• Off the top of your head, what's one of the best films ever made?

    Juliet, Naked with Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne, and Chris O’Dowd.

  • Why do you like that movie so much?

    It’s about Ethan Hawke’s voice when he says, “I’m sorry about that ache.”

  • How did you come to see that movie?

    My best friend from college had seen it in the theater when it came out, and she told me I needed to get myself to the theater immediately and watch it. So, that’s what I did.

  • How many times have you seen Juliet, Naked?

    Literally cannot count. When I visit a friend, I always put it on the schedule to show it to them. To the point where once I was hanging with a friend and said, “We should watch Juliet, Naked!” and she said, “Alicia. You showed it to me . . . last time we hung out.”

  • What's with the title?

    It refers to the acoustic demo version of an album that Ethan Hawke’s character came out with back in the ‘90s. The original album is Juliet, and so the acoustic demo is Juliet, Naked. I know, it’s a weird title. My kids always make faces when I talk about how it’s my favorite movie.

  • What's your favorite microexpression of Ethan Hawke's in the film?

    He has so many, but two I always watch for:

    1. When he first looks up from the hospital bed and Rose Byrne is standing there.

    2. When he has to take a deep breath before joining Rose Byrne in the kitchen. This, by the way, was the moment my friend said to SPECIFICALLY watch for and I’m glad she did because it’s so good.

  • What line gets in your head the most?

    The way Chris O’Dowd says, “Drizzle it!!!” when he’s telling Rose Byrne how to prepare the salad. Or when he says, “art isn’t for the artist any more than water is for the . . . plumber.” Truly Chris O’Dowd is gold in this movie.

  • Have you read the book?

    Yes! I read it on a plane on the way home from Portland, where I was finally able to locate a copy of the book in Powell’s. I love the book. Nick Hornby’s writing is so sharp. But the movie takes the story in a slightly more romcom direction (and has such great performances in it) that I admit I love the movie more. I’m not saying it’s BETTER than the book . . . I’m just saying that, for me, I love it more.

  • Would you ever travel to the filming locations of the movie as a restful British seaside holiday?

    Yes.

  • How's the soundtrack?

    It SLAPS. They approached a bunch of singer-songwriter type artists (Conor Oberst, Ryan Adams, etc.) to get demos of stuff they never released, and then also wrote original music for the film. Ethan Hawke has a great voice but that should surprise no one who remembers his connection to Lisa Loeb’s music video for “Stay.” Actually those things aren’t connected at all but I like bringing up my Pop-Up Video! knowledge so there ya go.