Hayek, Blige connect thru their characters – ‘Mudbound’ powerful
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LOS ANGELES, Nov 28, (RTRS): Salma Hayek (“Beatriz at Dinner”) and Mary J. Blige (“Mudbound”) sat down for a chat for Variety’s “Actors on Actors,” presented by Google Home, which airs from Jan 2 to Jan 4 at 7 pm on PBS SoCal KOCE.
Salma Hayek: I want to ask you a question that many times actors don’t even know themselves: Do you know why Dee Rees offered you this role in “Mudbound”?
Mary J. Blige: She told me that she offered me the role because she didn’t know anyone else that can play such a reserved, quiet but powerful woman at the same time. She saw that in me when she met me, and then she was at one of my concerts and she saw how explosive I was. Speaking to me later, I’m not that explosive. I’m just kind of quiet and reserved.
Hayek: What did you think when you read the script and you began to explore the role?
Blige: I was blown away by the love story that was in all of the horror. And then this character, Florence, was exactly who my grandmother is, and exactly who all of my aunts are. I was also happy to play Florence because I could just give her so much of my heaviness. I was having a lot of heaviness at the time, due to my personal life, and I would just give it to Florence. All my insecurities, all my sadness and anger and paranoia. Whatever it was, I would give it to Florence.
Hayek: It’s a beautiful thing, no? When you can really connect to other women through your characters.
Blige: How did you come to be involved with “Beatriz at Dinner”?
Hayek: It was a very strange thing because I’ve had to struggle really hard to get good roles. Sometimes even for the bad ones, I’ve had to struggle to get them. And this time, it was such a beautiful thing that happened to me, because Miguel Arteta, who I am a huge fan of, and Mike White, who I just think is one of the best writers in America today … they came to me and they said, “We have a project that we want you to be in.” I was super excited, and I said, “Can I read it?” And Mike said, “I haven’t written it yet. I just have, like, an idea.” But I said yes. Two weeks later, on my birthday, I get an email from Mike that said, “Happy Birthday.” And it was this beautiful gift.
Blige: Wow.
Hayek: I couldn’t believe that he wrote it in two weeks. And I also couldn’t believe that he knew me that well. I know Mike — we’re friendly — but I really felt that there were so many things that might not be super obvious in me, but that are such a strong part of me, in this character.
Blige: I have to share this with you. I saw you in a movie called “From Dusk Till Dawn.” And I was like, “Oh, my God, this woman’s body is my inspiration.” You are one of my inspirations for being in the gym every day. I’ve been training like a maniac since then.
Hayek: You know, I don’t watch my own movies very often. But something different happened with “Beatriz,” because this movie surprised me so much when I saw it that I wanted to see it again and again. I really didn’t think anybody was going to like this film or watch it, because the camera was on my face, and I was not allowed to move or cry or nothing. And I thought it was going to be so boring. And I kept saying to Miguel, “They’re gonna be bored. Move away from me.” And he said, “Oh no, I know exactly what I’m doing.” I was so lucky to work with this amazing director. So this is the one film that, every time I watch it, every single performance, I find something different and nuanced in every single actor.
Blige: For a long time I wasn’t able to hear my own speaking voice back. I definitely don’t like looking at myself. But I had to look at myself in “Mudbound” at Sundance. And when I saw Florence, I cried. Because she was in so much pain.
Also:
LOS ANGELES: Anna Kendrick is starring in an untitled comedy from “Four Lions” director Chris Morris that has already been shot in the Dominican Republic and Florida.
The film also stars Kayvan Novak, stand-up James Adomian, “Orange is the New Black” actress Danielle Brooks, “True Blood” cast member Denis O’Hare, Pej Vahdat, Marchant Davis and Mousa Kraish of “American Gods.”
Details of the plot are under wraps. Kendrick has been pictured on set in an FBI uniform with body armor and a rifle.
The film is a joint production between the British company See-Saw Films and New York-based Archer Gray Productions, with financing from Film4. Iain Canning and Anne Carey are producing.
The political satire “Four Lions” was released in 2010 and centered on homegrown terrorist jihadis from England. It starred Novak, Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay, Arsher Ali, and Adeel Akhtar. Morris has directed several episodes of HBO’s “Veep.”
LOS ANGELES: The 29th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival is honoring Allison Janney with the Spotlight Award — Actress for her performance in “I, Tonya.”
The award will presented on Jan. 2 as the festival’s awards gala, hosted by Mary Hart, on Jan. 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
“Allison Janney delivers a knock-out performance as Tonya Harding’s mother LaVona Golden in ‘I, Tonya,’” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The usually charming Janney takes a compellingly dark turn as Tonya’s abusive, alcoholic mother.”
Past recipients of the Spotlight Award include Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Andrew Garfield, Helen Hunt, Rooney Mara, Julia Roberts and J.K. Simmons. All recipients received Academy Award nominations in the year they were honored, with Simmons winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
LOS ANGELES: Rachel Brosnahan will be presented with the second annual Stonestreet Granite Award at ceremonies on Nov 30 at TAJ in Chelsea.
The inaugural Granite award went to Miles Teller last year in recognition of an actor, director, producer, screenwriter, or hyphenate who has emerged from Stonestreet Studios’ in-house conservatory and who has gone on to create provocative, meaningful, and relevant film and television projects.
Brosnahan worked and trained within the walls of Stonestreet before moving on to a recurring role on “The Blacklist” and then to the Netflix series “House of Cards” and the Amazon show “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
“Rachel is an incredibly hard working and adventurous actress in all the right ways; she looks at each role as an opportunity to create layered depths,” said Alyssa Rallo Bennett. “While she isn’t afraid to explore something dark or difficult, she never leaves out the compassion or humanity in the characters she plays. She makes her work look seamless and delightful, a skill that comes from her sense of integrity, thoughtfulness, and elegance, both on set and off.”
Stonestreet Studios was founded in 1991 in New York City by Alyssa Rallo Bennett and Gary O. Bennett
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