Fiennes Furious (OK, Not Him. His Director)
Quick!
Read Sara Vilkomerson‘s congenial conversation with Ralph Fiennes, who’s in the middle of yet another brief but brilliant run on Broadway. I don’t know how long this link will stay active before the interview gets sent to the not-free archive.
The actor, who’s at the Booth Theatre until Aug. 13 for his a Tony-nominated turn in Brian Friel’s The Faith Healer, is not an easy person to interview, but Vilkomerson does an unusually good job drawing him out on his favorite subject: stage acting. He doesn’t do lots of press for his movies, and when he does, he prefers to talk about things he’s comfortable with (theatre, literature) nd not what magazine editors and gossip mongers would love to hear about (his personal life, his siblings).
Vilkomerson, who’s the queen of the money quote (see the kicker to her piece on Jack Black, Vince Vaughn and women who love a guy with a gut), lets Fiennes tell some backstage anecdotes (like trying to concentrate before his entrance, every night , while he can hear the audience in the theatre next door hollering for Julia Roberts). And she also mentions the breakup of Fiennes longtime relationship with British actress Francesca Annis— the UK tabloids went mental over it a few months back. (The actor doesn’t comment on it.)
All fine and good, you’d think.
Nope. In this week’s New York Observer, Robert Edwards, director of The Land of the Blind, writes a huffy letter protesting the page one piece, calling it a “cheap shot,” “character assassination,” and accuses the paper of exploiting Fiennes’ celebrity by putting the actor’s face on the front page. “Ours is a tiny little movie with almost no advertising or marketing budget; we only had two press opportunities with Ralph, and chose to give one of those slots to The Observer.”
Here’s some more publicity, Mr. Edwards: THE LAND OF THE BLIND (hey, where’s the official website?) opened June 17 in New York, and it’s been playing at Human Rights film festivals.
Touchy directors don’t usually write letters–even when they’re pissed off, they usually welcome publicity for a small film that needs a break.
Edgy, nervous actors are another. For this reason, Fiennes is one of the perplexing actors I’ve ever interviewed. I spoke to him several years about the movie Eugene Onegin, directed by his sister Martha Fiennes. Never have I met a brother and sister more alike in looks and more unalike in temperament. She was relaxed and amiable, telling funny stories about shooting a moody Russian classic. “Are you talking to Ralph now?” she asked, all but rolling her eyes. “Good luck! He’s so….oh, you’ll see. He’s so serious!”
And indeed he was. Mr. Fiennes ushered me into a room that was arranged though I–or maybe he–was there to give a legal deposition. Someone–him, I assumed, had pushed two heavy armchairs so that they were facing each other, than a foot of space in between them. “Please, sit,” he said, his smile as cool as a maitre d’hotel.
I sat. He sat.
The bizarre chair arrangement–in an otherwise uncluttered hotel suite– meant that there was no space at all between our knees.
This was not comfortable. Either he’s hard of hearing, nearsighted, I thought or this is some weird pscyhology experiment to see who blinks.
I find it a bit rude to stare directly at people from so close in. You all know what he looks like. With him, it’s like looking into the blue headlights of an oncoming truck. I think I spent much of the interview with my eyes narrowed, gazing at Fiennes’ right ear, or his teeth. His canines were kind of sharpish.
Anyway, Sara: nice job.. I hope there was a table between you. And bravo for not getting bitten.
http://www.observer.com/20060619/20060619_Sara_Vilkomerson_thecity_thetransom.asp
Frankly, I think Vilkomerson has done one of the best interviews I’ve read with Fiennes. He sounds at ease, something rare for him. I’m familiar with a couple interviews of his that were truly cringeworthy.
Indeed… the litany of lost awards added some extra dimension to his persona. Just as Ralph has lost out on statuettes while his co-stars received them, so he follows in a great and sad tradition for brilliant, perfectly cast actors. Some actors just make it all seem too easy, and are forgotten when the accolades are handed out.
Here’s another example to consider. Russell Crowe’s female co-stars in LA Confidential and A Beautiful Mind garnered Oscars for work that was only made possible because their impossibly talented co-star set the stage for them to rise above their usual mediocrity.
Consider also the male dancer who effortlessly lifts the ballerina to soaring heights and applause while he is left in their shadows.
Ralph is in good company. And we perhaps should be glad he knows how to create the amazing shadows in which he stands. Too bad this new film, Land of the Blind, is so unworthy of his genius.