Bender said he and his fellow producers spent time on the set observing Vartan and playing junior psychologist for clues into Kevin’s psyche. “We had to figure out how to give Kevin a little edge, so we watched Michael for ideas and found that he has this smart, natural sarcasm that works for him, so we worked his own mannerisms into the script,” says Bender. “It’s not easy to be the straight man, but the sarcasm keeps him real so he doesn’t seem overly emotional or too sensitive, which wouldn’t feel real. When the tension finally hits the boiling point and Kevin’s forced to take a stand, you find out who he really is.”
Despite the obvious brainpower and facility for coping with high-stress predicaments as typifies a successful surgeon, Kevin is blind to the trouble brewing between his soul mate and his mother for much of the story. “Kevin is like a lot of men - he believes what he’s told,” jokes Paula Weinstein. “Since both of these women act the part in front of him, it’s easy to ignore the signs of problems. Even when Charlie tells him that his mother is crazy, for Kevin, it’s just another difficult episode.”
Fonda’s explanation is less gender specific. “Hey, everybody knows what it means to be in denial,” she says.
Weinstein adds, “We live in a world where people act out in the worst kind of way, or they hold back their real feelings. These women would never behave the way they do in their fantasies, although Viola comes close.”
But Viola’s true motivations are revealed thanks in large part to the character of Ruby.
“Ruby provided a way for the audience to see Viola outside of her craziness,” says Chris Bender. “She gives you insight into why Viola is the way she is. Through Ruby we understand that Viola is feeling left out and scared.”
Ruby also acts as Charlie’s secret consigliore. “Charlie goes to Ruby for advice for obvious reasons,” says Lopez. “Ruby is not just Viola’s assistant, she is her best friend. She tells Charlie to stand up to Viola and Ruby sheds some light on Viola’s behavior.”
In Luketic’s mind, Ruby is Viola’s younger sister. “She’s got this great conscience that dogs her throughout the movie; she’s conflicted,” he says. “And the fun comes from watching that conflict unfold.”
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