Angela Lansbury: "I’m never left behind. I’m the bionic woman"

[Will42]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 3:02pm

3-pages long interview that Ms. Lansbury gave to The Telegraph this weekend: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/9269751/Angela-Lansbury-interview-Im-never-left-behind.-Im-the-bionic-woman.html


Updated On: 5/21/12 at 03:02 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 4:11pm

Beautifully written. A lovely article. Thanks for sharing it.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 4:19pm

Her presence and talents elevate any project that she's involved with. Some of my favorite Lansbury performance are not the obvious ones. For example, I thought she was great in the little known John Frankenheimer film of William Inge's ALL FALL DOWN opposite Eva Marie-Saint, Warren Beatty and Karl Malden.

[Will42]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 5:43pm

That was a very important movie for her. While she was filming it Frankenheimer gave the The Manchurian Candidate book and said there's a great part for her in it. The rest is history.

[Will42]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 5:53pm

You are very welcome. I agree, such a thoughtful article.
Speaking of being “on the market again”. I really wish Ms. Lansbury would make another movie after The Best Man ends its run. She was cast as Katherine Heigl's daughter in a film called Adaline 2 years ago, but a week after that Heigh's either left the project or was fired. They couldn't find her replacement and it got stacked in production hell ever since. Then last week the film got new director, but even though Lansbury's name was attached to it for all this time, she wasn't mentioned in the press release. I wonder if she dropped out as well. For shame, if it's indeed the case.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 6:33pm

Will42, I think you meant Angela was cast as Hiegl's mother not daughter, right?

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 6:35pm

Nope.
Read this...

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/21/12 at 6:58pm

Oooh that sounds interesting. Thanks for that link. Too bad it's not happening,

[Will42]

Posted: 5/22/12 at 3:54am

Well, the film is still happening just without Lansbury apparently. Here’s the news on new director:


'Elegy' Director Boards Fantasy Romance 'Age of Adaline' (Exclusive)

Lakeshore Entertainment, Sydney Kimmel Entertainment and Anonymous Content are behind the project, which was once a Katherine Heigl vehicle.

Spanish director Isabel Coixet has signed on to direct The Age of Adaline, a fantasy romance being made by Lakeshore Entertainment, Sydney Kimmel Entertainment and Anonymous Content.

Written by Mills Goodloe and Sal Paskowitz, the film centers on a young woman, born at the turn of 20th century, who is rendered ageless after an accident. After years of a solitary life, she meets a man who might be worth losing her immortality.
The project was at one point a vehicle for Katherine Heigl but the actress is no longer attached. Gabrielle Muccino was also attached to direct.

Coixet is known for her pensive romantic dramas such as 2003’s My Life Without Me, which starred Sarah Polley and Mark Ruffalo, 2005’s Secret Life of Words, with Polley and Tim Robbins, and 2008’s Elegy, which starred Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley.

She also directed The Map Sounds of Tokyo, a thriller featuring a mostly Japanese cast which was not released in the U.S.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elegy-director-Isabel-Coixet-age-of-adaline-324102


Now watch Judi Dench or Shirley MacLaine being cast and getting another Oscar nomination for it. Could have been a really great role for Lansbury, not to mention that it’s quite ironic that after all those years of playing mother to actors her age and wives and mistresses to actors twice her age she would’ve been given a chance to play a daughter to a 30something actress.

I know that she never stopped working (fortunately for us, God bless her), but it’s really surprising that for someone who had such a huge film career (50 films to date) she only made 2 live action films in 27 years (Nanny McPhee (2005), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2012)). Not that it has anything to do with Lansbury, but Judi Dench made 7 films in 2011 alone.

Even though she obviously can afford being choosy it’s not that Lansbury doesn’t want to make films anymore (although she did say that she’ll never do another series) on the contrary, in practically every interview Lansbury expressed desire to play at least one great film role, but I guess she simply not getting any offers. At least on the Broadway she’s the queen, where every produced would love to see her in his show (she was offered the part of Mother Superior in Sister Act, but when she declined they went with 50something Victoria Clark instead of looking for another B’way legend in her 70’s or 80’s).

Lansbury had a chance of returning to the big screen when she was cast in the lead role in Franco Zeffirelli’s Tea with Mussolini (1999), but due to her husband’s illness had to drop out and was replaced by her Taste of Honey co-star Joan Plowright. For that reason she also had to withdraw from TV film David Copperfield, 1999 (replaced by Maggie Smith) and musical The Visit that was supposed to be her Broadway return and was specifically developed for her (Chita Rivera was eventually cast in Lansbury’s role, but it never made to Broadway as intended).

Well, hopefully something will come along before it’s too late. She deserves great roles whether it films, stage, or television.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 7:41am

Is the Emma Thompson scripted MY FAIR LADY, perhaps with Firth and Mulligan, going to happen? If so, one would think Lansbury would be shortlisted for Mrs. Higgins (although I'd much prefer Charlotte Rampling in that role). I really wish Lansbury and not Streep were playing Violet Weston.

[Will42]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 7:57am

Ill die if she gets cast as Mrs. Mrs. Higgins, but I bet Vanessa Redgrave or Dames Maggie, Judi or even Julie Andrews will get the part instead (although Im skeptical about the film being made anytime soon). I think it wouldve been easier for Lansbury to get cast out of England, but since she lives in New York shes probably too under the radar for UK film and TV producers. God bless, Emma Thompson, really. Nanny McPhee is such a wonderful film and Ms. Lansbury is hilarious in it (unlike her nothing role in Mr. Popper's Penguins), the way she screams incest! is priceless!

[KermitTheFrog]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 10:52am

Great interview with a great lady - although it claims she's won 19 Emmys, and I believe she's actually had 18 unsuccessful nominations.

According to a 2010 article from the Telegraph, Angela would love to make a West End return, which fulfil be a dream of mine to finally see her on stage.

Also, finally, where is this woman's damehood. There is no actress I can think of that has excelled to such an extent as she has in the fields of film, television and on the stage, and it's about time she was recognised for this.

[Will42]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 11:22am

Indeed, even though I wish it was the other way around Ms. Lansbury is an 18-time Emmy loser (which is record among performers). She also holds the record for the biggest amount of consecutive Emmy nominations with 12 (for each season of Murder, She Wrote).

Speaking of Mrs. Higgins and West End, it was reported and later confirmed me the great lady herself that she was in talks to play the part in the West End revival of Pygmalion opposite Rupert Everett, but something didnt work out and Dame Diana Rigg was cast instead.

As for her Damehood, no idea what are they waiting for, shes 87 after all. Harriet Walter was awarded with one at the age of 60, Judi Dench at 54, Helen Mirren at 58 and Maggie Smith at 56.

[Will42]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 2:24pm

New interview with Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones and Joel Grey that aired on NBC Nightly News last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFetkw70dWk

Ms. Lansbury and Mr. Jones also gave interview to Michael Riedel in which they have confirmed Driving Miss Daisy Australian tour: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/the_best_man_woman_NOlWmmZWu7jSrjjstaUuaI?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Theater