Q&A: Katherine Heigl

Be honest: was your own wedding a promotional tie-in for this film?

[laughs] I had been planning my wedding for nine months. And then they decide to release the film a week or two after I got married. I was actually kind of annoyed with them! I’ve had enough of weddings and the whole thing. But it worked out quite nicely to promote the movie...

So why were you so excited about doing this?

I’m a huge rom-com fan and I’ve been in this business for 17 years. And for all those 17 years, I had dreamed of being in a rom-com myself. And this was the first one that I read that I really laughed out loud to.

How did it compare to Knocked Up?

I thought Knocked Up was a little more of humour born from experiences rather than situations. In Knocked Up, Alison's comedy came from a more uptight serious place playing against Seth’s character, who was that outrageous guy that any woman would want to throttle. Jane was a little more schticky, a little more physical comedy, a little goofier.

Who did you prefer... Seth Rogen or James Marsden?

They’re both pretty excellent... But I’m not supposed to talk about it because it makes Josh [Kelley, her husband] unhappy! Seth is a very sexy kisser, as is Jimmy. But I think because Josh and I were engaged during 27 Dresses, Jimmy felt a little more nervous. My husband would be on-set sometimes and I think James felt a little awkward! But they both were pretty excellent.

Was shooting a film about weddings as fun as you thought it would be?

It was exhausting! I’m used to more of an ensemble cast, so it was certainly overwhelming and I had to learn to manage my downtime to keep my energy up. To keep my performance fresh and honest and real. I didn’t really have a day off to recuperative. I just had to keep going. And drink lots of coffee!

What was your favourite scene?

The ‘Benny And The Jets’ bar scene. It was so much fun! I love to sing. I cannot sing for my life! But I love to do Kareoke. It I had to sing well, that would be a problem. But since it was her being drunk and off-key, no pressure!

How about that scene where you get to try on all the dresses?

Kind of torturous, to be honest! I think it took a good day and a half. I was already dreading it because it was a really hard scene on paper to imagine. How is it not going to be boring? Her trying on dress after dress... So I was already nervous. And then by about dress four, 12 hours into the first day, I was thinking, ‘Why couldn't this movie just have been called /4 Unusual Dresses/? [laughs] Can’t we just stop now?

Did you steal loads of dresses from the film set?

No... The only two dresses I’ve ever saved are my prom dress from 1995 and a dress my mom gave me when I was 14 years old for a Christmas party. The only one from the film I hated was a bathing suit for the underwater wedding. Because it was a bathing suit, and then a tutu and then a flowered bathing cap. Really unappealing!

Do you want to stick with comedy for your next film?

What I’d like to do next is find the perfect comedy that’s a combinations between that lovely fantasy escapism and that edgier Knocked Up style. That way, women wouldn't have to drag their boyfriends to see a romantic comedy...