Quotes of the Day

TIME's Lina Lofaro spoke to Amy Ryan (The Wire) about her role as Helene, the terrifying, alcoholic mother of a missing child, in Ben Affleck's directorial debut Gone Baby Gone.

TIME: You've done Broadway, movies and TV, but this is really a great breakout role.
RYAN: You're right. An actor can only be as good as the writing, and I really lucked out with this incredibly well written part that Ben and Aaron adapted from Dennis Lehane's novel. I knew when I read the script: this is so rare. I thought, "there is not a chance in hell I'll get this part." I thought, "there are too many incredible actresses of note ahead of me."

Did you read the book after you got the part?
I read the book after I was cast. I don't know if it was necessary but I was certainly curious, and like any movie that's adapted from a book, just on account of the lack of time, so much is going to be left out. I read it for that. There were some great clues along the way and thoughts behind the lines, which is the work actors do anyway, but here were some of the answers right away. The scenes where she is staring into the TV, Dennis Lehane went into much more description about what she's really thinking. Stuff like that was a great resource.

Dennis Lehane wrote some scripts for The Wire. Had you met him before?
We never met during The Wire. We first met in Boston during the premier of Gone Baby Gone. He was working on The Wire this last season, he wrote one of the episodes I was in, so we were destined to meet sooner or later.

Your character, Helene, isn't on screen for very long. But even if we hate her in her darker moments, when she starts to break down, we're drawn to her. How did you make her sympathetic?
First of all, the actor needs to get out of the character's way. You follow the character without judgment or prejudice or preconceived ideas. Certainly, I wouldn't choose to behave that way or make those decisions, but Helene does. So then you go, okay, well, why? Well, she's strapped economically, she has no education and she's dancing as fast as she can. She's not helpful to the cops because she's hiding something bigger as her life might be in danger. When you start to do the character's map, as it were, it starts to make sense. It's not behavior one should condone but it can make sense in that world where someone is just trying to survive against every odd imaginable.

What do you think Helene would say are her strong points?
If she was sober long enough to answer, I think she thinks she is smart. It's why she doesn't help the police — if she told the whole story she'd be in jail. To her, that's smart, even if the child is in danger. She knows how to survive in a world without a man. Without love. I don't think she trusts love so is happier without it. She knows she's funny.

Is she to be pitied or feared or stayed away from?
I pity Helene. I see someone who most definitely grew up with a mother like herself. The cycle wasn't broken so here she is, a product of her upbringing. The same fate will most likely happen to her child. But to remove such a mother doesn't fix the bigger problem. The neighborhood is most likely full of similar stories. So how do you break the cycle on the bigger social scale? That's what I think of when I see Helene. I also fear because she could easily kick my ass.

How tough was the Boston accent?
I worked at the accent. I did listen as much as I could. I sat with teamsters at lunch or between breaks or with Jill Quigg who plays my best friend Dottie. She's a Boston native. That's the first time she's ever acted in her life. Isn't that staggering? Jill was the main source. She let me record her voice.

Are you ready now to play a nice, smiley heroine?
Yes, I would love to play someone on the upswing of life! Someone discovering love, or some character full of positive strength that helps others. Someone who combs their hair! No such luck in Clint Eastwood's next film [The Changeling]. But the darker side of humanity is one better explored in the world of make believe than my own life. I have a lot of love and laughter in my own life, so it's a lovely trade off.

Of the three different genres you work in — theater, television and movies — which is your favorite?
There's nothing like the thrill of live theater, but sometimes telling stories to a larger audience is a separate or a different reward. So many people on the street stop me to talk about The Wire, what it's done for TV, for Baltimore in general, unearthing all these problems. It's a thrill for me to be part of something that big and important. It's just different, but I wouldn't say one is better.

What was it like working with Clint Eastwood on The Changeling?
He's so very approachable and conversational and deeply kind. He hires people around him. He knows what he wants. He knows what he likes. My favorite moment of that movie was a fight scene, where Clint Eastwood showed me how to throw a movie punch. It was a golden moment.

• Lina Lofaro