At a politely set table in an empty ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Sandra Bullock is blithely wisecracking like a badass street kid as we discuss her new movie, Ocean’s 8. She is always the first to knock herself off any pedestal; it’s her beloved shtick, familiar from her defining roles in Miss Congeniality and the thriller Speed. It’s nigh on impossible not to like her for it, even though it’s a defensive tactic, a wave of obfuscating charisma that carries you off to a safer place.
“Comedy has always been my deflector. It’s how I’ve survived,” she says. “It’s safe, because I set the tone.” Statuesque in a black shirt and jeans, she is great company, trigger-quick smart and mischievous. She is