It's like two kids in a sandbox rather than a premeditated concept?
Oh, for sure. You can't plan to have to have chemistry—that's terrible! The worst movies to see—both could be very talented actors—but you can tell they have no chemistry, so they're having to use technical chemistry. It's one of the most uncomfortable things to watch. You can see the importance of screen tests and casting. Casting really is everything. They say an actor's greatest skill should be to know when they're not right for a role.

Do you ever pass up roles with that in mind?
Yes, and then I've been talked into it even after that. It always felt that my instincts were right. You know when you read something.

Do you have any all time favorite couples from film who you think really nail their onscreen chemistry?
I thought George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez in Out of Sight had a lot of chemistry. That just popped up in my head for some reason. It's a really funny one.

I have to ask since you met Tom Waits during Wristcutters...what is Tom Waits really like? Does he tell as good of a story as I imagine?
He is very quiet. When he came to set he was very professional and quiet. We had a lot of fun when they said, "Action!" He was just simple, gentleman-like, present, and quiet.

What's next for you? I hear you are going to be on an ABC show called Mistresses?
That was actually really fun. I played part of a lesbian couple. The girl I get to be in a relationship with and I had such incredible chemistry. We both could not have been more straight, which was making us laugh the whole time. For some reason, we had just the best romantic chemistry.

Did you get to do love scenes with her?
Yeah, we had to do a couple. They didn't feel gratuitous. They felt authentic and sweet, even. It was just what it would be like if you were having a first kiss with a boy. It was great. It wasn't—we were worried about that.

No smoky room and candles?
[Laughs] There's some steam going on. Steamy bathroom action. It was our aim for it to be sweet. It's funny when it's two girls they just expect it to be, like, dramatically hot.

Will we be seeing you in any more films this year?
I also did a new film called The Jesuit with Paz Vega and Tim Roth with a great director named Alfonso Ulloa. Actually, one thing about all these new jobs is that I have a lot more weight on me. I've always been pretty thin and so it was really liberating to be incredibly voluptuous. Not in a way where people say it and you still can't see it and it's in their head. It really was a major difference.

Did your acting change at all now that you had a new body to play with?
Yeah, it was really great for the part in The Jesuit because she was a stripper. It felt like I had a real body of a real girl in small town Texas. It wasn't the greatest body, but you know, most strippers in small towns don't have the greatest bodies. I just let it all hang out. For me, especially, it was huge. As a dancer, I of course had some body issues—not badly or chronically. It was really nice to wipe those all away with, "No, you can't have them," and you see how beautiful you are with some weight. I did stop nursing and it's slowly coming off. I'm going to miss it, actually.

Did you do any on-site research in strip clubs for The Jesuit?
Well, I grew up in Reno, Nevada, so I did research for that part for 17 years. [Laughs]

After taking on the role of a stripper, do you have any limitations on what you just won't do for a film?
It would just depend on the material. It just depends on the story and if the story needs it. That's my only rule.