The lovely actress Anne Francis has died at age 80. She is best remembered for two classic movies in which she had the only female role, the post-WWII drama Bad Day at Black Rock with Spencer Tracy and the first big-budget studio outer-space film, Forbidden Planet inspired by Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” A stunning beauty with a provocative birthmark near her lip, Francis had a confident but unassuming directness that was very appealing.
She also appeared as the sympathetic best friend of Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” with Barbra Streisand. But those of us of a certain age remember her most fondly as one of television’s earliest female action heroes, Honey West, a private eye with a pet ocelot and a sidekick who sat in the surveillance van while she beat up the bad guys.
Our thoughts are with her friends and family as we remember her fondly.
Interview: Fionnula Flanagan of ‘Three Wise Women’
Posted on December 14, 2010 at 3:54 pm
The Hallmark Channel’s Three Wise Women stars the great Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan in the story of a doctor named Liz who is about to make a terrible mistake. Her guardian angel has to bring in some very important advisers — Liz herself as a young girl and an older woman — to show her the way.
Ms. Flanagan, who also appeared in “Waking Ned Divine” and “Yes Man,” talked with me about making this film — and about her own favorite Christmas tradition.
How did you coordinate with the other actresses who played your character?
One of us doesn’t know that the other two of us are her, older and younger, so therein lies the comedy. We imitated each other, but people change as they grow older and one of them is very young, like 17 years of age and I’m in her 60’s, so people change and their gestures change as they grow older. We didn’t sit down and say, “Let’s coordinate all of this.” But some things came naturally and we all imitated each other.
What was your first major part as an actor?
I did a role in a play in Gaelic for the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1963-64 and was then hired to play it in television in Irish, and that was my first break. I went on to play it in English and then went to the Old Vic where I played leads in “Taming of the Shrew” and “The Playboy of the Western World.”
What do you look for in the parts you take?
I always look to see if the part moves the story along. If it doesn’t do that, it’s just window dressing. In this particular instance it is very much an ensemble piece, with three actresses playing the same person, with the comedy built in because she doesn’t know she is seeing herself much younger and much older. That obviously moves the story along. Do we turn out in later life the way we think we will? The answer is “almost never.” If you, Nell, were to meet yourself at 90, wouldn’t you think you’d be different? We always have fantasies about how we’re going to be; we’d be horrified to see ourselves in the future and say, “Look at all those wrinkles! I wish I’d given up smoking!” This story provided that with all the comedy that lies therein.
Why do the Hallmark channel movies touch people so much?
They make films about things that people care about, things that happen in ordinary people’s lives, not cops and robbers and fantastical stories. Not everyone is wearing a Prada suit. These are backwoods stories that happen out of sight to people who are not always wealthy and powerful. People identify with that. It’s pleasurable because if you treat people well and behave kindly and honor your citizenship, good things will happen.
What is your favorite holiday movie?
I don’t have one but every Christmas I listen to Dylan Thomas’ wonderful recitation of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Many people have read it, but I have the recording of him reading it himself and it is so charming and funny. It’s about ordinary people in a mining town in Wales and I love it for that reason. The child saying, “Get to the presents! Get to the presents!”
I spoke to her about her role as the strong-minded Isabella Caldwell, traveling with Tilly, her would-be writer grand-daughter.
Tell me first of all, what was it like to film in that gorgeous Irish castle?
It was very beautiful, with glorious gardens and a lake in front of the castle. I was thinking there would be a difficult weather experience but we really got lucky. It was a good group, good actors, good director, good weather — I have nothing to complain about!
Was it a challenge to return to the same character?
We had a different actress playing Tilly, and different actresses bring different things. And the characters have been traveling for two years, so they are different, and their relationship has changed. In the first one she wanted my help and in this one she is resisting me quite a lot and resents me interfering in her life as she is at the point in her life when she is becoming interested in young men and all that stuff. There’s a degree of disagreement as she feels cornered or suffocated by me.
On one hand you’re a mentor but there is a struggle about who is in control.
In my relationship to the granddaughter in the story I feel closer to her than I do to my daughter, her mother. There was a lot of anger from her towards me and a lot of misunderstanding. Even though we’ve made up on some level, I am certainly much closer to the granddaughter.
Did you know when you did the first one that you’d be doing a sequel?
No, not at all! And I’ve never been in a sequel before. In this situation, when I went off with her at the end of the first one I never thought there would be a second one. People make sequels a lot in Hollywood and sometimes it feels like there’s never an original thought. But I didn’t feel that way about this. Sometimes sequels are better than the first one and this is fuller than the first one. My character had more aspects. I wouldn’t have done it if there hadn’t been something interesting in it for me. The touch of romance at the end — I haven’t seen it yet and I am looking forward to seeing it!
What do you look for in the projects you choose?
Have I done this before? Have I seen this before? If I don’t feel that, it’s really a good thing. I look for a little bit of juice, is there any possibility to grow subtextually, to create depth, to bring experience to something as a character? Now I am a character actress, which is great, and I am thrilled to be able to explore that. There are a few speeches in this one that moved me a lot, one in particular when she is sitting on the bed with her granddaughter and she explains her love for her husband, who is no longer there. I found that scene very deep and beautiful. I love that scene. She has been misjudged and she is trying to explain her point of view.
