Heather Graham Helps Us Decipher ‘Wander,’ Her Intriguing New Conspiracy Theory Thriller

Heather Graham is an actress who’s never managed to be pigeonholed, which is both a positive and a negative for an actress: from the very beginning of her career, she was bouncing from lightweight teen comedy (License to Drive) to dark drama (Drugstore Cowboy), then onto the small screen for a half-dozen extremely eccentric episodes of Twin Peaks. Since then, we’ve seen Graham in everything from Boogie Nights, Lost in Space, and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me to Scrubs, The Hangover, and Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.

Seriously, if that doesn’t qualify as “all over the place,” we don’t know what does.

At the moment, much as it’s been the case for the majority of her career, Graham has a busy dance card, career-wise. Currently, she can be seen in the new conspiracy thriller Wander, but she’s about to be seen in the CBS All Access adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. Thankfully, Graham was able to spare a few minutes to chat with Decider about these projects as well as several others from her back catalog, including some of the items mentioned above, not to mention her short-lived series that literally only lasted for a single episode.

DECIDER: Having watched Wander, I feel like it may have more twists and turns than any film released in recent memory.

HEATHER GRAHAM: Oh, that’s funny! Was it confusing? Or was it more that you just never knew what to think?

Occasionally confusing, but I think eventually I figured out everything that was going on.

[Laughs.] Well, even when I was reading the script, I was, like, “What’s going on?!” It’s almost like, as an audience, it kind of puts you… You feel what the main character’s going through, who it seems like is pretty confused, too. So it’s just like you’re not really sure what to believe.

Absolutely. And I think the confusion actually works in the context of the film.

Oh, yeah.

So how did you find your way into the film? Did they approach you?

Yeah, they offered me the part, and I thought the script was interesting, and I’ve been a fan of Aaron Eckhart’s. I think he’s a really good actor. I think he’s always such a chameleon. You kind of don’t recognize him sometimes from one movie to the next because he can just play such different characters. I remember seeing him in Thank You for Smoking and Erin Brockovich, and I just thought, “Wow, that is, like, a completely different person!” So I think he’s really talented.

I remember seeing him in The Core and being impressed that he could do this big-budget disaster film just as easily as a low-budget indie drama.

Yeah, he does a lot of different stuff, which is cool.

I will say that Tommy Lee Jones seems to be having more fun than anyone else in the film.

[Long, loud laugh.] I know! I mean, it’s pretty cool. I’m just star-struck, still. So to be in a movie with Tommy Lee Jones is kind of amazing. I mean, I grew up watching Men in Black and just looking up to him. He’s very talented. I’m just very excited to be in a movie with him.

It’s a great ensemble all around.

Yeah, I’m really excited. All of the actors are really good, and the director is this very cool woman, and…I think she shot it cool. Like, I think it looks really cool. And we were in New Mexico, which is a really stunning place.

I was actually going to say that just the landscapes in general are gorgeous.

Yeah, we were in the middle of nowhere, so you kind of get that epic, nothing-for-miles-and-miles thing. It’s, like, there’s some mountains, but otherwise it’s just this feeling of vast, open space.

So how do you think people will respond to a film about conspiracy theories in a world where we’ve got conspiracy theories in the headlines every time we turn around?

I know! It is really interesting that it’s coming out now, because I think when we made it people weren’t as much focusing on conspiracy theories. But I feel like now it is huge, and I definitely have some friends that are super into conspiracy theories, and they’re always kind of telling me, “Well, this is what’s really going on…” And…I don’t know, I think sometimes it’s hard to know, because in the past crazy things have happened, and they have been covered up. I think in the movie you’re going on this ride of just, like, “What really is true, and could the system be doing all these horrible things and hiding it?” I don’t know, it’s pretty scary to think that.

Speaking of other things that are suddenly very relevant, you’re also in the cast of CBS All Access’s The Stand.

Yeah! That’s coming out on December 17, and it’s crazy, because it’s about a pandemic where almost everyone dies. I mean, it’s much darker than what’s going on now – knock wood! – but originally when we made it, I just thought, “Oh, wow, this is such a crazy story, this would never happen!” And then when it started to happen, I just went, “Oh, my God!” [Laughs.] Because I did a bunch of preparation for that, where I was just picturing, “Well, what would it be like if everyone started getting sick?” You know, you’re suddenly really afraid of germs and everything. And then when it really started happening, it just felt, like, “Oh, my God, my fantasy preparation for this TV show is real!”

So had you either read the book or seen the miniseries from several years back?

