Paquin’ A New Punch
In ‘Blue State’ Anna Paquin Auditions For Producer Role

THE old Hollywood cliché for actors used to be: “What I really wanna do is direct.” Nowadays, however, more and more actors are realizing that the real power lies with producing.

Take 25-year-old Anna Paquin. The veteran actress, who won an Oscar at 11 years old for “The Piano,” just co-produced (with her brother Andrew) her first film, the politics-tinged romantic comedy “Blue State,” using the opportunity to cast herself in a role vastly different from her usual dark dramatic fare.

“Blue State,” out Tuesday on DVD, stars Breckin Meyer as John, a liberal campaign worker for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential run who vows to move to Canada if Kerry loses – and winds up keeping his promise.

Seeking a travel partner, he meets up with Paquin’s Chloe, who professes to share his political passion, but is hiding deeper motivations.

In Chloe, Paquin found both a kindred spirit and a welcome detour.

“She’s very blunt, and she doesn’t put up with anyone’s bulls–t,” says Paquin. “She’s very straightforward, and not overly fussy or timid in a sort of weak, stereotypically girlie way.”

Not that Paquin has been relegated to weak girlie roles – she is, after all, Rogue in the “X-Men” franchise – but so many of the female characters in she sees in scripts just seem flat.

“I like that sort of strong female character, which – not to be preachy – but I don’t think there are a lot of in film,” she says. “There are only some films that have strong, amazing woman’s parts. And as a woman, I was obviously very attracted to that.”

Considering her roles in dysfunctional, even occasionally dire dramas like “Hurlyburly,” “25th Hour,” and “The Squid and the Whale,” plus the upcoming Alan Ball-penned HBO vampire series “True Blood,” Paquin welcomed the chance to work on the lighter side.

“A lot of things I’ve done have been pretty heavy,” she says, “so that was also a fun departure for me, for every day at work not to be gut-wrenchingly depressing if you did your job well.”

To help keep the mood festive, Paquin, as producer, had the luxury of being able to cast her co-star. When it came to casting John, Meyer instantly felt right for the role.

“John had to be really passionate about what he’s doing – almost to the point that he’s blinded by his beliefs – but be very intelligent at the same time. [Breckin] was able to walk that line of not making it into a caricature,” she says.

Talking with Paquin, it’s clear that she took to making these major decisions quite naturally, and equally clear that she’d welcome the chance to play the boss again sometime soon.

“I wanted more responsibility than just showing up and doing the acting part of my job,” she says. “I love it, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve done it for many, many years, and I wanted to challenge myself and try something more.”

Source: New York Post / Larry Getlen