The Savages - Laura Linney interview

LAURA Linney talks about the appeal of The Savages, and why it will resonate with so many viewers, and the joy of working with Philip Seymour Hoffman – even though the studio pushed for both actors to be replaced! She also talks about her career to date, what inspires her as an actress, some of her forthcoming projects and the joy of working with Clint Eastwood… She was speaking at a UK round table. I asked the Clint Eastwood question!

Q. What appealed to you most about appearing in The Savages?
Laura Linney: I know it’s not the cheeriest subject matter in the world. It’s certainly a subject that fills most people with dread, including myself. But what I like about this film is the very odd, eccentric sense of humour. The fact that it’s these three people in this situation. Subject matter like this could be very sentimentalised and just not be good material to be told cinematically. I loved the script, I loved it, and it was ready to go. And I know that’s always a good barometer, if I’m reading a script and I start working on it before I’ve finished reading it. Subconsciously, things start going, connections are made, ideas are coming. When the writing is really good it’s written for that to happen, so the intention is for it to be made. A lot of times scripts don’t give you that and you really have to work hard to create something. This just sort of lifted right off the page. The tone was very tricky, and I found that very challenging.

Q. Do you think humour is a good way to tackle something like this?
Laura Linney: Most people in their right mind would run in the opposite direction of this situation, or they’d want to, who doesn’t? The thing that sort of hangs in the air for me, with these three people in this situation, is how do you care for a parent who really didn’t love you? The loss of any parent is tough, even one you loved who was good to you and you were good to them, where there was a warmth and a closeness, and the naturalness of the end of someone’s life and the relationship is fulfilled. But when you have a relationship that was never fulfilled, that was never really there to begin with, what do you do with it? Wendy [my character] is still so desperately trying, she decorates the room, [by way of] some sort of fatherly relationship. What do you do with that?

Q. How much of this character is reflected in you? Did you bring much that was personal to the story?
Laura Linney: I happen to believe, and people have very different opinions about this, but my own pain and my own issues and my own baggage is mine. It is inappropriate and not beneficial to the story for me to take all of my stuff to throw it on. It won’t match Every decision I make character-wise has to be knitted to the story, not knitted to my own life. And also knowing that, whatever depth of feeling or whatever I might have is going to bleed through anyway. I say this, but sometimes you see an actor who is highly emotional in a scene on stage or on film, there’s tears and crying, but you feel nothing. And I really think it’s because it’s knitted to he material, it’s applied on top of the story and forced to be there, but it doesn’t resonate. It doesn’t resonate because there’s no connection between the action and the story.

Q. Isn’t part of acting pretending?
Laura Linney: Yes, but it’s pretending with truth and with responsibility. It’s tricky here, because sometimes the story’s bad and it stinks and it doesn’t work and you have to generate a whole bunch of stuff. When a story is really good you want to get out of its way, you need to get out of its way and find everything in that script that will help you fulfil its potential and you get out of its way.

Q. Did you know Philip Seymour Hoffman from before doing The Savages?
Laura Linney: I didn’t. We knew each other and we certainly paid respects backstage when each other was in a play. We’re both New York theatre actors who unexpectedly found ourselves in films. But we had a great time and we fell into a very easy, fantastic working relationship. He’s a spectacular person to work with.

Q. Did you learn any lessons from working together?
Laura Linney: He’s terrific because he makes you not afraid of your own instincts. You have those moments of self-doubt, questioning if you’re right and he says: “Yes, you’re right, absolutely you’re right!” He was very encouraging in that way. And our priorities tend to be somewhat similar, we’re very story first orientated, not character first, not career first, but very story first people. But I think that’s typical of people who come from the theatre also. We just had fun – he’s very funny.

Q. Did you ever consider this to be a daring role to take?
Laura Linney: I don’t think so, it seemed clear as a bell to me. But also the really good work always takes a while to get made. The Squid & The Whale took four years, Kinsey took four years, and on this movie they wanted to re-cast us. The film could have easily been made with other actors, and I know they had many offers to finance the movie very quickly with a much bigger budget if they replaced Phil and I with other people – with more commercially dependable people, which I sort of understand. So, I’m deeply grateful to both Tamara and the original production team for wanting us both. I can understand not wanting me, but not wanting Phil Hoffman when he was about to win the Oscar is just the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of.

Q. Did doing this film make you think of your and your parents demise?
Laura Linney: Of course, but hopefully not demise. If you are fortunate enough to outlive a parent, and if you are responsible, there are several people who I am responsible for. I am scared to death of it, as any person would be, because it’s the inconceivable becoming conceivable. It’s inconceivable to me that some people will not be around. But when you grow up in the past decades we’ve grown up in, there are a lot of people who have died. I’ve had the privilege to help them go, a lot of them people I was very close to. So, I’m not as afraid of death as I would be if I’d lived in another time when people were so distant from each other.

Q. Do you believe in life after death?
Laura Linney: I don’t know about that, but I know I still carry them with me. I know they still affect me, the people who are no longer alive are still affecting me. I still have a relationship to them. So why not help yourself when you know you’re going to be in deep grief, that you have some form, something. They helped me come in I help them go out.