No, I never read the book, and I never saw the miniseries, but the scripts are really good. They were just very smart, and…I think Josh Boone took some liberties with the book, but he has an amazing story, actually. Josh, who wrote a lot of the show, he was a young kid who loved Stephen King, and I think his parents were religious, and they burned his Stephen King books. So he wrote this fan letter to Stephen King and said, “I love your work,” and Stephen King wrote him back and sent him these signed books. And his parents were really blown away that Stephen King actually sent him books, so they let him keep them. So he kept writing to Stephen King and said, “I want to make a TV show of The Stand,” and they became friends. Isn’t that weird? This is, like, throughout the years up through today! Because this was when he was a teenager, and now he’s, like, 40!

That’s awesome.

[Laughs.] Isn’t it?

Okay, so I know this was a lifetime ago, but I have to ask you about your experience doing Twin Peaks.

Yeah! I was a big fan of that show. I was watching it, so excited, every week. I loved it so much. I was totally in love with Agent Dale Cooper, Kyle MacLachlan’s character, and I was so excited to get to be in the show. I just thought, “This is a dream come true!” I’m a huge fan.

Were you ever approached about reprising the role of Annie Blackburn for the 2017 revival of the series?

No. No, I wasn’t. I’m sad! I wish I could’ve been in it. But I guess my character died! [Laughs.] So maybe I was not alive.

Well, according to Mark Frost, you’re apparently in a private psychiatric hospital, and the only time you ever speak is at the exact time and date of your kidnapping, when you say, “I’m fine.”

[Stunned.] Really?!

Seriously.

Interesting…[Long pause.] That’s not a very happy fate for Annie.

Not so much. But rather than dwell on that… I must admit a soft spot for Lost in Space.

[Laughs.] That’s funny. Okay, that’s great! No, I mean, it was so fun to be in a big-budget studio movie, and there were a lot of great people on that, and the director, Stephen Hopkins, was really great on that. Yeah, it was a great experience.

How did you enjoy the experience of doing Boogie Nights? I consider it one of the most epic films ever, despite or… I don’t know, maybe because of the subject matter!

Yeah, I mean, I think I did feel, like, “Something special is happening with this movie.” When I got offered it, I was so excited. It was just that [Paul Thomas Anderson’s] writing was so good, and I really thought the script was amazing. I remember… I think they had offered the part to someone else – like, a famous actress – and she had turned it down, so I was hoping! And then I auditioned for it, and when I got that part, it was really life-changing. I think it just helped me so much to go from an actress who was auditioning for jobs to being somebody who would get offered a part.

Don Cheadle said that meeting with Paul was surreal, that he was, like, “If you don’t do this movie, you’re gonna feel stupid, because this movie’s gonna be a classic!”

Wow! That’s what he said? Wow… Well, I think I felt also that it was gonna be very special. But then again, you’re, like, “It’s about porn.” [Laughs.] Part of you is, like, “Yeah, and if it’s about porn, what’s it gonna be like? I hope it’s not too…” You know, it’s a little scary! At that time, I don’t think anybody had really made a good movie about that kind of subject matter, so I think it was definitely the first time a prestigious movie was made about the porn business.

I know we’re short of time, but before we go, I wanted to ask about your arc on Scrubs. How did that come about? Was it a case of Bill Lawrence approaching you personally?

Yeah, he approached me, and it’s interesting, because he’s super smart. He was, like, “Okay, well, she’s this person who’s intelligent and wise, but she kind of has this screwed-up dating life.” He created this character, and it, uh, wasn’t completely untrue about my life. [Laughs.] I’m really grateful to him for creating that character for me, and it was a lot of fun working with Zach [Braff]. We became friends. So that’s cool.

Lastly, I’d just like to say that, even now, I can’t believe the fate of Emily’s Reasons Why Not. If ever there was a show that never got a chance…

Awwwwwww… Yeah, you know, making TV shows, that’s an interesting world. But when they’re canceled, there’s not much you can do about it, really!

Well, it’ll be nice to see you on the small screen again with The Stand.

Yeah! And I’m also developing something with a friend that we’re writing, so I have a few other different things in the works, so…it’s fun! I think TV is very exciting right now, and I love watching it, but I’d love to generate some TV that I’m producing. That’s my next goal!

Will Harris (@NonStopPop) has a longstanding history of doing long-form interviews with random pop culture figures for the A.V. Club, Vulture, and a variety of other outlets, including Variety. He’s currently working on a book with David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. (And don’t call him Shirley.)

Where to stream Wander