Julianne Moore's Fall from Grace

If you think Julianne Moore's latest film role falls flat, that's because the two-time Oscar nominee planned it that way. In the sci-fi comedy Evolution (opening tomorrow), Moore co-stars with David Duchovny as a klutzy federal agent who quite literally has a hard time standing on her own two feet.

Although director Ivan Reitman initially balked at the idea, the actress convinced him to let her stumble and bumble her way through the movie. "My character really wasn't funny otherwise, and there wasn't any reason for me to be in a comedy if I didn't have anything to do," says Moore, who's best known for her dramatic roles in films like Hannibal and The End of the Affair. "I love to see people walk into walls and fall down and throw pies at each other. It always makes me laugh."

While her physical schtick in the alien adventure flick was a fun change of pace, Moore admits her overextended workload has really made her feel like collapsing. "[Comedy is] incredibly tedious and requires a lot of stamina," she says. "It's really true what they say: Dying is easy and comedy's hard."

Plus, she continues, "because of this idea that we're going to have an actors' strike, I [have] ended up working back-to-back too much. It's been kind of a disastrous year [and] too hard on my family, so I'm not anxious to continue this pace." Still, it certainly means a bonanza for fans eager for more of Moore, who stars in no less than three other films due out later this year: The Hours with Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman; The Shipping News with Kevin Spacey and Cate Blanchett; and World Traveler with Billy Crudup.

All that hard work aside, at least spending time with the Evolution cast has allowed Moore to unleash a wicked sense of humor we never knew she had. "It's a funny group," she winks. "David's really funny when he's not drunk — but when he's drunk and he won't come out of his trailer and he insists on taking his clothes off, he's absolutely intolerable." Pouring on extra sauce, she adds, "Seann [William Scott] and I got married last weekend. We had a really good time." Asked by a game reporter if kids are on the way, Moore deadpans: "Not yet, but we're hopeful."