Whats it like to work with Brett Ratner?

Why is Alan Alda scary?

And why was Jurassic Park III quite so special for her?

Tea Leoni has been giving us some answers…

But it didnt affect, or didnt seem to, what she was talking about.

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Ah, cheating!

I should have guessed…

So were leaning out, doing this scene, and Alan Alda and I just started howling laughing.

I think we were a little punch drunk by this point.

And Brett was like, what are you doing?

What are you guys doing?

Its supposed to be this exciting moment, and nobodys even turned on a wind machine?

Theres not even a breeze!

It sounded like you two had a blast.

When we were doing the interviews, we wanted to be paired together.

The whole time on the set, it was like a reunion.

And clearly the two of you are being goofballs.

Why would anybody cast Alan Alda to be this dark guy?

Hes the shrink, the one the damsel in distress runs to.

Then we realise hes the bad guy.

What ensues is this crazy fight scene.

Its one of the scariest moments in films ever.

Did he just have one flicker of a moment when you were stuck doing interviews with him?

I was like, while were doing this, I dont want any bottles in his reach!

Anything thats not nailed down.

Whisper Of The Dark spoilers end.

Every interview Ive read to do withTower Heisttends to mention Brett Ratners incredibly long working days.

And the interviews start off very polite, and they get wearier as they go along!

[Laughs] Yeah!

But you were pre-warned!

You worked with Brett before onThe Family Man!

Did you just forget the working days?

Working with Brett Ratner is a little bit like that.

Something must kick in and make you forget.

I did not remember!

I remember the second day onTower Heist,it was one of these incredibly long days.

I must have had a stunned look on my face.

And I lost it.

So which are the directors that youve worked with that are the opposite of that?

Woody Allen, presumably?

With Woody, I remember I had a set call at about 9am, the first shot.

We wrapped at 1.30pm.

No tragedy, no cold sore, it was just a wrap.

Hes got everything he wanted.

For lots of reasons, then, Woody Allen is an ideal director to work with!

Him and Clint Eastwood, perhaps?

I know, Ive heard that about Clint as well.

But actually, its more like apples and oranges.

I have to tell you that I can appreciate the fact that he is like this enthusiastic child.

He has enthusiasm that is contagious.

Its the enthusiasm, though.

In a way, you cant knock that.

I have had an experience in film before with a director like Brett, Mimi Leder.

She is the same way.

She will shoot thousands of feet of film.

And I remembered [onDeep Impact] at one point, I have to say the word tissue.

On about the 125th take, all of a sudden I started laughing.

[Laughs] I have to say, its one of my finest moments!

125 times, I hope.

I didnt even want to say Oh daddy once.

I had such fear of it, and thats what you were seeing!

And he was just raising it, so that our eyelines would match.

So youre looking at a carrier bag, and saying daddy basically?

Ive had such fun…

A few years later you appeared inJurassic Park III, though.

Right, running from a bag this time!

Actually, I will tell you in all seriousness,Jurassic Parkwas therapeutic for me.

I took that film because Steven Spielberg called.

And when Steven Spielberg calls you and says jump, you just say how high.

But the truth is that Id been through a very traumatic illness with my daughter.

And I hadnt actually processed it.

And you never break, you never cry you cant.

You have to be there to make these decisions.

I had kind of buried it.

And then Spielberg called with this script.

He said, I want you do this.

I said how high.

But for me, I wanted to play it out.

I was in there.

I tell you, it was some of the best work I ever got through.

It was such a relief for me, because I was so caught in the drama.

Have you watched the film since with your daughter?

You know, no.

Thats going to be something when you do.

I havent watched the movie with her.

To be honest, Ive never told her that story.

Itd be the right time now, shes 13 almost.

I have to say that shes a knockout kid, a phenomenal child.

That it was supposed to end on a big shoot out between the military and the dinosaurs.

Can you shed any truth on that?

Listen, I have no idea!

[Laughs] They dont tell me anything!

Tea Leoni, thank you very, very much.

Tower Heistis on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK from March 19th 2012.