How have audiences reacted to your character?

When I talked to women about it who came up to me in the street, their response was that the film filled them with a lot of hope. There is an idealism, to a degree, in the film of that kind of behaviour, wishing that our politicians could be that honourable! There is a natural yearning for that type of principle, and it struck a chord with a lot of people.

Why do you think Laine resists the sex-scandal accusations made against her by denying them?

She just believes so much that that type of questioning, or that type of drawing attention to those issues, had nothing to do with those issues. It had nothing to do with the political process. It's not like she committed a crime. She just takes a stand. She behaves the only way that she can.

Was it very empowering to play a figure like Laine?

It was. It really was. It was great to be the politician, not be married to the politician, for once. That's so rare.

It's a very ambiguous work, isn't it?

That's what I love about the movie. There's an ambiguity between how much is a rivalry between Jeff's character, the president, and Gary's, Shelly Runyon. Shelly simply believes Laine is not right for the office. And Laine herself is not perfect either - she's stolen her best friend's husband away. There are elements that show people aren't too perfect.

Read a review of "The Contender"

Read an interview with Rod Lurie, director of "The Contender".