Rene Russo is one of the stranger interviews I've done to date. Not that she was "strange" per se, more that her manner of speaking was such that it was difficult to phrase follow-up questions because all her comments were self contained. Regardless, I've done my best to give you the breadth and scope of what we talked about with regards to her upcoming role in Two for the Money.

In Two for the Money Rene plays Toni Morrow a recovering drug addict and wife of Walter Abrams (Al Pacino). Walter is a gambling addict that runs a gambling advice service. When Walter brings a young tout on board named Brandon (Matt McConaughey) Toni is torn apart as she watches Walter slowly destroy Brandon.

Rene is married to Dan Gilbert, the screenwriter of Two for the Money and he wrote this part specifically for her. Read below for more details.

Question: Is Matthew McConaughey really in that good of shape?

Rene Russo: It's all digital. He's young for God's sake, he better be in that kind of shape, what is he twelve?

Question: How much of an enabler were you in this role?

Rene: A total enabler, in a lot of ways. [Toni] just traded heroin for control of her life, to keep the demons at bay. In other ways no, she was just trying to keep it together, from keeping the abyss from sucking them all in. I sense in most people that we're broken.

Question: How was it working with Al Pacino?

Rene: I was really intimidated, but then the acting kicks in. We have a similar fire, so he doesn't intimidate me in that way; I can get really angry, I can get in your face too.

Question: This role was written specifically for you?

Rene: Being married, you know most relationships are co-dependent; it kind of came easy for Dan to write it. I haven't done a drug in my life but I know about addiction.

Question: What's it like living with a writer?

Rene: I think all writers are different. I don't know if they are any different than a musician or a plumber, but they live in a fantasy world a lot of the time. It's really hard for him to be in the world. He has to sort of twist it.

Question: Do you know any gamblers?

Rene: I've known people that have done things that were insane. Gambling with their marriage, gambling with drugs. Whatever kind of addiction you have, the bottom line is you want to lose.

Question: Your character seems to have a good BS detector, how would you say your own is?

Rene: Not good. I always believe the best. That can get me in trouble. I don't judge people very harshly. I think you have to do that in life, you have to give people a break. Be kind to everyone because we're all fighting a great battle.

Question: What's next?

Rene: I did a remake called Yours, Mine and Ours, it was a remake of a Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda film. I'm not in any hurry to go back to work unless it's a really good role.

Two for the Money opens this Friday, October 8th.