.
When did you first become involved in "Lonely
Hearts"?
About two years ago when Paul Cox mentioned that he and Norman Kaye were thinking of
doing a script together. I said, "Yes, it sounds great", thinking I would never
hear anything more about it. But six months later Paul sent me a draft, and I thought it
read very well.
I was involved from then on and had a lot to say in what I wanted the character to do,
what her background was like and that kind of thing.
How much did the script change when John Clarke was brought in as
co-writer?
John tightened the script and added a few more humorous situations and some witty
dialogue. The actual form and story didn't change at all, though he deleted the less
relevant and fuzzy parts.
Most of the films made last year cost $1.5 to $2 million. "Lonely
Hearts" cost less than half that. Was it difficult raising the money
for a film about a relationship between a thirtyish spinster, who is fairly
inhibited, and a middle-aged bachelor, who is rather diffident?
Yes. Paul went to quite a few people without much success. Then he approached John
B. Murray [producer], who got Adams Packer to finance it.
Paul actually wanted to work on an even lower budget but Adams Packer wanted it lifted.
That extra money was probably well spent. The film
doesn't look over-budgeted . . .
Yes. It is just that Paul has this thing about how one should be able to do
low-budget films. He is opposed to really big budget films and calls anything more than
$1.5 million a wank.
But, of course, some films really do need $3 or $4 million. It just depends.
On a film such as Lonely Hearts, which is about personal relationships
and is simple logistically, with no great location treks, the budget should be kept small.
But that extra money was worth it. It made sure the film didn't look skimpy.
How long did you spend on "Lonely Hearts"?
Two weeks in rehearsal and a six-week shoot.
Did Cox cast you in the role of Patricia, which isn't the sort one might
normally think you'd want to play, because you had worked together before?
Yes. I had developed a great rapport with Paul and really trusted him and his
sensitivity. I wanted to play Patricia because it was so different to what I had done
before. And when I said to people I was playing a 30-year-old virgin, they'd just laugh.
"It's okay; it's a comedy", I'd say in justification.
I don't think many directors would have cast me in that role.
Was "Kostas" the first time you had worked with Cox?
Yes. Then I did a short documentary on childbirth at the Royal Women's
Hospital [Birth].
Had you worked with Norman Kaye before?
No, though he was terrific to work with. He has been around for a long time in the
Melbourne Theatre Company, and been on tours. He has also done a lot of television. Norman
is actually a highly- accomplished musician. He spent a lot of time devoting himself to
music, and acting came out of that.
A lot of "Lonely Hearts" looks improvised, particularly in the
scenes with Jon Finlayson and Chris Haywood . . .
No, it wasn't heavily improvized. We changed lines if they didn't work, and added
odd things, but that was all. Paul was actually very loose and encouraged us to
experiment, but most of the time we kept to the script.
It is just that a lot of the dialogue appears to come off people's
tongues . . .
That's right. That has to do with the naturalistic way Paul shoots scenes. It is
never super glossy or false.
Yet "Lonely Hearts" is a beautiful film to look at. I think
he used a Greek cameraman on "Kostas" and . . .
No, he used an Italian cameraman [Vittorio Bernini] on Kostas and a
Russian one [Yuri Sokoll on Lonely Hearts. His cameramen rarely have a good
grasp of English.
Of the 30 or so 35mm feature films made last year, you worked on three
. . .
Yes, Duet for Four, A Dangerous Summer and Lonely Hearts -
I think in that order.
"Duet for Four" was the third time you have worked with Tim
Burstall. How do you find working with him?
Tim is terrific. He is very different from Paul, mainly because the subject matter
is always so different.
Duet for Four, which Tim did
with the other two Burstalls [Tom Burstall, co-producer, and Dan Burstall, director of
photography], was one of my most enjoyable experiences.
On Petersen, which was my first film, I didn't know whether I was Arthur
or Martha half the time.
As for High Rolling, Tim didn't direct it [director: Igor Auzins]. Tim
produced it, Tom was first assistant director and associate producer, and Dan was
cinematographer. Again one had a threeway thing going, which I thought was wonderful.
"Duet for Four" was a project that had been around for some
time . . .
Yes, and sometimes I think it is a little dated. The role I was playing, in
particular, seemed more a part of the early 1970s, when in fact it was written [by David
Williamson]. Barbara should have had her act together by now - maybe. She quotes quite a
tough feminist line, which I think relates more to the early 1970s than now.
What has happened with "A Dangerous Summer"?
No idea. I haven't seen it, and I don't even know if it is going to be released. No
one's told me.
You have done 10 films, two of them with overseas directors: Earl Bellamy
on "Sidecar Racers" and Claude Watham on "Hoodwink".
How did you find working with them?
Okay. 'Sidecar Racers' was only my second or so feature, and I found the
whole American feel - it was done for Universal - slightly disturbing. And there was an
American actor, Ben Murphy, with whom I didn't quite get on.
It was just an action film, and the bikes were more important than anything else. Earl
was very efficient, but we didn't have any in-depth discussions about the character. It
was left up to me mainly. Sometimes it worked; sometimes it didn't. I tried hard.
I haven't seen it for so long. I think I'd die if I did.
