Keeping it strange

>> Oscar nominated for Boys Don't Cry, Chloe Sevigny chooses her roles carefully

MATTHEW HAYS

"How could she not know he wasn't a guy?" asks Chloe Sevigny, as she ponders the character she portrays with such depth in Boys Don't Cry. The film tells the story of Brandon Teena, a transgendered outlaw who had the soul of a man, but the body of a woman. Brandon managed to pass for male for a time, until some of his small-town buddies found him out and offed him.

Brandon Teena became a household name among the transgendered, and first-time feature filmmaker Kimberly Peirce brought the story to life with Boys Don't Cry. Hilary Swank is gaining most of the attention for her richly deserved front-runner status in the Best Actress Oscar category for her turn as Brandon. But those who've seen the film know that Sevigny's role is equally central to its success. For the film to work, we must believe that Sevigny loves Swank's Brandon, even after the revelation that he's a woman.

"I suspect she knew early on," Sevigny speculates of her character. "She was promiscuous, she knew men well. I think she wanted to keep the fantasy going. Basically, Brandon was this hugely charming guy. He dated a lot of women. He was a great kisser. He used to steal his girlfriends' money so he could buy them flowers."

Sevigny says she'd always been drawn to the Brandon Teena project, as it leaped from prospective director to director. "The story really grabbed me. I knew that when it was made into a feature, I wanted to be involved somehow." Study of her character involved repeatedly watching a two-hour video director Peirce had made of Sevigny's character's real-life counterpart, as well as a Sally Jessy Raphael episode in which Brandon's story was recounted.

Not surprisingly, Sevigny says her choice of Boys Don't Cry was no mistake. "Parts don't necessarily have to be really weird for me to take them," she explains. "But I certainly don't want to make your standard romantic comedy. It sure gets tempting--they offer you so much money to do that sort of thing. I know it looks like I'm seeking out controversial work, but I just go for stories that grab me."

If she's not seeking out controversial work, it certainly has a way of seeking her out. Sevigny first came to filmgoers' attention with her starring role in '95's Kids, in which she played an HIV-positive teen desperate to find the boy who'd infected her. She went on to roles in Gummo, her boyfriend Harmony Korine's ultra-strange shocksploitation cult movie, and Trees Lounge, Steve Buscemi's directorial debut. Now she's busy plugging the forthcoming American Psycho, Canadian director Mary Harron's adaptation of the violence-laden novel.

So let's see if I've got Sevigny's acting philosophy down: just choose any role that intrigues, that's different and screw anyone who doesn't like it, right?

Sevigny laughs, then pauses. "Pretty much. But I don't know that I'll make any money so long as I hang onto this philosophy." :