Katherine Waterston Enters ‘Inherent Vice’ As An L.A. Cinephile

Actress Katherine Waterston gives a scene stealing (and possibly star in the making) performance as Shasta Fay Hepworth, the missing ex-girlfriend of bumbling private eye Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) in Inherent Vice. 

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1970s set novel, Inherent Vice is now playing in New York and Los Angeles (it opens nationwide January 9).

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For Waterston, whose father is actor Sam Waterston (The Newsroom, Law & Order), the film isn’t just a sprawling ode to Los Angeles noir – it’s also a love story:

“I just so immediately loved Doc – his spirit and relentless optimism despite sort of being confused all the time. I didn’t want to simply create some kind of cruel femme fatale – I wanted the audience to respect him on some level, to see why he would care about her beyond just sort of sexual attraction or some kind of manipulation or control she had over him in that way. And I wanted there to be a genuine connection there. That was really important to me, and I thought it was really important in the film.”

To prepare for the role, Waterston watched “loads” of movies, especially flicks which contained exterior shots of Los Angeles. Click on the media bar to hear Waterston talk about her DVD (or maybe it was Blu-ray?) expedition, which often led her to the Santa Monica, Ca. spot Cinefile Video.