A quick word with: Gabourey Sidibe

Gabourey Sidibe from the movie Precious. Photo / Supplied

Sidibe plays the title character in the movie, an obese, illiterate, teenage mother from a highly dysfunctional family in 1980s Harlem. With no acting experience, she auditioned for the role, won the part and her performance has been a frontrunner for acting honours this awards season.

Obviously your life has changed remarkably since the film - how has it changed in the little ways? Do you now wear dark glasses all the time?

Yeah, usually dark glasses and a hood.

How did you find out about the audition? Were all the girls auditioning, was it something everyone knew about?

No, a friend told me about it. Had you read the book?Yeah, about four years before.

And what did you think?

I thought it was a very good book and I thought it was very truthful.

Did it remind you of you at all?

No.

But did Precious, your character, remind you of people you knew?

Yeah, of girls I have grown up with. All my life I have known a lot of girls who either lived that life or were living a life that was similar. Girls who couldn't read. Not only girls, but boys as well. So many people helped me envisage Precious as a real person, and to shape the character.

What have they said since the film's release?

I actually don't know. I just don't really hang out with the people I hung out with when I was a kid.

What was school like for you as a 16-year-old then?

When I was 16 for the most part, I would cut school as much as possible. I would leave school early. I was really into a band named N'Sync and would try to see them whenever they were on TV or in New York. I actually had a lot of fun when I was 16.

But you are quite a studious one, and were at university when you did the audition. Did that psychology degree you were working on help you with the film at all?

I believe so. It certainly helped me to know the anatomy of the abuse and to figure out the way they would act, the trust issues they might have, they way they would approach other people.

There are some pretty traumatic scenes in Precious. Was Mo'Nique quite easy to dislike when she got into character as Mary?

Whenever we were together and she was Mary and I was Precious, we just did our best to portray the characters as truthfully and honestly as possible and when we were out of character, we loved each other.

Why do you think the movie needed to be made?

I think it needed to be made because there are so many people who walk around and have experienced the things that Precious has and not just the abuse and the neglect, but they share self-esteem issues. There is so much that goes on with this character. I think the movie was important because people who live that life, need to see that they're not alone in the world.

Have you noticed that more as you have travelled on these promotional trails?

Yes I have. So many people connect to this story all across the board.

You know the red carpet fantasy scenes you do in the film - how did that compare to actually walking the red carpet?

Walking an actual red carpet is not much harder, but certainly more work goes into it, because you also have to answer questions, talk to reporters and make sure your dress is absolutely perfect. In a scene, everyone else makes sure that your dress is perfect.

What else have you been doing, other than dodging the paparazzi, since doing Precious?

I filmed the Sundance Lab film called Yelling to the Sky in which I play a bully, and I also shot a pilot for a showtime series called The Big C. It was certainly easier to take on the next role because of Precious.

So no more psychology now?

I have to continue acting for as long as possible.

What do you see your role as now that you are on screen, in magazines, talking to people like me?

My role is to be as happy as possible. I don't think I've taken on any other role. I'm still the same person. I hope I don't change.

Should girls be confident in themselves because you are, and Precious is?

I would hope so. Not only girls but everyone should. But I hope that they don't need me to say that in order to love themselves. I hope that they can find it in themselves ... I found it in myself.

How it was starring alongside Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, and working with Oprah?

Oh, that was incredibly exciting. They are all so very famous and I just wanted to be in the same room as them all the time.

Lowdown

Who: Gabourey Sidibe
Roles: Lead in Precious out today, and starring in Yelling to the Sky, out later this year.