had a lot of emotions to work with in the movie. The boyfriend thing. And leaving the parents. And left with the baby.
EA LeeLee: Hey, I was left with a baby and a husband, and never got to have sex.
Question: How does it feel to have every teenage boy in America want o go out you?
EA LeeLee: Wow. That's a huge compliment. That makes my day.
Question: Was it easy working with Elija Wood?
EA LeeLee: Elijah is such a smart boy. He's smart. A good husband. He had a lot of fun. He likes South Park, so we watched it on his computer.
EAMC Host: Are you computer savvy?
EA LeeLee: Not really. I'm not a bad typist.
EAMC Host: What else are you working on?
EA LeeLee: I worked on a Merchant Ivory Film. Part of it was filmed in Paris and I spoke in French.
EAMC Host: You also worked with Tom Cruise recently too. My favorite.
EA LeeLee: Yes. On Eyes Wide Shut. It's supposed to be coming out in September. I was only allowed to read my part and not the script. It was very secretive.
Question: Was Deep Impact your first movie?
EA LeeLee: No. I did Eyes wide shut first, but it hasn't come out yet. But I did Jungle to Jungle first.
Question: Do you think Deep Impact will further your career?
EA LeeLee: Yes. I do think so. I went to see it with my friends on Friday. Normally, I don't talk, but I wanted to tell them little details. A couple behind me started complaining. Thanks a lot. I'm glad they didn't know it was me.
Question: What is it like to be a star?
EA LeeLee: My friends embarrass me. I was in Johnny Rockets last night and my friends started screaming to people: "this is the girl that was in Deep Impact!"
Question: How was it working with Steven Spielberg?
EA LeeLee: I've never met Steven Spielberg. I'd love to. I think he's a fantastic director.
EAMC Host: Are there any roles out there you would like to play?
EA LeeLee: I think I'm a nice person, and I think because of that I want to play someone who's very evil or maybe insane. I wouldn't want to get typecast. I'd want to switch from blockbuster, to Independent, to keep it interesting.
Question: How was Mimi Leder as a director and were her shooting days rigorous?
EA LeeLee: Mimi is such a great woman. It was a pleasure. She's warm, she takes her soul and talks to you and pushes you into the scene and then cameras roll. I liked her so much as a person. And the field is mostly dominated by men, but she brings a lot of humanity to it. And Deep Impact is a very humane movie.
Question: What kind of a name is Leelee? What's it's origin?
EA LeeLee: My real name is Liliane. Liliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta Sobieski. Liliane is the name of my father's mother. It was alittle too serious and formal for a little girl. So they called me Lee Lee. Elsvieta comes from my mother's side of the family. It's Elizabeth in Polish. Many generations back there was a kind in Poland and he was my great great great great Uncle. The Bagel was made for him. When he came back from the crusades. A Jewish baker made it for him, in the shape of a saddle.
Question: What movie do you plan on doing next?
EA LeeLee: I'm not really sure. I want to go for something with a great director. And a great script. I'm going to be picky and wait for the perfect thing.
EAMC Host: How do you balance school and acting?
EA LeeLee: I do well at school, I'm attentive.
Question: Was it hard working around all those special effects in Deep Impact?
EA LeeLee: Most of the effects that I dealt with were toward the end. They showed us photos of what the comet would look like. It wasn't too hard to imagine it. But then, when you see it, of course it's much scarier.
EAMC Host: It did really well this weekend
EA LeeLee: Yes, I was surprised. And happy.
Question: Do you have a favorite scene?
EA LeeLee: Probably the first scene. It was light and innocent. When I'm looking at the stars. The first scene in the film. Even though I was completely wrong, I had the last word. We couldn't see the stars thru the telescope. It was black, but.
Question: Was there any romance for real between you and Elijah Wood?
EA LeeLee: He has a girlfriend. Her name is the same as my characters, which was a little weird. I have to admit, I got into my character and so I developed a bit of a crush on him. Those emotions that you're developing feel real. At the end of the film, it was gone.
EAMC Host: Do you still live in New York?
EA LeeLee: I split my time between NY and LA. LA when I'm working.
Question: Did you feel intimidated when working with well know movie stars like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman?
EA LeeLee: I didn't work with Nicole. I only worked with Tom - what a pity! He's completely in love with her. Which is really cool. He was not intimidated by me being taller. Nicole is taller. He does not have any attitude. A polite gentleman. He gave me and my mother a little kiss when he first met us. What a sweet man.
Question: Did you do any research into what killed the dinosaurs to prepare for Deep Impact?
EA LeeLee: I wish I could tell you that I spent many hours... it comes up in the movie. There's religious beliefs and scientific evidence... a mineral on the surface of the comet is found on the core of the earth. Underneath that crust, there were dinosaur bones. So, it's a theory that I believe.
Question: It says in your bio that AOL made that you take martial arts. Do you enjoy it? What style do you take? Give me all the details.
EA LeeLee: I take Tae Kwan Do. The man who teaches the class is a world champion. His legs are massive. I'm going for my blue belt test. In another two weeks. I also do ceramics and paint.
Question: Did you like acting in Jungle to Jungle?
EA LeeLee: I did. They were very funny. The jungle of Venezuela was very interesting. I had to take all these shots, and mosquito netting everywhere. It wasn't so bad.
Question: Did you get to meet Teal Leoni in making the movie? I don't recall you having any scenes together.
EA LeeLee: She was so good. I did meet her. She's a very warm woman.
Question: I read the script for DEEP IMPACT, and I saw that they cut out a lot of your great lines. Does that bother you?
EA LeeLee: No, I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me in the slightest. Of course. But don't bite the hand that feeds you. They filmed a 3 and a half hour film. Vanessa Redgrave lost scenes. They had to make a lot of changes. So in the editing, there was a bit that got cut out. I was upset, but it was a great movie. A lot of good stuff was left in of course.
Question: The movie had a killer ending when the comet hit... is there going to be a sequel?
EA LeeLee: I don't know about that. We joked about it on the set. Maybe creating some sea monsters as characters. I don't think they're will be, at least as far as I know.
Question: What do you think of being called "the up and coming actress in 1998?"
EA LeeLee: It makes me very excited. It makes me happy. Thank you very much.
EAMC Host: LeeLee, thank you for joining us this evening. It has been a pleasure having you with us.
EA LeeLee: Thank you very much.
(c) 1998 Entertainment Asylum & America Online.