Mom's the word for Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl on learning to play mom — on screen and off it
Katherine Heigl plays Holly Berenson a caterer, while Josh Duhamel essays Eric Messer, a promising network sports director in Warner Bros Picture’s latest offering Life As We Know It. After a disastrous first date, the only thing they have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter, Sophie.But when Sophie’s parents die, Holly and Messer are forced to put their differences aside for her sake.
Tell us about your character. How much of you is in her?
A lot, actually. Not out of any real conscious choice. My daughter had come to me four days before filming started and it was unexpected that she came so soon. I had to dive into new motherhood and work at the same time, and just didn’t have the wherewithal to put a lot of craft into my performance. So, I was just living on camera what I was living at home every day.
Did you take anything away from the role that you could apply to motherhood?
Mostly, I think, I learned not to beat myself up too much for feeling so overwhelmed initially, and nervous, and thinking that if I could control all the details, I could somehow control the situation better. Everybody has their own style of parenting and I just had to figure out my style and embrace it. You absolutely are going to take advice from friends with children and your own parents, but it ultimately comes down to what works best for you. I think that’s what Holly and Messer learn.
Do you think there’s a perfect formula for family?
I don’t. I’m a big proponent of adoption. My sister is Korean. When my parents made that decision back in the ‘70s, people thought it was really unusual because they had two biological children. People thought, adoption is what people do when they can’t physically have a child! So, I’ve never looked at family according to society’s ideas.
Did your experiences with adoption propel your interest in the film?
Oh, yeah. I’ve always related to the idea of loving a child you didn’t necessarily give birth to. I wanted to be a part of this movie because I love that universal theme.
Do you have any friends who, if they put you into Holly’s position, you’d refuse?
None of my friends really have kids yet, except one. I can’t imagine ever refusing. I’d probably be really resentful, but I wouldn’t refuse.
You’d do it, but you wouldn’t like it...
I don’t know who would like it initially. You’d be like, ‘Are you kidding me? Wow, you must have been desperate’ (laughs). But that’s why I love Holly and Messer. They sort of try to contain the resentment, but there’s clearly several moments where they’re like, ‘What were they thinking?’
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