Addiction: Bulimia What To Say: Your daddy loves you really What Not To Say: You going to eat that? The great Peter OToole once said that there is no such thing as a small part, only a small actor. If thats true then the late Brittany Murphy could count herself far from small in the talent stakes thanks to her role in Girl, Interrupted, James Mangolds drama set in a female mental institution in sixties America. Murphy plays a supporting character called Daisy Randone who has suffered sexual abuse as a child and suffers from bulimia, who keeps the carcasses of cooked chickens in her room. Murphy plays her character as a deeply troubled young girl desperately in need of help without ever turning her into a caricature. She is a victim of not just her abusive past but also of the limits and understanding of the time she lives in and delivers a brilliant performance that makes a real impact on the viewer despite her lack of screen time. Winona Ryder may have been the films star and Angelina Jolie may have received most of the plaudits but it was the performance of Murphy that gave the film its heart. She did her best to try and elevate the film above its melodramatic inclinations and, while not always successful (through no fault of hers), her performance is genuinely affecting.
