Read more: See hereNearly three decades after being nominated for an Oscar, British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste is back in the awards race thanks to a tremendous performance in director Mike Leigh's new drama, Hard Truths.
The 57-year-old jokes she feels ⁘older and wider⁘ (rather than wiser) this time around - a line she credits to co-star Michele Austin, who plays her on-screen sister.
But waistlines aside, her reunion with Leigh, whom she first worked with on 1996's Secrets ⁘ Lies, has prompted some of the most positive reviews of her career.
Hard Truths centres on Pansy, a woman who is constantly grumpy and miserable, and the impact her unspoken depression has on those around her.
It would be unfair to call the film a comeback for Jean-Baptiste, because she has been working tirelessly in the intervening years. But her second collaboration with Leigh has led to renewed attention on the film awards circuit.
⁘It's very interesting, because the first time, I was not aware at all that we were even in an Oscar race. You've got to remember, in 1996, there was still a huge independent film presence in the United States.
⁘At that time, we weren't that aware of the whole Oscar thing. It was something that happened over there,⁘ she says, gesturing far away, ⁘with really big stars. So it really was not on our radar.⁘
Having won the top prize at Cannes, it was only when Secrets ⁘ Lies played at the New York Film Festival four months later that Jean-Baptiste became more aware of the awards buzz. ⁘I hadn't even heard of the Golden Globes at that point,⁘ she recalls.
⁘We were just talking about the film, doing loads of interviews, we were just knackered from all the plane rides, so there was a naivety to it the first time.
No comments:
Post a Comment