"Naomi is so very different from who I am that I knew it would be both exciting and terrifying to play her," explains Hudson. "For the first time in my career I had the opportunity to really delve into the psychology of a character and to completely examine her life and her motivations. It was great fun to be on the set, but it was always a challenge to keep this woman real and genuine."
As Naomi's boyfriend Beau, an aggressive campus jock, "Dawson's Creek" co-star Joshua Jackson shows audiences a new side to his talents. "This is a role that demands Josh be physical and menacing. I knew from the start he could pull it off," says Guggenheim.
"Until 'Gossip,' I had never been given the opportunity to play anyone like this," explains Jackson. "This character is much darker, angrier and far more physical than anything I've ever tackled onscreen. That is exactly what appealed to me."
Marisa Coughlan plays Naomi's friend and classmate, the sharp-tongued Sheila. "Marisa is totally sexy and totally funny," says Guggenheim. "She has great timing, and I'm just glad that we could find her so early in her career."
"Sheila was great fun to play because she's so pointedly duplicitous," says Coughlan. "She's never simple and straightforward; she's constantly got tricks up her sleeve and always pushes the drama in any situation."
In the "adult" roles, Guggenheim handpicked some of his favorite actors. Having directed Sharon Lawrence in "NYPD Blue," Guggenheim found her a natural choice for Detective Kelly. "Sharon has a great way of finding the reality in her characters," Guggenheim says. "She's a glamorous woman with great strength, and she certainly lets you know that she's at home in the interrogation room."
As Detective Curtis, Edward James Olmos brings an intellectual intensity to the movie. "Edward walks into the frame with a solid character," Guggenheim says. "You can tell that the wheels are constantly turning, and that is exactly what we needed in this part."
Award-winning playwright and actor Eric Bogosian plays the part of Professor Goodwin, the teacher that inspires the roommates (and classmates) to initiate the project. "Goodwin speaks to the central issues of the film," explains Guggenheim. "He's not necessarily the voice of reason, but certainly the most provocative voice in the film."
As the movie opens, we follow Jones deep into the kitchen of a nondescript Chinese restaurant where she is led to the secret entrance of one of Manhattan's coolest clubs. From the very moment she enters the exotic room, filled with a young, beautiful and jaded crowd, we can see that the characters in this film live in a fascinatingly stylized and glamorous world. As she joins her roommates for cocktails, a singer (WEA recording artist Poe) is onstage, performing a dramatic reinterpretation of the Go-Go's hit about gossip, "Our Lips Are Sealed."
To create the visuals for "Gossip," Director Guggenheim worked with production designer David Nichols ("Taxi Driver," "Three to Tango"), who adapted Guggenheim's and Schumacher's concepts and created the idealized vision of campus life that far exceeds the typical dorms and quad. From the dynamic and extraordinarily appointed loft where the students live to the exclusive clubs and parties they frequent, Nichols created multifaceted sets that perfectly echo the attitudes of the characters. As art is a major part of the story, Nichols has used a number of original artworks throughout the movie.
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