Laura Linney

THE LINNEY DIARIES

LAURA LINNEY REVEALS HOW SHE HAS BUILT HER CAREER, BOTH ONSTAGE AND ON THE BIG SCREEN. BY STICKING TO HER GUT, SHE SELECTS ONE SUCCESSFUL ROLE AFTER ANOTHER.

BY BRET LOVE

In Hollywood there’s a widely held perception that a gaping chasm divides independent films from big-budget studio productions, and true thespians from movie stars. But even if these realms were diametrically opposed, Laura Linney is the rare performer who wouldn’t need a passport to move between them.

She’s hardly a household name on the level of, say, Angelina Jolie or Julia Roberts, but if salaries were based on respect, Linney would be one of the industry’s highest-paid actresses. Born in 1964 to prominent New York playwright Romulus Linney, she was seemingly destined for the stage. After graduating from Brown University and The Juilliard School, she took Broadway by storm in productions such as Hedda Gabler and Six Degrees of Separation. But in the 11 years since her breakthrough film role in 1996’s Primal Fear, she’s moved capably from stage to screen—and from tiny indies (including You Can Count On Me and Kinsey) to major blockbusters (including The Truman Show, Mystic River and Breach)—earning two Academy Award nominations and critical acclaim along the way.

True to form, Linney is about to have two very different projects in theaters at the same time. In The Nanny Diaries, based on the bestselling novel, she plays Mrs. X, a rich, narcissistic New Yorker who constantly leaves her spoiled, bratty kid in the care of the nanny, played by Scarlett Johansson. In Jindabyne, an Australian indie, she plays a woman whose marriage begins to crumble when she finds out her husband (Gabriel Byrne) and his buddies found the body of a murdered girl on a fishing trip, yet waited several days to report it. One thing these films have in common: Linney’s potent performances, which always raises the level of the material.

Recently, the 43-year-old actress discussed the ups and downs of her eclectic career, fighting for projects she believes in and the perils of being a self-proclaimed workaholic.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU’RE CHOOSING A ROLE?

It’s diff erent. Sometimes it’s the character when the roles are fantastic. Sometimes it’s the director. Sometimes it’s the script itself. Sometimes it’s the overall movie. Sometimes it’s the location. I agonize over roles occasionally, but not very oft en. Usually, it’s pretty clear.

AS THE DAUGHTER OF A PLAYWRIGHT, DO YOU TEND TO STICK TO THE SCRIPT, OR DO YOU LIKE TO IMPROVISE? With the more experience I have, I will go to writers and say, “What about this?” or “Can we tweak that?” More than anything, I ask that things be taken out, because it’s just too much. You don’t have to tell the audience every single second how they should feel. Th ere’s a big diff erence between a script that’s going through a studio system trying to get funding and an actual working script for us to act. A lot of times scripts aren’t actable.

PRIMAL FEAR PUT YOU ON THE MAP…

Well, I wouldn’t underestimate Congo (1995). I wouldn’t underestimate the grand power of the ape! (Laughs)

DO MOST ACTORS HAVE SUCH A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR ABOUT THEIR STINKERS?

You have to. And the thing about Congo is that I learned a lot making that movie. It’s a ridiculous performance and I know it! It wasn’t Macbeth (laughs). But that movie was profoundly important to me because it’s where I learned how to be on a film set. Coming out of Juilliard, I had a few days of making movies, but I didn’t know anything about making movies. I was scared to death! Congo was an opportunity that allowed me for six months to learn how movies were made. I didn’t have to worry about acting.

I didn’t have to reach deep down. It wasn’t about that. So every three weeks, I’d spend time with a diff erent department. I used the time there very well and really used those people well. It was a real kick in the pants.

YOU WON AN EMMY AWARD IN 2005 FOR YOUR ROLE ON “FRAISER.” WHAT’S THE TV WORLD LIKE?