As for 'Hoodwink', I only had a small part. But Claude was lovely, and
very British - quite different to the American. Claude went into things with far more
depth. The script allowed for it, too.
So, if you like the part, you have no worries about working with foreign
directors, here or overseas . . .
None, if the part is right. It can be really stimulating to work with people from a
different country, or with a different lifestyle: they have different ways of looking at
things.
A couple of years ago there was controversy about overseas actors coming to work in
Australia. There seems to be far less of that happening today. What do you think
the reasons for that are?
Actors Equity made it a bit tougher to bring them in and producers and directors
realized that they are not essential. So many of the films that have made a big wave
overseas have had no foreign actors involved, such as My Brilliant Career, Mad Max and
Caddie.
Which film have you most enjoyed doing?
I think Lonely Hearts, because of the part. In all the other films the
characters have never been fully developed. My role in My Brilliant Career wasn't
rounded out - or, if it was, the scenes where this happened didn't appear on screen.
The same thing happened with Newsfront. There wasn't a complete character on
screen, and there were no really heavy scenes for me to get my teeth stuck into. It was
all innuendo and slightly enigmatic.
You have mentioned all your recent films except "Touch and Go"
I never saw it. I don't know what happened to it, except that it did a week in
Brisbane.
How important do you find rehearsal time on a film?
Absolutely essential. That's one reason I really admire Karen Arthur [director] on Return
to Eden. She had to fight hard for two weeks of rehearsal before we went into
it, which was essential on something treading a fine line between melodrama and upmarket
soap.
With something like Touch and Go, there was no rehearsal, other
than a few days. But more and more directors are demanding it today. You save so much time
in the end.
What about your stage work? You did a lot in the early 1970s . . .
Yes, and I didn't do anything again until Cat on a Hot Tin Roof last year.
Is that the first time you and John Hargreaves have worked together?
On stage, yes. We had done Hoodwink, but there weren't any great scenes
between us in that. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was the first time since NIDA that we had
done a big thing together.
You obviously like working with one another; it is a pity nobody has taken fuller
advantage of that . . .
Well, we are together again in Careful He Might Hear You. John is
playing the one man in my life, though he is really a figment of my imagination. He is a bit of a rogue; a no-hoper adventurer.
You are also doing a television series "Return to Eden". Is that
simultaneous with "Careful He Might Hear You"?
I have a day off after Eden before I start Careful. It is
going to be really difficult to swap characters: they are at opposite ends of the pole.
In Careful He Might Hear You, I play a very self-contained, elegant,
pristine, 30-year-old spinster. I don't think she has had an affaire in her life. There is
some big hang-up there. She's a very contained lady, calculative and immaculate.
She is sort of a 1930s version of Patricia in Lonely Hearts, only that
she is more complicated and not as warm.
What about "Return to Eden"?
The woman I play is a discontented, wealthy socialite, who falls desperately in
love with her best friend's recent husband. He is much younger than her friend, and
I have a passionate affaire with him. The guy then kills his wife, and I am an accomplice
because I don't help her escape. I then turn into a helpless alcoholic; a screaming
guilt-ridden mess. It is quite a different role.
Is there anything you have dobne for television that you particularly like?
Yes, a teleplay by Alex Buzo called Coralie Lansdowne. I really
enjoyed that because it was like doing a stage play. We used to do 30-minute takes, which
were a real challenge - for the crew as well. lt was something I could really get my teeth
stuck into. It wasn't two little sentences and cut!
What about "Lucinda Brayford"?
I only saw one episode, which was where I was a 17-year-old girl. It
appeared very slow and I seemed to be trying so hard to be young. Had I just forgotten
about my age and played the part, it might have been a lot better.
I loved working on Lucinda, and found
it challenging, particularly playing Lucinda when she is 40.
You received a Logic and a Sammy, I think, for "Power Without Glory"
Yes. I had a terrific part in Power Without Glory. She was a great lady and
someone I could identify with. That always makes it easier.
You did a television film four or five years ago called "The
Alternative", for which you also won an award ...
Yes, I did that after Power Without Glory. It was one of those spate of
telefeatures produced by Bob Bruning, and from a Tony Morphett script. It was about a
woman who decided to have a baby on her own without a man. Paul Eddy directed it and we
shot it in three weeks. It was a really good experience, even though we didn't get
any rehearsal. We were shooting about 16-hour days.
Have you any preference for stage, film or television?
I think the preference is film, just because you have more time than with
television. You can dwell on things, and go for quality. But I do like the stage, I must
admit. It's so different. It took me two weeks on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to stop
being nervous every time I stepped on stage.
When I step in front of a camera, I don't get butterflies any more. I might be a bit
apprehensive about whether I can do something well, but I don't get that dreadful
churning that happens on stage.
There is something more immediate about film. You can be more natural and play it more
realistically. With the stage, you have to project your voice so that everyone can hear.
It is also slightly more stylized.
What are you doing after "Careful He Might Hear You"?
No idea. I don't know if anything is going.
Have you any plans to work again with Paul Cox?
I'd love to work with him again, and there is talk of something happening next
February or something. A script has been written, but he hasn't the money together yet. It
will be on a low budget, and shot in four or five weeks, It will be great if it happens.
The 
