Juliette Lewis talks about 'Conviction'

If any Oscar nominations come out of Tony Goldwyn's fact-based drama “Conviction, I'm putting my money on Juliette Lewis as Roseanna Perry, a trailer-park denizen whose testimony puts a man behind bars for a murder he may not have committed.

The film opened Friday at select theaters.

Lewis burst onto the entertainment scene in Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of the thriller “Cape Fear starring Robert De Niro. Since then, Lewis has played diverse roles in such films as “Natural Born Killers, “From Dusk to Dawn and “Whip It!

I met with Lewis at Chicago's James Hotel.

Q. At your Q&A at the AMC River East Theater last night, you told the audience, “I hope my performance vibed you out. Good verb.

A. It's from the '70s.

Q. You said when you first read the script, you thought it had improperly typed.

A. Yes, because of how she spoke. The most you can ask for is a great story with a great cast and a great director. This had all that. The fact that this is a true story and it's something so positive that we can take something from. It reminds us of the power of unconditional love and the strength of will and perseverance.

Q. And conviction?

A. Yes, conviction! It's hard to use that word without sounding too cheeky!

Q. Your character exhibits a keen sense of self-preservation that you don't expect.

A. That's exactly what roots it in something that's not just a crazy person who's bouncing off the walls. This is a person who's an alcoholic. She's a liar. She's very damaged. She does feel remorse. She does feel pain. But she also feels vengeful.

Q. How have you changed as an actress from your “Cape Fear days?

A. My range has increased because now I have more life experience. I've lived through different things that I've never lived through before, and overcome things. That's for starters.

The depth of all your emotions, the depth of the well is broadened. You think you know what love is at 19? That's going to change at 35 and 45. You have more to contribute. Also, my work ethic has always been strong. Some stuff hasn't changed. My instincts and my ability to surrender and commit.

Q. What's been your most difficult challenge as an actress?

A. Besides this one (Roseanna Perry)? The transitions I go through in one scene would normally take seven scenes over a whole movie. The other most challenging part I ever played was called “The Other Sister directed by Garry Marshall.

I played a mentally handicapped girl filled with incredible self-determinism and innocence. She was high-functioning, so she almost appears normal, like the rest of us. The simplicity of her reasoning let's you know she's mentally challenged. It was a big deal for me, that particular role.

Q. Why are the performing arts so important to you?

A. To me a life without art is a gray world full of concrete, when you don't have stories, or this area to escape into, or to shed light upon different realities that aren't necessarily your own.

Q. What's the most amazing thing you've ever witnessed?

A. The transformation of an entire group of people through music is pretty powerful. I've watched audiences go from apathetic and bored to a jubilant release of emotions.

Another witness: a child when they're discovering something for the first time. Childlike elation is really fun to witness.