Almost one year ago Glenn Close was returning to Broadway for the first time in nearly 20 years to star in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance. In this New York Times video she talks about what has drawn her to various roles in theatre and film throughout her career.
I’ve always been kind of amused by the term character actors. Cause one hopes that every actor plays a character, right? Otherwise you’re just being yourself, so I think I play all kinds of different characters, so I guess that’s the kind of actress I am.
In the 1980’s Glenn Close went from being a rising star on Broadway to one of the biggest superstars in Hollywood.
I’ll be discreet.
Three Emmys, two Golden Globes and six Oscar nominations later the actress is coming back to Broadway for the first time in twenty years. This fall Ms Close will lead a high-power cast in the play A Delicate Balance, Edward Albee’s dark comedy about the fears that live within an upper-middle class home.
Having not been in theatre or in Broadway for twenty years, I really felt the need to come back, just to get back to the basics of my craft. I’ve always felt that doing movies is like one long rehearsal because you have as many takes as you and the director think are necessary in order to capture a certain moment.
In theatre you hope to get a seamless performance from the beginning to the end that leaves the audience with something, and I think theatre and the training I got in theatre has really deeply informed my movie roles.
I’m ready for my close-up.
I always try to stretch myself, that’s one of the reasons why I get attracted to certain roles. Right after Norma Desmond I did Cruela, so, you know, it’s pretty different. You could say they are both strong delusional women.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?
There’s something very moving about characters who have that belief along with a lack of self-pity. They’re very compelling.
A virtuoso of deceit
At this point in my career you hope the people think of you, and can think of you in different challenges, roles that you would find interesting.
Like any actor or actress says they have control of their career, it’s a, um delusional. It’s a difficult profession.
I started later. Base on impact, I use to think looks have an impact. I don’t think I’ve ever been kind of… er, what do you call, model type, which would’ve been great I suppose. Oh, forget that.
