Laura Linney stars as Constance Hallaway in The Life of David Gale. She has had starring roles in You Can Count on Me, Primal Fear and The Truman Show. Last month, Street sat down with Linney to talk about her new film and her career. Why did you choose this film? Well, the script was magnificent... and there was so much in it -- which is what attracted me to it. It's a kind of formula movie that usually isn't set in this kind of context. You either have a movie that deals with political issues, or you have a murder thriller. How do you feel about the recent commuting of death sentences in Illinois? It's so difficult, and it's so emotional for people... Everybody's asking me about my own opinions on the subject and how that affects my work in the film. I hesitate to talk about it because I don't want it to be in people's minds when they're watching the movie. People would be watching the movie thinking, "Oh, Laura Linney thinks this." What do you want people to get out of the film? I hope that it's a great experience for them. I hope that they have the thrill and fun and guesswork of a murder thriller. And I hope it makes them think. The death penalty has always been an instinctive issue for me. And for this film I had to do a lot of research -- and it confirmed my opinion. It's nice to have an opinion backed up with facts -- it's not just my emotional response. Do you feel that actors and actresses should take political views? I think for those people who have that motivation and are using the opportunities that have come to them to spread ideas that are thoughtful and mindful and they believe in -- then fine. Anyone can make me think, I don't care if it's an actor or a guy at the grocery store. I do get a little tired of the "Oh, there's an actor talking about such-and-such"' -- because that's just insulting. What was it like to watch yourself in the graphic scenes? I watched the movie once. I can't watch it more than that. I watched it once so I could talk to you guys, and so I could see everybody's work. I just find it an unnatural thing to do... Sure, it was tough to watch myself on screen [in the graphic scenes]. It's just a tough thing to do. What movies have you been working on? I made two movies in the fall at the same time -- Mystic River in Boston and Love Actually in London... Mystic River is based on a novel, it's directed by Clint Eastwood with Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. Love Actually is an enormous ensemble cast, it's basically every British actor you can think of. Do you feel the graphic scenes in the The Life of David Gale were necessary? In this movie, I do. My other graphic scene isn't about sex, it's about friendship. It's about something much deeper than that. I think it's important, especially with the subject matter.

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