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TORONTO -- Elisabeth Shue pulls no punches when she talks about her role in Leaving Las Vegas, the dark but highly acclaimed film that opens tomorrow.
"I was in desperate need of this script. I knew that if anything had the ability to rescue my career from its doldrums, it was this movie," explains Shue.
In Leaving Las Vegas, Shue plays a call girl who falls in love with a suicidal alcoholic (Nicolas Cage).
"When I heard the budget for the movie was $3.5 million, I told them they didn't have to pay me. I was pretty certain that was why they came to me in the first place but it's one of those scripts that comes into your life once or twice in a career."
Shue was right. Leaving Las Vegas worked its magic.
She was nominated for a Golden Globe and although she didn't win - Cage did win for best actor - it still gives her a good chance at being nominated for an Oscar come Feb. 13.
To research her role, Shue spoke to several call girls in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
"They all acknowledged that there is a certain intoxicating power to being a sexual object and also that it is very addictive.
"That was most enlightening because the film is about addictions and the destructive power they have."
Shue also looked inward for her inspiration.
"I've experienced enough tragedy in my life to understand the pain these women spoke about," she says, referring to the death of one of her younger brothers.
The oldest of Shue's brothers is Andrew Shue, who plays Billy on Melrose Place.
"In 1989, Andrew was preparing to go to Africa to teach. He accompanied me to the premiere of Back To The Future II and someone took our picture," recalls Shue.
"A casting agent called me and asked if my escort was an actor and if so, if he could represent him. Andrew thought it was a cool idea."
Shue admits she's hooked on Melrose Place.
"I'm a Melrose addict. At one point, they wanted me to play Andrew's sister on an episode, but I declined. I want to work with Andrew, but in an actual movie."
The sad irony of her brother's career is that while his star was rising, Elisabeth's was setting.
"I didn't get a decent role for the last six years. I worked enough to pay the bills but that's it."
Shue didn't have time to fall into a state of depression. She fell in love instead with director Davis Guggenheim.
"We met at an L.A. party almost five years ago. We moved in together almost immediately but we waited to get married until 20 months ago."
Shue insists she is not jealous of her brother's celebrity.
"I'm used to it. Andrew was always the centre of attention in our home, from the soccer field and the basketball court to the school where he was class president.
"I was always the shy girl in a family of boys. I wanted to be a gymnast but I wasn't good enough. Acting has helped me come out of my shell."
Shue has just completed filming the thriller Trigger Effect, with Kyle MacLachlan and Dermot Mulroney.
Shue has nothing but praise for her Leaving Las Vegas co-star Cage.
"He is the most extraordinary actor I've worked with. He saves a lot of his spirit for the camera. He's quiet and focused off camera so you don't really know what to expect when the cameras start rolling.
"It really keeps you on your toes. You have to be prepared for absolutely anything. It's emotional improvisation."
Although Leaving Las Vegas is a tragic story of destructive love, Shue says making the film was anything but a downer.
"We actually had fun and a lot of good laughs. I was convinced we were all going to be as depressed as the characters for the full shoot."