Thurman enjoys acting — and her extreme roles

LOS ANGELES — Uma Thurman is known for playing extreme characters.

"Pulp Fiction" earned her an Oscar nomination. In the two "Kill Bill" films, she plays a sword-wielding bride hell-bent on revenge.

In her latest, "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," Thurman plays two extremes at once.

She is Jenny Johnson, a neurotic, bumbling brunette capable of falling in love after one mediocre date. But Johnson is also secretly the superhero G-Girl, a blond bombshell who can fly, throw cars and burn through metal with her eyes.

Thurman, 36, talked with Associated Press about this super role and her lifelong love of acting.

Associated Press: Why did this role appeal to you?

Thurman: I love comedy and I've been wanting to do comedy forever. This character is just basically an uncensorable human being who just can't control her responses and reactions and is pretty much just out of control.

Associated Press: What's the most difficult thing about playing a superhero?

Thurman: I guess you worry that it's silly and you're going to look silly. I worried about that in "Kill Bill" too, like, "I look silly with this sword in my hand." . . . It couldn't be further from my personality, of course. When you make a stretch, when you take a leap, there's always that gasping kind of terror that you're not going to land on something soft.

Associated Press: Is G-Girl a role model?

Thurman: Her excessive neuroses and insanity puts a pin in it, you could say. Short of that, absolutely. It's nice to see (a superhero) who's just bold and let's it all hang out.

Associated Press: What's next for you?

Thurman: I'm going to do this wonderful drama called "In Bloom," and we're making it soon. It's very exciting. Evan Rachel Wood is playing me as a younger person, I'm playing her as an older person and we split the movie in half equally.

Associated Press: You started acting when you were a teenager. How did you know performing was your thing?

Thurman: My grandmother was a stage actress so I guess I heard of it as something that people do. It's the greatest job in the world, so if you get a taste of it, it's what you'll want to do, too.

Associated Press: What is the most surprising thing about celebrity?