Jessica Lange: A Dangerous Actress
Interview with James Grissom
New Orleans
1982
I'm intrigued by Jessica Lange. I like her relationship with words, which she holds in her mind and in her mouth as if they were either the most delectable sweet or a particularly noxious substance that she cannot wait to propel toward her audience or an adversary. She is a masticating actress, I suppose, thinking all the time, the brain working, the mouth set in particular ways, the inhalation that precedes action. I think good things await her, and I don't think she is merely a pretty new thing.
She has a strong presence that is bolstered by the sense that she knows more than she is revealing: She's got the goods on almost everyone, but she's withholding, and this makes her terribly appealing. It makes her dangerous, and I like a dangerous actress.
She seems unafraid, except perhaps of time, because the mind is racing, getting to a conclusion or an effect or the truth terribly fast. This indicates that she is intelligent, and you can do a lot with a smart actress.
I would ask you to watch her.
© 2013 James Grissom
I have watched her fir decades and feel when I do, it's for the very first time!
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