PAGE 12Q-Notes T February 1994
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This Mary is no little lamb
by Brent Hartinger
Special to Q-Notes
Mary Steenburgen as a lawyer ruthlessly
determined to prove that a gay man with
AIDS wasn’t discriminated against? It’s
hard to imagine the folksy, immensely like
able star of films like Parenthood, Back to
the Future III, and Ragtime as such a person,
but that is exactly the character she plays in
the Jonathan Demme film Philadelphia, Hol
lywood’s first big-budget take on the subject
of AIDS.
First discovered by Jack Nicholson while
casting for Coin’ South, a 1978 film he
directed, Steenburgen won an Oscar three
years later for her hilariously exuberant por
trayal of a determined wife in the 1980 film
Melvin and Howard. Steenburgen hasn’t
stopped working since—appearing in films
like Woody Allen’s A Midsummer Night’s
Sex Comedy, Dead of Winter, The Butcher’s
Wife, One Magic Christmas, Time After Time,
and Miss Firecracker.
“In contemporary cinema, you’re sexy,
you’re serious, or you’re funny,” Miss Fire
cracker director Tommy Schlamme told
People magazine. “To put all three of those
together is rare, [but] it’s what Mary has a
great ability to do.”
These days,however, Steenburgen is pro^
ably as well-lmown for her close friendship
with fellow Arkansans Bill and Hillary
Clinton as she is for her acting.
At home in Santa Barbara, Mary recently
made time to talk with me about her role in
Philadelphia, her close friendship with the
Clintons, and her political activism (mostly
for women’s issues, like abortion rights and
funds for breast cancer research). When the
interview was over, I was even more con
vinced of her passion and her talent.
BRENT: How would you describe the
experience you had making Philadelphia!
MARY: An emotional experience, be
cause of the subject matter. Artistically, it
was a wonderful experience, especially be-
causeofwho was directing. Jonathan Demme
is someone I worked with many years ago [on
Melvin and Howard], and someone I’ve been
extremely close friends with ever since. He’s
such a great artist and such an incredible
human Seeing. In many ways, films take on
the personality of the director, and Jonathan’s
presence is so ebullient and intelligent. It was
an amazing film to work on. You wish every
single work experience could be that thought
ful and heartfelt.
BRENT: Was there much studio inter
ference?
MARY: They were great. In a world
where people are out to make money, these
guys [at Orion and Tri-Star Studios] were
really interested in making a film that was
respectful of the subject matter and that w^
eloquent. They were utterly supportive in
every way, and I think Jonathan was just
thrilled with them. When they did show up,
which wasn’t very often, it was just to cheer
us all on.
BRENT: From what I’ve heard, you
play one of the “bad” guys. Is that ho w you
see it?
MARY: No, and neither did Jonathan,
because once you do that, you’re already
demeaning yoin character. It would be too
simplistic an attitude for the film, because
this character was, in fact, someone who was
trying to give the best representation to her
client, which doesn’t make her a bad guy.
Just because you or I might disagree with the
politics, or even the morality of the people
she’s representing, what she’s trying to do is
what we say in America you’re supposed to
do, which is to give the best representation to
your client possible. If I just saw her as the
bad guy, I would already be distancing my
self from her, and since I play my characters
very much from within who I am, I can’t ever
mock them or make fun of them. I have to
understand them.
Still, I lost a very dear friend to AIDS right
before I went to do the movie. It was hard not
to think about him when I would look at Tom
[who reportedly lost 3 0 pounds for the role of
the gay man with AIDS]. A lot of buttons
were pushed in me in the early days of the
film. The first day or so I wasn’t even sure
I was going to be able to do it.
BRENT: You have to admit this role is
a bit of a change for you. You usually play
very likeable characters.
MARY: Youknow,Idon’tevenlikethat!
One of the favorite things I’ve ever done is
Continued on page 27
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