I was a guest on Ryan Czerwonko and David Garelik’s fabulous new podcast, part of their ongoing Adult Film NYC project (I interviewed Ryan about the work Adult Film is doing for my Substack) and had so much fun talking about acting and actors!
For reference: my two interviews with my friend Dan Callahan about his books The Art of American Screen Acting, volumes 1 and 2, because they come up a lot:
The Mystery of Screen Acting: An Interview with Author Dan Callahan
“Masters of the Acting Art”: An Interview with Author Dan Callahan
what a fun discussion! I love how it eventually turned into “list your favourite guy,” that’s a very familiar feeling lol. There’s so much good stuff out there!
Also, I’m taking my C+R education very slowly, they’re too much to slam down — but this pushed Opening Night to the front of the list. What a film! I found it more mysterious (albeit less scary or destabilising) than Love Streams or Woman Under.. less scary even though it’s almost in some ways a horror movie, this woman coming up against a brick wall, unable to resolve, she has to do this thing but she can’t because she can’t find a way to do it truthfully because it’s bad but also because it explodes this internal terror in her…. I really was glad to be able to jump on and listen to you talk about her because I feel like I lack the language. That her work in these Cassavetes films is so unsettling because goes so far out and then never resolves, that feels right for me. Anyway I just loved how it ended. The insane choice to put her onstage but also that backstage camaraderie and support, and the relief of the final improvised screen.
It might have been Ryan who mentioned how important Cassavetes’ choices were in constructing the performance but he didn’t mention my favourite moment of construction, which was the first time the fan appeared in her dressing room, and Myrtle is still and watchful, and then it cuts to the fan, but then when it cuts back Myrtle has a completely different, eerie, indescribable expression on her face, scared and elated? That switch-up edit was a straight punch in the face. I was like, oh things are THIS bad haha.
Funnily enough I also recently watched Of Human Bondage and of course loved Davis’s work – great timing for this listen all around!
Jessie!! Opening Night! I feel about it the way Ryan said he felt – it basically explained/validated my life to me when I first saw it: that’s what I want to do. (which is … hysterical, if you think about it.) But it was just SO theatre based – these people were all maniacs about it, obsessed with it – her line to the playwright: “I get my kicks from ACTING.” And she’s just so far out there.
The play at the end – they actually had a live audience. People were just asked to show up to see a play. !! so those were real reactions – unplanned. So wild to me.
And her younger self – or the ghost – somehow the way they filmed her was so unstable – and so frightening – not because she herself was frightening but because of how Gena looked at her: with … terror? I don’t know: with her I too lack the language. A moment with her is never just one thing: she never settles on one thing. she’s not “playing the moment” – I think I said that in my video-essay about Love Streams: her moments are always in flux, filled with contradictions – and yet somehow she is never “vague”. I don’t know how she does it!!
// then it cuts to the fan, but then when it cuts back Myrtle has a completely different, eerie, indescribable expression on her face, scared and elated? //
Yes! she looks elated!! it’s so eerie! and I think the first thing she says – or mouths – to the girl is “Hi” – and she looks pleased and almost motherly – but also frightened – because is this real? is she truly going mad? … she’s so far out there into the moment she can’t find words – and it’s hard to even locate what’s going on. and yet you also know what’s going on.
and thank you so much for watching.
Of Human Bondage is just wild – that character is just so vile!!