Bar Paly was the breakout star of Pain & Gain when it opened in April. In a movie full of ripped men like The Rock and Mark Wahlberg, she was the standout lady in their scheme. Paly plays Sorina, name changed for the film based on the true crime of three bodybuilders who led a kidnapping and extortion scheme. Sorina was a stripper who becomes the lover of Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) after they hit it big and start blowing their loot. We got to speak with Paly by phone on the occasion of the Blu-ray release of Pain & Gain, so come this Tuesday you can see the model actress in HD, shot by Michael Bay so she looks so glamorous it’s in your face!
CraveOnline: It occurred to me that you are Michael Bay’s type. Did that occur to you when you went out for the role?
Bar Paly: Not really. I think when I saw that the role, first of all, worked with my accent. Ooh, that doesn’t happen very often. And it’s also a comedic role, then I thought I was right for it because I love doing comedy. That’s my thing, so I think that’s what did more.
Your accent is Israeli though, not Eastern European, is it?
I was born in Russia and I speak Russian so my accent is a little bit of both. I guess it worked for the character.
Sorina pops in and out of the movie, but knowing the way Michael Bay shoots and how much it takes to get all of these shots in different locations, did you shoot a lot on Pain and Gain?
Yes, I think I was in Miami for almost two months. We were shooting quite a lot.
For every little montage we see you in, how much did you actually shoot?
We shot quite a lot. There’s one scene in there that I’m getting out of the trunk of a car and I’m getting smuggled into the U.S., we actually shot it when we already were back in L.A. We did it like a skeleton crew, maybe 10 people. I had to do my own hair and makeup, and Michael was like, “I want some tears, like your mascara’s been running.” I’m like, “How the hell am I going to do that? I’m not a makeup artist.” But I worked it out. We shot so much and the things looked so beautiful. Yeah, maybe people don’t realize it because in the end it’s only a minute on the screen, but it was a lot of fun.
I certainly do. To make a film look like that takes a lot of work beforehand.
Right. When we did that scene, it kind of felt, as big of a blockbuster it is and a studio movie, it was like back to the basics. Just 10 people shooting, dirty, all by yourself, almost like a student film. Except with Michael Bay and all these great people who are Oscar nominees.
How long did you have to hide in the trunk before they rolled?
Not that long. I just lay there, it was action and I opened the trunk. It wasn’t anything scary. It was a little hot there.
Some of the other great shots of the movie including pouring champagne on your body in the strip club. What was it like shooting that?
That’s funny. Why does that little scene make such an impression on men? Literally I think that part we shot in less than five minutes. They’re just like, “Okay, let’s do this.” But it’s such a crucial little moment for my character and Dwayne’s character because you just get why he blew all his money and why he does all the stuff he does. You want to be at that party when you see those scenes, those little montages.
I’ll tell you, the reason it makes an impact on me is I think it’s spoofing all those moments that take it so seriously, like ooh, this is so sexy. Pain & Gain is spoofing that these guys are really into it.
Right but then also men pay attention to it because it is like that fantasy that you’re talking about, that we’re maybe winking a little on.
The other funny shot is when you’re pushing the car with Mark Wahlberg behind you.
Yeah, that was pretty funny.
Did that take a lot to set up because you had a moving car?
No, honestly I think they figured it out before I got to set. When I got to set I was just so nervous from doing that scene that I don’t even remember too much, but it went pretty fast and smooth. It was really funny. People were cracking up constantly. That made it a lot easier.
The other big comedy scene you’re in is the neighborhood watch scene. How long did you shoot that for?
That’s a really good scene. I like that scene too. Again, Michael moves really, really fast so I don’t think there was anything that we shot for a whole day and over rehearsed or stuff like that. It was a lot of fun and the neighbors that he cast were great and he let me ad lib certain stuff. I don’t know if it ended up in the movie. Maybe I didn’t do it that well but it was a lot of fun, especially when I go, “Ta da! Who wants to be the rapist?”
