June 6, 2006

It takes a good dose of humility to look back at past mistakes and laugh about them. But one person who clearly has no problem mocking herself is Sandra Bullock. Let's face it, starring in the disastrous "Speed 2: Cruise Control" without original partner-in-crime Keanu Reeves was probably not the smartest move and she's knows it.

"He had good people surrounding him at the time going, 'Not a good idea. 'Speed' on a boat going 10 knots that looks like it's pretty much standing still,'" Bullock says.

Still, don't take her sarcasm as a substitute for bitterness. She also points out that Reeves never called her telling her not to do the sequel either. It took 12 years, but the charismatic "Speed" couple has finally reunited. This time around they play time-displaced lovers in the romantic drama "The Lake House."

"This isn't your commercialized packaged project," Bullock says. "The studio said, 'Let's try something unique.' It's not like one of these big money blockbuster things."

Thank heavens for that.

Romance has been high on Bullock's mind after marrying "Monster Garage" host Jesse James almost a year ago. And although the wedding came as a surprise to many, Bullock loves proving the tabloid doubters wrong.

"We had a bet," she says. "We said at six months they were going to have us pregnant or having trouble. Literally at the six-month mark someone called and goes 'OK, you're right. One says you're having trouble and the other says you're getting away to make a baby.'"

Luckily, living outside of Los Angeles has provided a nice buffer from the paparazzi.

"We don't live in a place where it's easy to get to, so they leave us alone," Bullock says. "Besides we're not that interesting. We're really not."

Much more intriguing is Bullock's next film, "Infamous," another take on Truman Capote and his "In Cold Blood" killers, which was just chronicled in the Oscar-nominated "Capote." Both films were shot at the same time, but the Philip Seymour Hoffman version got out of the gate first causing a yearlong delay for "Infamous." Bullock plays the crucial role of Capote's friend Harper Lee (played by Catherine Keener in "Capote.")

"No one thought once, 'Oh my God, we can't do both of these!' I'm sure no one was wondering, "What is the other one doing?" Bullock argues.

Some critics might disagree with her, but they are no doubt salivating at the prospects of comparing both roles. Thankfully, Bullock doesn't have to worry about any alternate adaptations of "The Lake House" hitting theaters anytime soon. Except, of course, for the 2000 South Korean pic "Il Mare" from which it was based.

On second thought, Sandra, you might want to avoid any sort of confusion and skip the remakes and sequels in favor of originals from now on.

Just a thought.