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October 11, 2006

Phyllis Somerville is a great broad.

I don't recall seeing her in anything before Little Children, though now that I've seen her and her unforgettable performance, I would guess that I will notice her here and there, in appearances ranging from The Sopranos to Sex In The City to Law & Order: SVU. But she is the only person in Little Children even more unexpected than Jackie Earle Haley. Her performance as the convicted sex offender's mother is so powerful that in this small, serious, challenging film, she is being talked about by other actors as a possible Oscar candidate.

In the film, May McGorvey is mostly seen in various forms of housecoats or nightgowns, her gray/white hair hanging about, her skin lined, her eyes urgent. But Phyllis Somerville enters a room with a swagger, her gray hair a beautiful Bissett-esque mane, her pants brown leather, and a sheer silk top just loose enough not to grab every inch of her skinny frame.

Phyllis is n one's idea of a kid, but she doesn't look like anyone's granny either. And as you get to talking with her, it quickly becomes clear that she is a creature of the theater. Much of her life has been spent on the boards, from Broadway to regional theater to workshopping new shows. (The last is her favorite. Talking about being there for the birth of a show and of a character makes her eyes light up.)

She has a welcoming, easy-to-find laugh that come from the lungs, much the same as her crackling voice. There is not a moment that suggests restraint of the truth, as though she would answer almost any question asked in an open and honest way. One odd thing about chatting with someone who is that open, but who you don't really know much about, is that you don't know what imposing questions to ask. When did she give up smoking? What stories can she tell about boozy nights on the road with a show? How has her life been balanced between love and work? These are questions you want to ask of someone who you really want to know more about… someone you like… someone who may know more about a bunch of compelling things than even you, the smart-ass, know-it-all journalist.

She got the job in Little Children at a typical audition. The film's director, Todd Field, tells the story of auditioning Phyllis and being so overwhelmed by her performance that he called her back in again… to make sure he wasn't crazy. He wasn't.

The performance in the film is so intense and personal that you just jump on the assumption that she is a Method actress. But she isn't. She just takes the words and builds them within the scene. But she offers that the better the script, the less work she actually has to do. With a bad script and an unsteady director, all of a sudden, she has to develop all of that back story that you read about with the Methoders. But here, she felt it was all there for her. She just had to deal with truth in the moment. And the truth she found here is pretty spectacular.

And when a true working actor, who has struggled through a long career, it is just the kind of story that is likely to appeal to other actors, ready to embrace a great performance by one of their own.

Todd Field is not quite what you might expect either.

His reputation as a control freak is one he might cringe at semantically, but he's not in denial. But he is quick to point out that directors who don't control as much as they can tend to lose control of the work they are trying to get done. As the conversation continues, he passingly mentions another project that he developed as a producer and passed on when they couldn't negotiate final cut into the deal. It's not a bitch, it's not a brag, it's just his philosophy of getting the work done.

As someone else who loves movies, sitting with Field is a treat, in and of itself. He knows the turf and he is ready with insight, ideas, and even a smart disagreement when it is called for. One minute you're discussing Kate Winslet's willingness to go for it and the next minute Kubrick (don't get him started on R. Lee Ermey's recent "confession") and then on to marketing and Japanese cinema. Todd Field is seriously serious about his work. But he's also serious about his kids and about Iraq and general standards of conduct and decency.

We talked about one of the most controversial, yet quiet, moments of Little Children, when Kate's Sarah returns home and tries to pay her friend, Jean, for taking care of her child for a few days. Todd knows what he feels it means, but he would rather you decide for yourself.

But the conversation over this issue did bring up an apparent split between how Americans see the film and how Europeans do. Primarily, the Europeans see the movie as more political and get caught up much less in the sexual politics. That idea lights him up. He believes in the politics in the undercarriage of this film too. Could we have a bigger "little child" in adult clothing than George Bush, taking action based on gut reaction more than adult rationale?

It is an interesting perspective. And one that will either marginalize the film or get the critic laughed at. Neither is the best answer, so we'll stop exploring it now. (You are welcome to offer your perspective.)

But yeah, a couple of hours talking movies with Todd Field and a lifetime with Phyllis Somerville… if you are wondering what "the right reason" for doing things is, these two will straighten you out in a hurry. And it will be your pleasure. These are the efforts we should embrace. These are the people who give us something to think about, even when you don't love the film. And when you do… ahhhhhh.

E Me.

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