Then more on duct tape: “That stuff is kind of hard on your skin. After the 50th time it’s been ripped off your face, I could see the makeup artist cringe after every take. … I wanted them to use the real thing trunking, because real duct tape kind of reads differently on film. I had a horrible rash the next day. But it was worth it.
“The director let me improvise stuff and wanted to hear what I had to say. I always like that. He probably was happy when I had tape over my mouth and couldn’t make more suggestions.”
Parker, at 46, is at the top of her game, her screen sex appeal dialed up to a Showtime-induced peak. She has come a long way since cable channel her film career began with a string of earnest, sometimes earthy and sweet roles — think “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “Grand Canyon.”
As an interview, she’s long been a puzzling, stream-of-conscious delight. It’s a key to her appeal — the wide, innocent eyes, the occasional sneaky bad girl grin, the sexy non sequiturs. It’s why she’s perfectly cast as Sarah, who handles cable way pension problems for a “retired extremely dangerous” (“RED”) agent played by Bruce Willis in the new film, which opens Friday. Sarah is a great phone flirt, but is appalled when he kidnaps her “for your own safety.”
