Q: You have been
described as a tigress in real life. Was the tiger you
voice in "Kung Fu Panda" familiar to you?
A: You should
probably be asking Brad about that (laughs). I think
every woman has an element of a tiger in her, but I
love this character and I love that she didn't turn
out to be a love interest. She's a soldier and she's
trained and disciplined and focused on kung fu. She's
a woman I admire, and I like that.
Q: Does making an
animated movie remind you of being a kid? Do you watch
many yourself?
A: I'm watching
nothing but animated movies now with my children. And
being in one reminds me of being a kid because you get
to play. You so often don't get to do that in films
now, especially if they're not animated. You have to
take yourself a little seriously. But for this you get
to jump around and do kung fu moves and growl like a
tiger. It was good for me.
Q: Have your kids
seen "Kung Fu Panda?" Were you concerned about the
level of violence in it for the young ones?
A: Shiloh hasn't seen
it, the littlest one, because she wouldn't be able to
sit still. The others love it but they can't
understand why it's not on DVD yet! I think there are
some parents who keep their kids away from every
single bit of violence, but it's impossible. The kids
are with me when I watch the news and there are video
games we have to monitor. But you have to ask, is the
language bad? Is there any blood? Not the violence.
For the violence, is it part of the story? I'm
encouraging my children to do martial arts. I think
it's a great discipline and especially for the boys,
it's good. They're the older ones in the house and I
want them to know how to fight.
Q: You are living
mostly in France these days. Why do you love being in
Europe?
A: I do love being in
Europe. I lived with Mad in England for a few years
and we're spending some time in France now. We're
working on French being a second language in our
house, so it's been great to be there. Our children
were born around the world and we like to travel for
the work we do, so it is important for us to be
centrally located. And with Africa closer, that's been
good for us.
Q: How would you
describe this time in your life, and spending it in
France?
A: It's an unusual
time for me. I'm pregnant, but it's different this
time. The last time we were in Paris and we were being
followed, we asked the paparazzi not to follow us for
one day and they did. We don't get that kind of
treatment in Los Angeles.
Q: Your image has
changed a lot over the past several years. How do you
feel when you look back on your rebellious younger
years?
A: It's funny. If any
of us had pictures of ourselves at 21 years old, I'm
sure we'd have a good laugh at ourselves. At the same
time, I'm exactly the person I always was. And this
idea that I went from being wilder or darker to
something calm and all grown up is not completely true
either. I'm able to be bolder in my life now and make
bolder decisions and have greater adventures and take
on different types of things, certainly, more than I
did as a kid. So I feel my life has gotten more
extreme in many ways. And I look back and see pictures
of me, and it looks exactly just like me.
Q: Why did you want
to be in the upcoming action movie, "Wanted?"
A: The reason I
wanted to do that film is that I felt it would be good
for me to do an action movie, because I had been going
through some things in my life. I had lost someone in
my family and I had a baby, and I felt I should get
back in the gym and get focused on some aggression.
And I would recommend that to any woman who needs
that.
Q: Is it true you are
expecting two little girls?
A: No, we don't know
the sex. It'll be a surprise.
Q: What is the best
thing about Brad being a dad?
A: He has a great eye
to scout houses where we're going to live. And he's
always thinking about the kids and what to feed them
for breakfast because for him, it's the most important
meal of the day.
Q: You are a beauty
icon around the world. What is your secret for looking
good?
A: Hair and makeup
(laughs). And I'm very happy and I have a very loving
family, and I think anybody who feels good and feels
loved, that does something for you.
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