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In the movie, you play Minka Kelly’s roommate, so what was it like working with her on set?

LM: Well, I love Minka and I was so lucky to be able to work with her. She has a light around her. She’s beautiful and she’s so incredibly talented and giving and kind, and she was really supportive throughout the whole thing. She has a way of making things light and easy on the set, and she’s just brilliant.

The Roommate has a very interesting and prevalent marketing campaign with fake “Roommate Wanted” ads. So if you created a “Roommate Wanted” ad, what would you be looking for?

LM: I don’t know, someone who’s clean, I guess. I lived with all different roommates and there was always parties going on whenever I came home and you’re sort of expected to socialize like all the time even when you don’t want to. And of course, good roommates are really fun and for the most part I was pretty lucky, but I have had some not so good experiences with roommates who eat all your food and take all your clothes and whatever.

I actually love living alone. I used to have roommates all the time when I first moved into my own place. It’s a challenge to live with people. I mean obviously the best thing about a roommate in a good situation is if you know them, if you’re friends. If you don’t, you have no idea what their habits might be. You’re kind of taking on their friend and their life as well into your home.

With the close release of Country Strong and The Roommate, what was the difference between making the movies?

LM: Well, I think that was the most exciting part about working on these films. I did them a year apart so obviously it was very different times, and I shot The Roommate in L.A., and it was with Minka who is just such a pleasure and so cool. But of course it was a much darker period to work on The Roommate because my character is not completely stable, whereas Country Strong was shot in Nashville and I got to work with Gwyneth Paltrow, who I admire so much. It was essentially a musical, so we did a lot of recording and performing, and it was a really exciting time. Of course I can relate to that character a lot more than the one in The Roommate just because she’s sane. They’re both complete polar opposites but I find a lot of joy in that.

You also have a music career as well. While your personal music is pop, in Country Strong you sing country. Did that inspire you?

LM: Well, it was such a pleasure to be able to sing that music for Country Strong, and I’m totally in love with country music and the music that we were making for the film. I learned so much and it really changed my point of view about country music and Nashville and that whole world. It’s so fun but singing to me is really a very personal thing too. Writing music is really important to me. Even just last night I was recording stuff that I’ve been writing over the last year, and it’s really completely different than anything I’ve done, and I’m so proud of it. I’m trying to work to get it perfect and I’m going to release it soon but I’m really happy with what I’m making right now.

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