Summer Issue!

By: Interview by Sonja Magdevski | Photography by Mike Piscitelli | June 03, 2009 | Lifestyle Profile Talent

Wardrobe Styling by Becks Welch @ The Wall Group, Hair by Ian James @ The Wall Group and Makeup by Jo Strettel @ Cloutier

At 5:15 p.m. sharp the phone rings. I answer to hear, “Hi, it’s Heather,” on the other end of the line. The first time I met Heather Graham was on the film set of “Bobby” in 2005 after she had just completed an all-night production shoot for another project and showed up early, refreshed and ready for her first day of work at 9:00 a.m. It was a Saturday. So it came as no surprise when the phone rang exactly at our designated interview time. According to Graham, she approaches every aspect of her life and work with the same disciplined manner in her effort to infuse some sensitivity into a business that she says so blatantly lacks any.

Of course, it seems rather foolish to laud someone for engaging in punctual behavior, a basic sign of respect we should all practice. But when tabloids are brimming with outrageous exploits from Hollywood divas, acknowledging positive behavior is a welcome change. While I can’t vouch for her all the time, anyone who recently planted a garden filled with beets, swiss chard, arugula, corn, potatoes, artichokes, zucchini, assorted herbs, and more as she and her boyfriend recently did gets props for creating something in the hopes of nurturing its growth. Gardening in particular is a testament to patience that forces us to follow nature’s time line, something Graham is currently learning. She loves fresh summer tomatoes and laments the possibility that she may not be present to see her fruits ripen, a problem easily remedied she says by asking her assistant to send photos.

Apparently Graham, 39, and her boyfriend (she did not divulge his identity) are quite the gourmands. Their garden is an effort to foster teamwork and inspire their culinary creativity. Maybe the garden will distract her from her competitive streak in poker, which she said she took up as a distraction from her competitive spirit toward acting. She’s played on Celebrity Poker and for a time was “obsessed” with watching World Series of Poker tournaments. Curiously enough, one of the characteristics that define a great poker player is the ability to withhold emotional expression. With acting, it is knowing how and when to release it.

This dichotomy may best describe Graham and her varied career choices. In her upcoming comedy “The Hangover” directed by “Old School” director Todd Phillips about a Vegas bachelor party gone-awry co-starring Zach Galafankis and Bradley Cooper, Graham plays a “trashy” stripper seeking love and companionship for herself and her six-month old baby. She said she was drawn to the role because of her character’s multi-dimensional qualities, the same reason she accepted an upcoming dramatic role as the glamorous yet tormented Russian actress Zoya Fedorova jailed in the post-World War II Soviet Union for cavorting with Americans. “Being an actor is a great way to learn about a lot of things you might not have learned about. Like how scary Stalin was,” Graham said.

Did you have a breakthrough moment that led you to acting?
I think there are two different things: One is that as a kid I liked making up stories and acting out stories in the street with my friends. I had this dress-up bin with all these clothes that my mom gave us that we used to wear while we pretended to be all of these different people. Secondly, when I went through puberty I got super awkward and I didn’t really know how to express myself. To be honest, I was a pretty unhappy teenager so acting was an escape for me.

So you could have a different persona?
I was nerdy and brainy and I think I was pretty unhappy. My little fantasy was that I was going to be an actress and my life was going to be great.

And is it?
You know, it is great. Not all of my problems are solved, but it is great.

Name three problems.
Thinking too much, worrying too much, insecurity (she laughs). Over-thinking too much is definitely a big one.

If you had to start all over again would you do it again?
Ahh interesting….I have to say that I am passionate about acting and I love it. But there are so many annoying things about it. I wish I could just go back and relive my life now and make certain decisions knowing the future. Some days I feel so happy to be an actor and other days I feel frustrated and want to move to a beach in Mexico.

What would you change?
You get into acting thinking it is all about making something good full of creativity and then it becomes about so many other things – like money and politics and power. At times it just doesn’t seem like a pure art form. So many movies are being made that have nothing to do with art.

Do you see it as a pure art form?
When you are doing it it is pure. I guess I’m talking about it more in terms of how people are hired for jobs, how the system runs – it just seems like it is so incredibly money driven. More and more it seems to be all based on this financial system of analysis that they put through their computers and much less so for the purpose of creating this amazing project or hiring the perfect person for the role. It is just such a business way to do art. I know not everyone thinks this way, but it is a big aspect of the business and it is sad.

What have you learned about your career over these last two decades?
There is a part of me that is very ambitious and there is another part of me that just feels like life is about so much more then just trying to realize your ambitions. Life is happening right at this moment and all that really matters is how you actually enjoy the moment that you are in. Regardless of how challenging or dark something may be, I try to get up in the morning and enjoy every moment of my life as much as possible.

Do you think you succeed in this daily?
I try to be grateful because it is so easy to look at your life and say I want to change this or change that. But then you miss all of the amazing things that are happening to you and you aren’t recognizing that your life is amazing. I think I am successful about 75 percent of the time.

So you have a strong level of acceptance of who you are ....
I am pretty optimistic and I have a lot of very cheerful friends who help me up.

Do you have a mentor that guides you through your career?
My biggest mentor is my therapist. I was lucky to find this wise person who put me on this path to see my life in a more spiritual way instead of just trying to have accomplishments. From the moment I started seeing her, my life changed for the better. I learned how to like myself more and accept myself and be happy. It’s not like I am some perfect person who is always happy. But growing up Catholic for me felt like I was supposed to suffer to be good. I prefer the other perspective – that maybe if you are happy you are good.

Do you think once you became independent and started realizing your goals that you created a level of empowerment and happiness in your life?
I think it was all just deeper levels of self acceptance