Do you feel that you are still learning as an actress?
I am still learning as a woman. I am always learning.
The most unexpected comic superstar of the 1990’s was one-time leading man Leslie Nielsen, who died today at age 84. The son of a Canadian mountie, Nielsen appeared in a number of golden age television dramas before his lead role in “Forbidden Planet,” an outer-space drama inspired by Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” He went on to play bland leads and less-bland heavies in crime stories, costume drama, and even one of the sugary Tammy movies along with television Westerns “Daniel Boone” and “Wagon Train.” In the 1960’s-70’s he appeared in many television series including the popular medical shows “Ben Casey” and “Dr. Kildare” and crime shows “Columbo,” “Cannon,” and “SWAT” and was a regular on the nighttime soap opera, “Peyton Place.” He was the ship captain in the cheesy classic, “The Poseidon Adventure.”
The talented and beautiful Jo Newman makes her feature film debut in one of the year’s best movies, “Love and Other Drugs.” She was kind enough to take time to answer my questions. Tell me about the audition process for this film. What were you asked to do and how did you prepare?
The initial audition was awkward to say the least! It was a scene that I did not end up doing for the film and it was, um, intimate. There is a tendency to go overboard when you are doing work that requires you to be uncomfortable. If you feel like you are “acting” it separates you from the moment, limiting how affected you can be by the work.
Although this distancing can comfort your ego, it is bad acting and a casting director can feel that a mile away. For the first audition, I really felt like I parked my inhibitions at the door and went for it.
When they called me back and I had to do the scene in front of Ed Zwick, the director, I clammed up and hammed it up. He told me to relax, to respond, to exist solely in the moment. To allow yourself that kind of vulnerability, especially when you are asked to switch it on immediately, can be terrifying but in this business, there is no room for fear. It is in those moments, where you completely forget yourself, where you are wholly absorbed in character, that define us as actors; those moments that push us to wake up every day and put our hearts and egos out there because the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes is the most profoundly freeing experience I have ever had. What was was the most unexpected aspect of working on your first major studio film?
I was genuinely surprised by how friendly everyone was. I was only on set for a week and felt like I made some real friends by the time it was over. You are spending a hugely concentrated amount of time with the cast and crew and everyone showed me that to have a positive and creative environment, you have to do your part. No one likes getting up at 5am in the rain, but if you bring the makeup artist some coffee, that crack of dawn call-time becomes a lot nicer for everyone involved. There are so many people involved in a major film and if people don’t work together, it negatively affects everyone involved. What was the most important thing you learned?
I learned how to be more present on set, to ask more questions and talk to people about their lives and experiences. I used to get nervous to engage a well-known actor on set but truthfully, there is no one who will better understand your struggle as an artist than someone who has been in your shoes. And this movie has some great comedic moments– these actors are truly funny people! I learned to laugh and engage while standing around in underwear that would make my mother blush (correction, that will make my mother blush!) What advice did Ed Zwick give you about playing the role?
He told me to breathe, to be in the moment, and to have the confidence that I was the one that he picked to play the part for a reason. He is a man who chooses his words carefully and that meant a lot to me. How did you work with the costume designer to develop the look of the character?
The character doesn’t wear very much! I worked with wardrobe to find a costume that I was comfortable in but also served the story. I practice yoga everyday and did some pretty funny poses for the wardrobe women to make sure that everything stayed in place! What did you learn about the era and industry depicted in the film?
“Love and Other Drugs” is based on the memoir by Jamie Reidy who worked for Pfizer in the 1990’s when Viagra was introduced to the market. The film address some tough and very relevant issues concerning healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. Hank Azaria plays a doctor in a seriously conflicted situation and has a scene that will make any audience stop and seriously think about the direction that our health care system is going. It is such a complex issue with so many involved and affected and I believe that this film offers an interesting vision on the whole situations. What do you think is the most important contribution your character makes to the story?
My character illustrates how Jake Gyllenhaal’s character is a person who embodies both power and a lack of control. What do you hope to do next?
I am working on a pilot that I wrote and am presently producing entitled “(Greetings From) Sunny Beaches.” It is the behind-the-scenes look at a Reality Show and its hilarious, if I may say so! We are dying to get Joan Rivers to play the mother, an iconic actress who she sends her two outrageous daughters to Los Angeles to star in their own show. When did you know you wanted to act?
As cliched as it sounds, I have always known that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I certainly didn’t have any grasp of the business or industry but I have always known that I am on this earth to perform. And maybe to cook, I’ve been cooking a lot lately….
Photo Credit: John Hildebrand Photography
Hair By: Erica Birdoes
Styling By: Cece Abel
movies along with television Westerns “Daniel Boone” and “Wagon Train.” In the 1960’s-70’s he appeared in many television series including the popular medical shows “Ben Casey” and “Dr. Kildare” and crime shows “Columbo,” “Cannon,” and “SWAT” and was a regular on the nighttime soap opera, “Peyton Place.” He was the ship captain in the cheesy classic, “The Poseidon Adventure.” 
in 1981, where his classic, sliver-haired handsome look and deadpan delivery turned him into an immediate comic superstar. He went on to acclaim in the silly 
television series and the 
movies. 
