Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: ARTS

"The Eye," directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud is a remake of the Hong Kong film "Jian Gui" and hits theaters today. Jessica Alba plays Sydney, a blind violinist who gets the chance to see the world for the first time since childhood through a transplant. With inherited vision she discovers mysteries that frighten her to the edge of insanity.
The Daily got the opportunity to speak with Alba about her career and her experiences in "The Eye."

Q What sort of research did you do for the role in the "The Eye" and how did it feel to have to pretend to be blind at first?

A I went to a blind orientation center in LA and one in New Mexico and I lived among people who were learning to deal with blindness. I learned how to read braille, walk with my cane and label everything in the house. I did apply all of those things to my home so that I could just practice at home with the sleep shades on. I also spent time with a girl in her late twenties, speaks three different languages, travels around Europe by herself, travels around the States by herself, lives by herself, goes to Boston University and converts all of her textbooks to braille. She's really my inspiration because she was so self-efficient and independent.

Q The Hong Kong version of "The Eye" was very, very original. With the remake, will American audiences be treated to a similar experience?

A It's catered to American audience, the more Western way of thinking about ghosts. You're familiar with the Eastern way of making ghost stories and these horror movies. It's more part of the culture and goes to more accepted on spirits and mysticism. They just have a different mentality about it. In Western culture people think you're absolutely nuts if you believe in ghosts or if you see ghosts and you're basically going insane. We dealt with the ghosts in this film similar to that.

Q You recently did "Awake" as well, which is another thriller. How do you compare "The Eye" to "Awake?"

A It's a horror movie, for sure. "Awake" is more a psychological thriller and about someone who is dealing with a surgery and trust. Everyone in his life is sort of betraying him. In this film, it's about a girl who has a corneal transplant. She gains the ability to see, she takes on psychic abilities of the girl, of the donor, and starts to see death before it happens, and she doesn't understand. Not only is she taking in the world for the first time, she's taking in, seeing horrible things. So "The Eye" is a lot more scary.

Continued...

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