Natasha Richardson on her latest role, films vs. live theater and her famous family.
Dec. 30, 2005 - Natasha Richardson is the kind of actress who stands up during an interview, imitates Lord Voldemort from "Harry Potter" and sits back down in the most polite British way. This is a little unexpected, since Richardson's film roles—from "Nell" to the "Parent Trap" remake—bring to mind a little more subtlety and grace. Her new movie, James Ivory’s "The White Countess," is no exception. Richardson plays Sofia Belinsky, a countess who flees Russia for Shanghai and falls in love with a blind American diplomat (Ralph Fiennes). She recently spoke to NEWSWEEK's Ramin Setoodeh. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: Earlier this year, I saw you on stage in "A Streetcar Named Desire." What's the difference between acting for an audience instead of for the camera?
Natasha Richardson: It's like two entirely different animals. Theater is the actor's medium. You're very much in control. It's just you and the words and the audience. You're at the helm of the ship, so to speak. Film is the director's medium, always. It still surprises me to this day that you can work on a film, and you think in your head you can imagine what the film is going to be like, and it's never what you imagine.
What's more challenging?
Theater can be very difficult. You're doing eight performances a week. One night can be magic. The next night it can be not so great. It's also certainly tough in New York, with it being a one-newspaper town. It doesn't matter what 400 people say, if the Times doesn't like you, you're in trouble. A bad review can destroy your confidence.
Are there better parts for women in theater?
There are so many great parts. I suppose that's why I gravitate to the theater. Hollywood is becoming more geared toward big-event movies, which don't feature interesting parts for women. I've always taken a choice of playing a great part in a film five people see, than be the decorative one in something 400 million see.
Your Russian accent in "The White Countess" is very convincing. But your performance went beyond that. I felt like you were Russian.
It was important to me—without sounding silly—that she had a Russian soul. I've heard many Russian people complain that when English actors play Chekhov, they don't have a Russian soul. And I thought: What is a Russian soul? I've got to find out what it is. I've got to have one for Sofia. I talked to a lot of Russians who knew that period of history, the 1930s. There are all sorts of things I found out about: their private sense of religion, their emotions are very close to the surface and very changeable, a sense of homesickness, longing for their homeland, a sense of endurance. I tried to immerse myself in all that.
But let's go back to the accent for a moment. How did you perfect that?
I worked with a dialect coach. I didn't want it to be clichéd Russian or generalized Continental or could-be Italian. I got my iPod and listened to myself on tape and other Russian people.
Was the set of the movie like a family reunion? You costar with your mother, Vanessa Redgrave, and your aunt Lynn Redgrave.
It was a gift to me, really. I've never worked with my aunt before. My mom, when I look in her face, she just makes me want to cry. It was a very difficult shoot—a huge-scale film on such a small budget, being in China for three months. A lot of communication problems, language barriers. It wasn't comfortable conditions we were working in.
Were you recognized in China?
I don't think I was much at first. But because we were filming there, I became known as Nah-tah-SHAAH. I picked up a few Chinese words—"Come quickly please," which I had to use to call my driver, because he was never there; "I'm so sorry"; “Thank you."
Ralph Fiennes plays a blind man in the film. How did that tilt your performance?
It seemed strange at first because we weren't looking in each other's eyes. That's how you connect. It made me feel lonely and isolated. But I think it helps—there's a mutual attraction between them, but he's so guarded.
Did you see his performance as Lord Voldemort in the last "Harry Potter?"
Yes! Isn't he brilliant? He's so scary, really. And that moving thing that he does [gets up and stomps around the room, whispering "Swish, swish."]
Are you a fan of the books?
I'm not. It's not my taste. They are too many other books I want to read—give me an "Anna Karenina" or a big romantic epic novel. I like the classics.
One of my co-workers, who's British, says she's in love with your husband, Liam Neeson.
She has very good taste. How can I talk about my husband—he's just a kind, good, special man. What most people don't know about him is that he's funny.
Is it easier being in a relationship with another actor?
I think it is. You understand the demands of the job. I would know immediately if he calls and says, "We're on splits"—it means you're working on a movie and you're starting work in the middle of the day and through the night, which I think is the worst. I'd know where his head is, working those 14-hour days. But it can be very difficult because of the long periods spent apart.
The two of you both appeared in "Nell." Would you ever act together again?
Yeah. Sure. If we find the right movie. I don't think I'll ever be asked to be in "Batman." I'm not a "Batman" girl, am I?