Q. Do you think about getting old yourself?
Laura Linney: Oh sure. I’m going to the Actor’s Home in New Jersey, The Edwin Booth Acting Home with the Judy Prince music room and the beauty parlour. I’m going to every matinee on Saturday afternoon, I’ll get on the bus, and I’ll go. I want a corner room. I’ve told everybody I’m going. I’ve spoken to the people about it. It’s going to be crowded there. But I want to be around all those crazy old actors when I’m old.

Q. Do you have a motto in life?
Laura Linney: It sort of changes all of the time. I think we don’t have a lot of time, so you have to work very slowly. I think that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment. It’s very easy to get panicked when you don’t have a lot of time, so I’ve got to very work slowly.

Q. You’ve said in the past that you had no expectations at the start of your career, does this mean you have surpassed them now?
Laura Linney: Absolutely, are you kidding? Absolutely it has.

Q. What’s been so surprising?
Laura Linney: All of it. I think the biggest surprise is how much I enjoy it, I think that’s the surprise. I grew up in a theatre family, I’m the daughter of a playwright, and the theatre has taught me ever-important lessons about my life. I studied, I trained – which I loved – so the fact that my life took this very unexpected turn was a big surprise. I just never thought about film because I just didn’t think I belonged there. I just didn’t know anything about it, I was intimidated by it, I didn’t know what all those people running around were doing, and I didn’t know how to do that. I knew how to work on stage, I didn’t know how to work on film. I remember the moment when I thought I might be able to do this, that I might be able not to be terrible in films, but I might also enjoy it. That was a big revelation. That was when I was doing Tales Of The City.

Q. You’ve done so many interesting roles of women who are not in their 20s? Do you find that the quality of the roles get better with age?
Laura Linney: I don’t know. I hope so… but this is a topic that every journalist brings up. It’s a completely valid discussion to have, but it just seems to have gotten a little old and a little tired. There’s something about people saying: “Women of your age, and you’re still working…” Their underlying message is “be afraid” and that’s what bothers me.

Q. Has it seemed like a long journey to get where you are now?
Laura Linney: It’s been 15 years. I started in film at 26, which is unusual, but it worked to my advantage. I somehow survived the ingénue years. I think if you can get through the ingénue years you have a better chance of having a longer life in film.

Q. Can you tell us about your next films, City of Your Final Destination and John Adams?
Laura Linney: City of Your Final Destination is a Merchant Ivory film with Anthony Hopkins, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexandra Lara and Omar Metwally. We filmed in Argentina and we’ve already finished, but I have no idea when it’s coming out. I play Caroline. As for what she does, it’s a long and involved story and I can’t put it into one sentence. It’s based on a novel by Peter Cameron is the only thing you can get away with [smiles].

Q. And John Adams?
Laura Linney: At the moment, I believe it’s eight and a half hours and it’s a mini-series for HBO based on the David McCullough biography of John Adams. Paul Giamatti is playing John Adams, I’m Abigail Adams, Stephen Dillane is Jefferson, and Tom Wilkinson is Benjamin Franklin. It’s directed Tom Hooper, who is brilliant. He did Longford and Elizabeth I with Helen Mirren. There’s a heavy British influence on this production and it’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

Q. You’ve played a lot of diverse roles recently, which have been your favourites?
Laura Linney: Kinsey was interesting to me historically because it was fascinating to learn about my country’s relationship to sexuality. The history of sex and how it has affected education, government, community and religion – how that one topic completely influenced much of the way my country functions. I found that really interesting.

Q. What was your experience of working with Clint Eastwood like on both Absolute Power and Mystic River? How much do you learn from working with someone like him?
Laura Linney: So much. I’m not the only one who will gush like this, anyone you talk to who has worked with Clint feels this way. He is a remarkable man, and there aren’t that many remarkable men around. I know a few, but he is certainly up there, and I learned an enormously important lesson from him which is really just about relaxation.

So much of film work is about relaxation, you can’t do anything for the camera if you’re not relaxed even if you’re supposed to be in the most neurotic, tense state. You have to start from a place of relaxation otherwise it just doesn’t connect. He shoots very quickly, he does one take, and that’s it. That’s it. I talked about, “we don’t have a lot of time so I’ve got to work very slowly” – that’s what will keep you relaxed, being thorough and trusting, giving and letting it go. The more you’re prepared and the more you let go the better chance you have.

Q. What is it about acting that stimulates you most?
Laura Linney: I think it’s because I get to be a perpetual student, and I love the people. It’s the people, those combinations. What I don’t like is the business, because it’s hard. The age old challenge of art and commerce together. It’s like oil and water – they don’t mix. Business people think artists are ridiculous, artists think business people are heinous, but that’s an argument and a debate that will go on forever. I think that there is always more to learn, it keeps me present and excited. It keeps me from feeling like I know anything. When people get too knowing, that’s a big problem. You’re not going to stop learning.