Sophia Bush, The Hitcher Interview

Sophia Bush has come a long way since beginning her acting career in the 2004 teen party comedy Van Wilder. Sophia has appeared in such movies as Supercross, Stay Alive, and John Tucker Must Die, and in 2007 landed her first lead role in the updated version of The Hitcher, alongside Sean Bean and Zachary Knighton. With her star steadily on the rise as The Hitcher debuts on DVD, we tracked down Sophia Bush to find out what it's like to fight Sean Bean, how she copes with the celebrity culture of Hollywood, and to clear up the rumors about her landing the lead role in a possible big screen version of Wonder Woman.

UGO: Would you ever pick up a hitchhiker in real life?

SOPHIA BUSH: Absolutely not. That is not something I would ever do. Particularly after making the movie, it's not going to happen.

UGO:What were you most apprehensive about given the legacy of the original film?

SOPHIA: I think we just wanted to make something that fans of the original would really enjoy, and we paid homage to the original movie. But I think we definitely made enough twists and took enough liberties making certain things more realistic and a little more time sensitive for what is appropriate today. People who love the first one can still be surprised watching our version and still have that nostalgia of the first movie they enjoyed so much.

UGO: Given how the Grace character was a new lead, how was your approach different than some of the other established roles in The Hitcher, the ones with legacy?

SOPHIA: It was different for me because it's not like I could watch the original for research or inspiration, because I wasn't playing Jennifer Jason Leigh. For me it was more about achieving that realism of a girl who in no way at the beginning of the film is a hero. She's a confident girl and strong in her own sensibilities, but very much normal for her age. She's a young girl in college and not expecting to have to begin fighting for her life shortly after her trip begins. That was something that was very fun for me, to figure out a way to make her normal, but also make that strength come from somewhere, because it's not like I could begin the movie as Lara Croft. She had to develop and find that animal ferocity it takes to survive in a situation like that.

UGO: Now that The Hitcher has come and gone from theaters, what surprised you about Sean Bean that you didn't expect going into the shoot?

SOPHIA: Sean is so incredible. What was very surprising to me about him, particularly from my first impression of him; you know he's very quiet and always reading, but he's such a silent, intelligent force and he's soft spoken and very polite. It's very shocking when you get on set with him the first time and he grabs you by the back of the head, and you realize that he could kill you if he wanted to. He's very strong and it's something that I wasn't expecting from our first encounter. He really brought it out.

UGO: So, who would win in a footrace, you in cowboy boots or Sean Bean in flip-flops?

SOPHIA: In a foot race? I got pretty stellar at running in the cowboy boots, so I definitely think I could take him on, but I don't know that I would ever beat him at anything. He's the kind of person that when he puts his mind to it, and puts his head down, the determination he has is almost scary in how ferocious it is. He's very focused, so I think if Sean Bean wants to win something, he's going to win it.

UGO: Are there any horror/thriller movies that you want to see remade?

SOPHIA: Wow, that's hard. Not at the moment. I think there have been some really great movies coming out. I'm more excited to see what's coming out right now. I keep seeing all of these posters for Captivity and I just have no idea what it's about, but the posters look fantastic, so I'm really curious.

UGO: What's the most difficult part about being an actress in such a celebrity driven culture?

SOPHIA: I think it's really striking a balance, making sure that your work is the priority, and for me that's just the way that it is. That's why I'm here, to do my job. But it's very odd how ego driven our world has become, and how ego driven the people in it have become. To really figure out how to have a life in the midst of people always wanting to pry, you kind of have to learn the hard way that you have to keep things private.

UGO: Can you clear up the rumors of you being up for the role of Wonder Woman?

SOPHIA: You know, I don't even know if they are making that movie. I don't really know where those rumors came from. I think it actually came from a press outlet saying that if they make Wonder Woman, Sophia should do it. That sort of came after our junket for The Hitcher, but I don't know if that movie is actually getting made.

UGO: If you were to play her, what would you want to bring to the character?

SOPHIA: I really don't know, maybe some more clothing. I'm really a fan of the cheeseburger, so it's hard for me to envision myself working for months and months in a pair of tights.

UGO: What's next for you?

SOPHIA: It's all kind of getting put together right now and I'm not allowed to talk about it yet. It should be an exciting summer.

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Troy Rogers