From Highway to Hellboy, actress Selma Blair has always walked the line between big budget flicks and indie fare, but always with a memorable character. Her latest outing sees her playing a damaged and dangerous mom in Lori Petty’s autobiographical directorial debut THE POKER HOUSE. The film, which is written by Petty and funnyman David Alan Grier, also stars Jennifer Lawrence as her feisty daughter and Bokeem Woodbine as her charismatic but dangerous boyfriend. The213.net got a chance to chat with Selma about her drug-addled character, working with first timer Petty and her experience with the infamous Todd Solondz on Storytelling.

(213): You’re essentially playing Lori’s mom in the film – did you ever meet her? 

SB: No I didn’t – she wasn’t there when we were shooting. She was there at a screening I was at, but I didn’t see her. 

(213): Would meeting her have changed your interpretation of the character at all? 

SB: It might have because she’s a very different women now. She’s a successful businesswoman and has been. So I didn’t want to smarten her up. I’m afraid if I would have seen her in that way I would have added elements of that and this is a woman that’s really messed up. 

(213): With such a diverse body of work, from The Poker House to Storytelling to even Hellboy, is there anything specific you look for when choosing a project to work on? 

SB: No, I’m just all over the place. Sometimes it’s the director, sometimes there’s like two words in that script where I’m like I wanna say those words! The whole rest of the script might be hogwash, but your like I get one scene where I get to do this so it’s gonna be fun. 

(213): As far as Liz Sherman in Hellboy goes, is it odd for you going into a store and seeing a doll of yourself? 

SB: I love it – I just love it! I have no shame! (Laughs) Everyone else is like “Oh, it’s weird!’ and I’m like, ‘No way – it’s not weird!’ I wish I could give it to all my friends. I love it – she’s so petite and she looked taller! 

(213): Did you feel there were things on Hellboy 2 that you incorporated from the first film but never got a chance to do? 

SB: It was really tricky on Hellboy 2 because it was a completely different character. In Hellboy one she was so damaged and had all this baggage – she was like a twelve year old. It was a very sweet awkward kind of gothic weird thing and then in the second one she was a woman and it was important and that was difficult. It was a very different character. 

(213): I have to ask – since Todd Solondz is so secretive about his process as a director, could you talk about working with him on Storytelling? 

SB: I love Todd. Forever I will consider him to be one of my dearest friends even though we don’t speak very much right now. He is a very private man and a very special man and I think he says what he wants through his work. His writing is so succinct, his things are so darkly comedic and I find to be very true. He’s very specific and it was such a perfect and controlled environment – I’ve never loved being on a set as much as I did on Todd’s.