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“Willard” Interview: Rat Talk With Laura Elena Harring

Most people would say only one thing about a movie about rats: Ewwwww!

Certainly the new black comedy/horror film Willard could inspire terror in anyone with a phobia to rats, as the film follows the exploits of a beleaguered man (Crispin Glover) who makes pets out of the four-legged creatures living in his basement and uses them to wreak havoc on his enemies, including his megalomaniac boss and needy mother.

But to hear Glover‘s co-star Laura Elena Harring tell it, the whiskered critters really aren’t all that bad–they just get a bad rap. “What makes a rat worse than a mouse? They get all the abuse. I think we should form a union…Rats Unite!” Harring declares.

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Harring (Mulholland Drive) stars as sweet-natured office worker Cathryn, who takes pity on the endlessly harangued Willard and becomes his first real–well, human friend. We wanted to find out, among other things: If not rats, what really freaks her out?

What really gives you the creeps?

Cockroaches. Definitely. But I don’t like to judge anything, even cockroaches.

Do you think it’s fun to get scared by movies?

People are fascinated right now by testing themselves. To see how far they can go. See how frightened they can get. That’s why shows like Fear Factor are doing so well. I remember seeing this woman being covered in scorpions. I mean, she was crying but she didn’t tell them to lift her up. But swimming in bugs? Yuck.

What’s the best way you’ve found of getting rid of an unwanted pest?

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I don’t actually kill them. I open the door and grab a Kleenex and throw them out.

What is the one thing you absolutely will not do for your craft?

I don’t think I could make a film in water. I’m a good swimmer but I don’t think I’d like being wet for hours and hours.

Would you cuddle in bed with a rat, like Willard does?

Well, I might do that–but thank God I didn’t have to!

If you were a rat in the movies, what would be your motivation?

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If I were Ben [the big bad rat in the film], I would want to show everyone who is the real boss. I would need to show my territory and my boundaries. Basically, to say, “You don’t know who you are dealing with here. I am Ben, The Rat!”

Do you have a favorite pet?

No, not really. I’ve had fish. Grew up with dogs, but never had a cat.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

When I lived in the Philippines, I was a cashier in a restaurant. There wasn’t much technology and I’m really bad at math, so it traumatized me a little.

If you could have gone into any other profession, what would it have been?

Gemology. I love crystals, all of that. My grandfather was a miner, so I was always begging for amethysts. Growing up in Mexico, once we had to leave where we were living very quickly. My mother told me I could only bring what I absolutely needed, so I grabbed my rock collection.

Do you still have it?

Yep.

Willard is currently playing in theaters.

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