When the offer came in for Miss Congeniality I actually thought of saying no because I was so exhausted. Saying yes was a no-brainer. When a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant, the FBI rushes to find a female agent to go undercover as a contestant. Transformation complete, Gracie must get comfortable with the mercilessly driven and perfectly coifed contestants, infiltrate the pageant and thwart the terrorists. Bratt says that part of the attraction to Congeniality , was the Pygmalion theme running through the comedy.
People love to see makeovers.
You know what it is about fashion magazines or in television or in a film, people love to see that transformation. It's a lot of fun to watch it occur, and I think, you know, Sandra is a brilliant comedienne. She exacted everything. She has no fear when it comes to poking fun at herself and that's really the joy in working with someone like that because, in a role like this, you have to commit one hundred percent. It was risky for the actor to leave Law and Order , risky that he might get typecast as a cop.