As you already know, being a longtime admirer of Glenn Close, there is an omniscient quality to her presence. She seems at least three steps ahead of you. Last night, at an energetic party thrown by Armani, Glenn looked especially arch, steely, and Oscar-nominated. She received her seventh Academy Award nomination this year — a record-setting number of nominations without an award. (That same day, she’d won Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards and accepted the prize accompanied by her dog.)
The drone of Oscars-eve buzz at the Armani party was high. Jeff Goldblum, Caitriona Balfe of Outlander, and Harry Shum Jr of Crazy Rich Asians, among other celebrities, mingled with the crowd. But behind three headless Armani mannequins, Glenn managed to find a quieter corner to talk about scheming and staying up late.
So, in The Wife, your character Joan admires a copy of Ulysses on the nightstand of someone she wants to have an affair with. What would be the most enticing book for you to find on someone’s night table?
Oh, if it was something really famously literary I would think it was a prop.
Did you research about any particular person for your character in The Wife?
I know Rodrigo Garciá, I’ve done three movies with him, and his father was Gabriel Garciá Márquez. I asked him about his father’s work habits and if he had an editor, which he didn’t. That was interesting to talk to someone who grew up with a writer.
You can really play up an intimidating streak. Is there anything that intimidates you?
Parties like this. [Writer’s note: There were approximately 80 tall people waiting to admire her up close.] Being nominated for an Oscar! Wearing a dress that weighs 40 pounds.
Is that tomorrow?
Yes.
Are you lifting weights to prepare?
No, and it’s probably going to kill me.
Is it really fun to play a schemer?
It’s more interesting because you have to figure out if they mean what they say. With Patty Hughes in Damages, I discovered in the first episode that she kept people off-balance by just making it a bit of a question about whether she was telling the truth or not. That’s what made people insecure in her presence, and it gave her more power.