When they called me to do it, it was one of those things I knew absolutely nothing about. I had done miniseries and hour-long dramas, but I’d never done a sitcom before and thought that I might as well learn from the best people possible. What I found out was that a sitcom is unlike anything else, as far as how it’s put together and how it’s run. Th at’s the great thing about being an actor, throwing yourself into these situations and learning how to adapt. Consequently, you learn more about your own facility and what you can do. I loved every single second of it. You get there and they say, “Well, have you done a play?”

I say, “Well, I’ve done a few.” Th en they say that it’s just like doing a play. But it ain’t nothin’ like a play! (Laughs) It made me feel bad that they have to say that about it, because it really has to be respected as its own beast.

YOU STUCK THROUGH PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ON KINSEY FOR THREE YEARS. IS THAT UNUSUAL? DO YOU HAVE THAT DEVOTION TO ALL YOUR MOVIES?

Th e really good ones always have a hard time getting it together, for some reason; the ones that are maybe a little bit more unusual or maybe not obviously commercial. You just have to stick by them and they ultimately will come together under the right circumstances. It does take patience, but you have to commit.

HAVE YOU EVER LOST OUT ON ANOTHER JOB BY HOLDING OUT?

You always check in to see what’s happening, asking them where they are in the process and telling them why you have to take this job or that job. Kinsey was on and off and on and off , then there was a point where it was finally going to happen. So Liam Neeson and I both cleared our schedules, praying and sort of gambling that the movie would happen in that window. And it did. But it was a bit of a risk.

YOU HAVE NOW BEEN NOMINATED FOR TWO OSCARS (2000’S YOU CAN COUNT ON ME AND 2004’S KINSEY). WHAT IS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?

It’s lovely when you’re nominated for an Oscar. It’s really great fun. Th e way that I look at it—the way to not be completely embarrassed by it—is to recognize that it’s so hard to make a great movie. It’s so hard to act well in a movie. It’s like someone saying that you did good work this year, like a huge celebration that good work happened.

YOU TOOK A FAIRLY LIGHT TURN IN LAST YEAR’S MAN OF THE YEAR. DO YOU YEARN FOR AN EXPERIENCE LIKE THAT TO BREAK UP THE MORE SERIOUS FARE?

I certainly had fun doing it, but [my character] was still complicated in a diff erent sort of way. But I would love to do something that’s a little simpler, a little purer. Th e complicated ones are really hard work. I love doing them and chewing on them, but it’s nice to take a break and have a lark and twirl around and have fun.

YOU FLEW TO A REMOTE SECTION OF AUSTRALIA TO FILM JINDABYNE. WHAT WAS THE DRAW?

Th ere’s so much going on, including the relationships that everybody has with each other and with the environment. I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is, but I love ensemble pieces and am always attracted to things where people’s behaviors have consequences that aff ect someone else. It was just beautifully written by a playwright (Beatrix Christian, based on a Raymond Carver short story), so there’s an ear for the actors. It’s very actable material—there’s not a lot in the way, and it’s very trusting in the actors, letting you do the work. It also has respect for the audience, which is a relief. It’s not result-oriented; it’s a very layered, delicate work.

YOU’VE BEEN WORKING STEADILY FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES NOW. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS TO DATE?

It’s really nice, but it’s surprising. I guess I didn’t expect it, because it wasn’t my goal.

I just wanted to work with good people in the theatre, and I wanted to learn. I’ve been incredibly lucky. I don’t really restrict myself to any one medium, which has a lot to do with it, and I’m willing to do a movie no matter what I’m paid. It’s really been more about being open to new experiences than anything else.

YOU’VE REFERRED TO YOURSELF AS A WORKAHOLIC. IS IT GETTING ANY EASIER TO RELAX AS YOU GET OLDER?

It’s horrible to refer to life as a hobby, (laughs) but it has been an unusually busy few years. Even unhealthily busy, and I’m aware of that. But it’s also been the best years of work I’ve had, and every single project has been enormously satisfying for me. So I’m really, really grateful. I’m sure there will be a time where I’ll sit down and everyone will say, “What the heck happened to Laura Linney?”