Truth or bare
Kaleem Aftab meets ALISON LOHMAN, one of America’s hottest young actresses and tries to find out Where the Truth Lies.
I last. Alison l.ohman gets to act her age in
Atom ligoyan's Where the Truth Lies. The
diminutive blond is 5’2" tall and looks far younger than her 27 years. Just three years ago she was playing a 14-year-old in Mute/Iinek Men. In ll’here the Truth Lies she finally grows up — on screen at least — playing Karen ()‘(‘onner. a journalist investigating a long buried incident involving showbiz. duo Vince (‘ollins (Colin Firth) and Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon).
The film is set in the l‘)5()s and l‘)7()s and l.ohman took inspiration from key journalists of the latter era. ‘Karen is a new type of journalist. more in the Gonzo style. putting herself in her essays and the interviews.‘
she says. ‘It was new for that time. So I read a lot of
Hunter S Thompson and Norman Mailer essays. A key inspiration was the work of Maureen ()rth. who wrote for Rolling Stone.‘
l.ohman often has to exploit her all-American looks. In Big Fish she played the young Jessica Lange. She believes her youthful appearance was a key attribute to getting the part in Where the Truth Lies. ‘1 think that Atom wanted the women in the film to be vulnerable and innocent and have a supposed naivety that comes with youth. It was this aspect that fascinated me about the script. Karen is not a traditional femme fatale: she is actually trying to do good by getting to the bottom of the truth.‘
Many of l.ohman‘s characters have ended up having
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a sinister. manipulative side. and Karen uses every trick in the book to get her story. ‘I myself am not manipulative.’ laughs Lohman. ‘I do seem to be offered manipulative characters more than other parts. I don't know why and it‘s kind of strange. I think that filmmakers are interested in the fact that l have an innocence about me. which can quickly turn dark. I‘m definitely interested in exploring that. I don’t want to play a flat character or be predictable.‘
It’s become par for the course that when someone known for playing young roles wants to change their image. they take on a role involving nudity. Lohman decided this was the time and the project for her transition. In one of the most powerful scenes in the
movie. l.ohman‘s character. under the influence of
drugs. acts out a surreal representation of Aliee in Wonderland. ‘We had fun doing the Aliee sequence.’ she says. ‘lt was one of the lirst nude things that I had to do so I was nervous. (‘olin made us laugh. I felt comfortable and l tried to get into the role. So I didn't really think of it as Alison getting naked. it was more the character getting naked.‘
Not that l.ohman is completely turning her back on the younger roles that made her famous. In her next film. l’lieku. she plays an unripe woman who makes pals with a horse. Tally ho young filly. ‘
Where the Truth Lies is on general release from Fri 2 Dec. See review, page 51.
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