Minnie Driver in Take Courtesy of Liberation Entertainment

America is the only country in the First World that still has the death penalty. What's your opinion on that? And do you think that it should be a big issue for the election this year in America?
I think it's an issue, absolutely. Looking at the economy and where we're at in Iraq, and just globally, the sort of terrifyingly protectionist foreign policy that this country has, I think there are issues that are larger in terms of us being part of a world. But I'm not [in favor of] the death penalty. I never have been, and never would be. I don't believe in sanctioning killing, however heinous the crime.

Listen, this movie brings up every mother's worst nightmare. How can you stand on your moral high ground until your kid is taken from you and something terrible happens to them? And then surely you would just want to rip that person limb from limb. I was on an NPR radio show with a woman who had had a home invasion in her family. Honestly, it is the very worst [thing] that you could imagine happening, what she saw done to her daughter. [Her attacker] had a gun in the back of her head, and now this woman is at the very forefront of the restorative justice movement. And it's not like you meet your attacker the next day or a couple of [weeks later]. It's years and years and years and years later. So, it's a massive psychological process before you reach a point where the perpetrator and [the victim] can meet. And now this woman can talk about the healing that took place, that has somehow brought her from a place of just complete and utter devastation, grief and rage to a place of power again, and feeling like a human being again. Whilst you're never going to get over the loss of your child, you somehow can function on this planet and start making a difference... The death penalty, I don't think it teaches us anything. You have a moment of revenge — that doesn't bring that person back. It doesn't offer you any healing or forgiveness. But again, it's a really tricky thing to start talking about... [I realize] it's very easy for me to sit here with my lovely baby in my tummy.

Would you leave America for the safety and future of your child?
No, no, no. No, definitely not. I'm fully planning on having my baby here. And believe me, with the draft and with everything, that's a huge consideration. But no, I've made my home here. I believe in the cornerstones of America. I do think it has been mismanaged, obscenely mismanaged. But that doesn't mean I don't love what America is fundamentally about.

Are you going to keep your due date secret?
Oh, yeah, it doesn't really mean anything because you have a ninety percent chance of you being late. I'm due around the end of August. And that's really what I'm saying to everybody. I can't even remember the date that they told me.

And how do you feel about this change of life situation?
Good. I mean, absolutely great. It's all exactly...

According to plan?
No, it was an unplanned event but very much wanted, always has been. I'm not married, so it was always going to be a little bit more [complicated].

Why did you decide to keep the father's identity secret in this situation?
He shouldn't have to deal with all that stuff, because it really is private. I've dated a couple of actors, which apparently is just like a professional hazard. I'm sure people date people in their offices. But, yeah, it's not his deal, and it's private.

Will he be involved?
Sure. I mean, he's going to be a dad. I don't know that it's unorthodox. It's not unorthodox in the family that I come from, but I'm taking full responsibility for being a mother and I'm not married. I'm not getting married to this person. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what's going to happen when I walk out of here. I sort of take it moment by moment. And everyone's kind of cool. You just want to create as happy and loving as an environment as you can. I've got this amazing family, so I'm not really worried.