American actress Patricia Clarkson has come for the final days of the 54th KVIFF and had a packed program in store for her on Friday. First she met with journalists at a press conference, then with festivalgoers at a KVIFF Talk, and at 4pm she introduced a special screening of the movie Learning to Drive.
“It took me more than seven years to get this film into theatres. Investors don’t exactly flock to an independent movie about two middle-aged people,” the actress commented on the creation of Learning to Drive. In this story about the mutually enriching meeting of two people with family problems, she was directed by Catalonian director Isabel Coixet, with whom Clarkson enjoys filming, as with all female directors. “It’s easier with women, as if we had a secret language and didn’t have to explain things as much, like say that this light isn’t good,” the experienced actress stated.
At the KVIFF Talk, moderator Scott Feinberg started with childhood. “I was always a very sensitive child, and I guess acting gave me space for my passions and feelings and helped me stay sane,” the New Orleans native recollected. The interview then moved on to the main points of Patricia Clarkson’s whole rich career and ended with the mini-series Sharp Objects, for which the actress won a Golden Globe this year. “There I played one of the most difficult characters of my whole career. You have to love your characters. As soon as you start judging them, you’ll never fulfil their potential. Although I think that at that time even my dog was afraid of me.”
