 |
  |
|
CONVERSATION WITH VANESSA REDGRAVE
Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave (Julia, The Gathering Storm) stars as Esther in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of THE LOCKET, based on Richard Paul Evans's best-selling novel of the same title. In THE LOCKET, Redgrave plays Esther Huish, a lonely woman living in an assisted-care facility who is able to teach a troubled young man (played by Chad Willett) who works there important life-lessons about faith, trust and forgiveness.
Redgrave was interviewed on the set of the film in Wilmington, North Carolina.
QUESTION: What was it about this story that you most connected with?
VANESSA REDGRAVE: It touched me on several levels really. First, it's set in what used to be called `an old folk's home,' and I've long been fascinated by those places and the people in them. Second, my mother -- who's 92 -- lives with me, and I see quite a bit of her in Esther, and vice versa. Third, the situation of older people has perturbed me and agitated me for a long while. How society treats older people is, I think, a real measure of society itself. And generally speaking, we don't treat older people very well, in either Britain or America. Now, that's not the central theme of our story, but it's an important part of the setting, of the environment. I should add that there's a particular scene in THE LOCKET that has special poignancy for me. It's where Esther is taken by her young friend Michael to see the man whom she'd secretly loved for so much of her life. That scene rather exactly captures an event that occurred in my own family, so it very much resonated with me.
QUESTION: What about the character of Michael?
REDGRAVE: I think the relationship of deep understanding and sharing that develops between Esther and Michael takes Esther quite by surprise. Even though there's at least a half-century age difference between them, there are many parallels between what happened to her in life and love, and what's happening to Michael. When Michael's world falls apart -- in so many ways -- Esther turns out to be a rather wonderful source of inspiration, wisdom and strength.
QUESTION: What's it like working with director Karen Arthur?
REDGRAVE: Well, she's a darling lady, which counts for a lot! She's got a very feeling heart, which is important when you're working with material like this that's so charged with emotion. This is only the third time in my career that I've worked with a woman director, and that's both exciting and warming for me. An important bonus is that she's married to our director of photography (Tom Neuwirth). They've got a great professional relationship. They're a real team. It's very much a family environment on this set.
QUESTION: In the film, just before you see the man you've been waiting to see for half a century, you hand over your walking cane to Michael. Was that gesture in the script?
REDGRAVE: Thank you for noticing! That was not in the script, but I told Karen [director Karen Arthur] about the time my brother [Corin Redgrave] and I were in New York with our father [Sir Michael Redgrave]. He was publicizing his autobiography, which had just come out. My brother worked with him on it because father had Parkinson's, and it was very difficult for him physically to write. At any rate, here he was in New York, seeing friends whom he hadn't seen in years, showing up in restaurants and theaters, being very much the toast of the town, and it was fascinating to observe how he appeared to at least temporarily overcome the symptoms of his Parkinson's. The trip -- and seeing all those old friends and colleagues -- absolutely rejuvenated him; he was inspired to act as if he didn't have Parkinson's at all. I used the memory of that New York visit quite specifically in THE LOCKET. I hope I got it right. Karen seemed to think I did. You're always looking for nuances when you're acting. And you just hope it works.
QUESTION: Is there a theme in this film that you particularly hope viewers will respond to?
REDGRAVE: Well, I hope it will help people to realize that older folks should be understood and appreciated as full human beings who deserve more than just being written off. One of the themes of this film is that Michael learns an awful lot about himself as he learns more and more about Esther and her life. There's a great interaction between the generations. Young people today get an awful lot of knocks. They need the understanding and sensitivity of an older person, just to give them support and strength when they feel battered. Another theme in the film is forgiveness, which I think is one of the hardest things for us to do -- either forgiving yourself or forgiving somebody else whom you feel has hurt you or someone you love.
|
|
