"I constantly want to feel like I'm in danger," says author and screenwriter Diablo Cody during our interview. This statement reveals a lot when you consider Cody's resume. She punctuated a rather mundane series of office jobs by moonlighting as a stripper, phone sex worker, and a peep show girl. While still working for "the man" she documented her experiences in the sex industry in a very public space -- a popular blog called Pussy Ranch. Subsequently she penned a full-blown memoir, entitled Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, which was published by Penguin imprint Gotham Books.
Having bared her body, for her next artistic endeavor, Cody bared her decidedly off-beat soul, writing a spec screenplay called Juno based, in part, on her experiences, and that of her friends, while growing up. The non-stereotypical, non-tragic tale of teen pregnancy courted controversy with its optimistic, pro-choice perspective, but ultimately prevailed both at the box office and the Oscars, where Cody won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
After receiving what many consider to be Hollywood's ultimate accolade, Cody took a career risk again, turning to a genre -- horror -- that neither has the respect of the mainstream film community nor favor with The Academy. Horror however is Cody's raison d'être, her latest film, Jennifer's Body, being an homage both to the conventions of the genre and her feminist ideals.
Femme fatale Megan Fox plays the title role of Jennifer, a schoolgirl whose body is more attractive than her soul. The film co-stars Mama Mia actress Amanda Seyfried, who plays the archetypically nerdy Needy, Jennifer's bosom buddy turned frenemy. The blood starts to fly after a gig at the local dive bar when Jennifer and Needy encounter the enigmatic Nikolai (Adam Brody), a singer who's willing to deal with the Devil to facilitate his rock & roll dreams.
On the eve of the film's release, SuicideGirls caught up with Cody by phone to find out if her dreams remain true -- or if they've turned into anything resembling nightmares.
Click HERE to read my interview with Diablo Cody on SuicideGirls.com.
