Mena Suvari has her guard up.

In the holiday comedy Rumor Has It, Suvari plays Annie Huttinger, a young bride who cancels her honeymoon to rethink her marriage.

This past October, Suvari, 26, filed for divorce from cinematographer Robert Brinkmann, 44, her husband of almost five years.

Trying to get Suvari to comment on her personal life proved virtually impossible.

“Annie is very different than I am. She is way more over-the-top and exuberant. I’m far more reserved,” was Suvari’s reply when asked about her own marriage woes.

“I’ve met women like Annie whose emotions are extreme. They’re always so happy. They literally bounce around, which is how I played Annie.”

One of the characters in Rumor Has It tells Annie that only after divorce does a person understand what life is really about.

“I understood about life before I was married, so that certainly doesn’t apply to me.”

Annie is the kind of woman who has anxiety attacks, which Suvari insists is not the case with her.

“Everything is very easy for me. I’m having a wonderful life. I’m really, really happy for myself because I’m in such a good place in my life and in my career.”

Suvari is thrilled she was asked to star opposite William H. Macy in David Mamet’s Edmond.

“Bill plays a man who leaves his wife and then meets all these weird people played by people like Julia Stiles, Joe Mantegna, Ling Bai, Debi Mazar and Denise Richards.

“I play a whore.”

She has just signed on to star opposite Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce in Factory Girl.

“I don’t even know who I’m playing. They haven’t sent me the script, but with the people involved I knew I couldn’t say no.”

In Rumor Has It, Suvari worked opposite Shirley MacLaine.

“I wasn’t nervous about meeting her but I was definitely excited. I didn’t know whether to shake her hand, hug her or curtsy. She knows how to put people at ease.”

Her other co-star is Jennifer Aniston, who Suvari says is “a really wonderful, giving, down-to-earth person. She was so professional. It was such a pleasure working with her.”

Even Suvari has to admit she knew Aniston was going through a difficult time while she was filming reshoots for Rumor Has It. She had filed for divorce from Brad Pitt.

“I admire Jennifer for who she is and how she handles her life. She never brought her private life to the set.

“You would never have know what she was dealing with unless you’d read or heard it somewhere else.”

From EdmontonSun.com