Question: Sara, what made you want to take on the role, and had you heard about Susan Wright before taking on the film?  

Sara Paxton: I really wanted to play Susan mostly because when I read the script, I was absolutely terrified to play her. It was such a challenge; I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill those expectations of what it was supposed to be. I was just really terrified so I decided that I should just go for it. 

Question: Justin, what did you find challenging about your role?  

Justin Bruening: I, too, was very nervous when I heard about the script. I went through it [the script], and this is a guy that is the complete opposite of me. You know, he beats his wife, hits his kids and all that stuff. But this is a guy that is so different from me and different than any character I’ve played before. I didn’t know if I could convincingly do it. And that was one of the reasons I wanted to. I felt like I could and felt like maybe he was a character that could be approached in a different way, maybe he was must misunderstood, maybe he deserved it. I don’t know. I have no idea. It was a lot of fun. 

Question: Sara, the movie seems to be mostly from your character’s point of view. Did that help you to play the character? Did it make you more sympathetic towards her?  

Sara Paxton: Yes, yes. I guess so. I had a more sympathetic point of view. To play Susan, I could only really see it from one point of view. Yes, I felt sorry for her and I think that there’s obviously two ways that you can look at this film. You’re either going to walk away agreeing with the prosecution or who knows, you might see the story in an entirely different light and think that she was just crazy or something. It’s sort of up to the viewer, and that’s sort of how I felt when I was watching all the courtroom footage. You don’t really know how to feel about it, but because I’m playing Susan, I had to sort of believe that everything that was happening was really happening. I had to be sympathetic with the character to play Susan. 

Question: Justin, in most of your roles you’ve played a good guy, but in this movie you’re pretty mean and nasty. What  do you think your fans will think?  

Justin Bruening: I don’t know what to think. I know I was talking to my wife and I said, “Your grandma’s going to hate me,” so she’s going to think I beat you and everything. But, no it’s just a character. Hopefully my fans get that. 

Question: Sara, how justified do you think Susan’s actions were, if at all? Do you think that the abuse she suffered made her snap, or do you think she was the sociopath that the prosecutor thought she was?  

Sara Paxton: You know, I don’t know. I think that’s what makes this story so interesting is that it’s a true story, and when you’re watching the courtroom scenes, the audience has to make up their minds. And they may not agree with the prosecution and agree with the defense, but, ultimately, they’re only two people that know what really went down that night and one of them is dead. So you sort of have to make a judgment for yourself. I really don’t know if -- to put myself in Susan’s shoes -- it’s so hard to say because I’ve never been in a situation like this, and I really don’t know what I would do if somebody were to hurt me or especially, my child. I think it really shows what people are capable of doing when they’re in these situations. So it’s so hard to say. But I don’t ever condone stabbing anyone. Maybe she totally snapped. I mean it could’ve been post-traumatic stress syndrome. You know, it’s not the most sane thing to stab your husband.

Question: What was it like having to stab Justin 200 times?  

Sara Paxton: It was so exhausting. I just remember Justin, laying on the bed, for like seven hours covered in blood, and I had to gag him with a robe and it was freaking disgusting. We were covered in blood all day long. And I’m pretty sure I accidentally stabbed him for real a couple of times.

Justin Bruening: I fell asleep. It was pretty nice.

Question: Justin, can you tell us anything about what’s coming up for your character Tyler Barrett on RINGER?  

Justin Bruening: I actually get summoned back to New York and also I shouldn’t be trusting Siobhan as much as I do. I shouldn’t be still putting all my faith in her. She’s not looking out for my best interest. I think that’s it.

Question: Justin, how is it being a new father? Are you getting any sleep? How has fatherhood changed you?

Justin Bruening: Oh, sleep, no. That went bye-bye to me a long time ago. I don’t sleep anymore. She doesn’t like to sleep. That’s the problem. But she is an extremely happy baby. She runs around our house, and she’s very much into her daddy right now; so she’s crying because I’m locked in the office. She likes to play with all her animals and other things. She’s just a very happy, happy baby. She loves to make us laugh. She just figured out how to laugh. Fatherhood makes you grow up a lot, but at the same time you get to regress because I get to watch SESAME STREET and all the Disney movies.

It’s fun because you get to experience things with her and watch her absorb everything. She’s learning five new words a day. It’s crazy.

Question: Justin, were you able to get into this dark role easily?  

Justin Bruening: Scarily, yes. It wasn’t that hard to get into it. You always have your moments when you have a child and you’re sort of sleep deprived and the house is a mess and you get to that point where you can feel that you’re going to snap at any second. You just remember that, and I went into this role and I was like, oh good, I can just snap. I don’t have to think for myself. This is good. I felt like he was a guy that didn’t have that tool to hold back, you know, or just censor himself. He never developed that. So he’s kind of a guy that just couldn’t keep himself under control. It was pretty easy, which is kind of funny because when people kept complimenting me on set, I’d be, like, "I don’t think that’s a good thing. It’s bad to do that." But at the same time, it’s good to come home and I have my daughter and my wife, to forget that I did that, you know.

Question: Sara, you’re often on Twitter. Why is that such an important place for you to be a part of?  

Sara Paxton: I think it’s a cool way to sort of connect with your fans and promote what I’m doing through social media. For example, I’ll probably be promoting BLUE-EYED BUTCHER a lot through Twitter.

Justin Bruening: No, I’m not a Twitter guy - which is funny because I am a computer geek but I just don’t think anyone cares what I’m doing.

Justin and his wife, Alexa Havins, on ALL MY CHILDREN.

Question: Justin, you’ve recently co-starred with Sarah Michelle Gellar on RINGER. Did you used to work with her on ALL MY CHILDREN?

Justin Bruening: I did not actually ever work with her on ALL MY CHILDREN. She left way before I did. But we did work when we both went back for the last episode together. We weren’t in the same scene but we were working together the same day. Our daughters have played together at birthday parties and stuff, they like each other a lot. They’re very sweet with each other. Sarah’s daughter, Charlotte, is I think about a year older than my daughter, and is so freaking adorable.

Question: You’re working with Lisa Edelstein on this movie. What’s that been like and have you gotten to speak with her about HOUSE?  

Sara Paxton: Well, Lisa’s great. She’s really nice and really funny, and it was kind of hard to do all the prosecution scenes because she had to be mean to me and I had to cry, which wasn’t easy because she’s really funny and nice. So yes, that was hard.

We didn’t really have time to talk about HOUSE or anything. I was too busy trying to be all emotional all day and stuff. But I was a big fan of her in HOUSE. So I was cool. But I was upset she wasn’t going to be in the final season.