CNET Television Interview 1999

Richard Hart: So, what is the extent of your computer knowledge?

Sandra Bullock: Well, as much as I need...in terms of my business and my life. I'm not a computer genius and I'll never profess to being one, but we had some that worked on our film that taught me more than I'll ever need to know about computers.

Richard: But you do spend some time online, right?

Sandra: Yeah, I do....not so much now as I used to. I used to have a lot more time to spend online, but I use it as a great way to--you know, with the crazy hours that we work--talk to everybody. You come home at three o'clock in the morning. You check your mail. You can write back without waking your friends up in the wee hours of the morning.

Richard: But one of the points of the film is that it is nice to have real friends, too, right?

Sandra: Yeah, I mean, everything in moderation. It makes everything incredibly accessible and easy to stay home and seclude yourself. Because there's not too much safety out in the world these days. But, yeah, there's nothing that can substitute for human contact. I mean, a computer can't read you a bedtime story, rock you to sleep, or tuck you in--and those are great things to have around.

Richard: Now, Wesley Snipes and Roger Ebert--there's a long list of people who are public figures who have either their America Online or Internet address public and they actually answer. I know because they've answered my email. Are you looking forward to it or does it scare you to get email from fans?

Sandra: They don't know my address. They don't have my address. And I chose that long before anything great in terms of, you know, films being successful happened.

Richard: Do you think that it's good news or bad news?

Sandra: (Laughs) I don't know. But in terms of making myself available, we've done it--especially recently--logged on and told people they could ask us questions. And they've all been incredibly favorable. I was a little afraid...I'm not the strongest person, in terms of criticism. I'm human. So I'm a little afraid of what people might say, but, so far, it's been really nice. It's constructive criticism. But I don't go into the rooms that are, like, MY room. That's THEIR room. I'm a little too afraid.

Richard: There, you said it. And speaking of afraid, are you afraid of certain aspects of technology? Particularly as they pertain to entertainment?

Sandra: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, on the one hand, it's great because it's made entertainment accessible for more people. We didn't have video stores for a while and then all of a sudden that's there. And then we have the computer worlds where now we can almost view films on the computer. It's just making the entertainment industry more accessible to people, but I think--right now, especially--with AOL and the Internet it's sort of uncharted territories. There's no control over it yet, so it's a bit wild. It's wild country. And every day it's expanding, so there's fear in that--of the unknown. Yeah, I'm a little afraid of that.

Richard: What about being digitized to the extent--I mean, I think Arnie and De Niro and a lot of people have been 3D digitized at Cyberware up in Monterey, and there are actors' databases for stunts or whatever, that can be used. And of course, you've seen those Coke commercials with long-dead performers.

Sandra: Oh yeah.

Richard: Where they digitally insert...

Sandra: I know.

Richard: Do you find that, as an actor, threatening at all?

Sandra: Well, I honestly don't think that something like that is ever going to take place. People go to films to see human beings and human beings are great because they're imperfect and they do things that are unexpected and spontaneous. I don't think you can have spontaneity, genuine spontaneity, in a computer-generated image. I could be wrong, but I think it will definitely infiltrate the film side of things in terms of, you know--it's great for stunt doubles. It's great if the person can't make it for a shot that day--you just plug him in. But I don't think it will ever take the place of human beings....there's something far more interesting about flesh and blood, and the idiosyncrasies that are attractive to people, that make people individuals and unique. I don't think that it will ever take that place. If it does, I'll be out of a job and I'll become a waitress again. I'm good at it!

Richard: (Laughs) Well, you can't really specialize in cyberfilms--but I don't know, maybe you can. I'm thinking about Disclosure--I guess it goes back to Disclosure, Johnny Mnemonic, then there's Virtuosity, and The Net, and so on--and Hackers coming up. Do you feel that there's a newly discovered--things "cyber" are now hot in Hollywood?

Sandra: Well they've become more mainstream, I think. Because 5 years ago you just expected child prodigies that were geniuses who were 16 years old at the computer, and you knew some people who did that for a living, and then there was us....And now it's becoming very much of a household item, almost. Everyone has had interaction with a computer at some time or another, and it's so user-friendly that it opens the doors for everybody. I think now it's just around a lot more and films are reflecting that.

Richard: OK, fair enough.