Finding a new image

Press, 20 February 1988, Page 16

Finding a new image

Until “Fatal Attraction,” Glenn Close specialised in playing the good girl. Now she is being dubbled “the most hated woman in- America.” GABRIELLE DONNELLY reports.

She’s been called the most hated woman in America. At the end of her story, audiences are screaming at Michael Douglas to “kill the bitch!” Glenn Close, who plays the character, describes her as “every man’s nightmare.” The film, “Fatal Attraction,” is the story of a husband (played by Michael Douglas) who has been married nine years, still clearly loves his wife (Anne Archer) and finds her desirable. Yet one week-end, he indulges in a brief fling with a woman who turns out to be a tragically wrong choice. Glenn Close acts the part with ferocious vengeance. Her convincing performance has won her considerable critical acclaim —: as well as the hatred of audiences both male and female.

Yet, over the years, Glenn Close has specialised in playing the good girl. There was her nononsense, feminist Jenny Fields in “The World According To Garp,” her nurturing Sarah in “The Big Chill,” her competent defence attorney in "Jagged Edge.” There was always something about the people she portrayed that made her the sort of woman your mother would want to be your best friend. Then along came “Fatal Attraction,” which guarantees that Glenn Close’s life will never be the same again.

“I campaigned for the role (as siren/psychopath Alex Forrest),” she admits. “I knew that nobody would ever think of me for a role like this, and that was exciting.

“I just couldn’t get the character out of my mind. And my parents always taught me that if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen.” She was born 40 years ago in Connecticut and was brought up by her grandparents, since her surgeon father and her mother were working in Africa. She went to a posh boarding school, where she and her friends formed an acting troupe and later she graduated, with honours, from college. She dropped out for a while in the 60s to be a folk singer; dropped back in the early 70s to her first love, the theatre; found her way, into the movies and, to date, has earned three nominations for Best Supporting Actress ... This time last year she was the very last person on director Adrian Lyne’s mind to cast as Alex Forrest.

“Glenn certainly wasn’t

an obvious choice,” says Lyne frankly, “because she’s not obviously erotic. But when I saw the test she did with Michael Douglas, I was just blown away. She was very sensual. She always plays rather ‘white bread’ nice people, so this was a real right-hand turn for her.” It was a turn that Glenn was determined to get absolutely right — starting with visits to three psychiatrists. “I really wanted to make sure all Alex’s behaviour- was possible and true. After all, I am playing a woman who veers between being a sexy child and a femme fatale. Her sexuality has been all screwed up, and she has no sense of self-worth. She tries to provoke people to hate her as much as she hates herself. “What could have happened to make her this way? I didn’t want to play her as an evil witch. I wanted to show an intelligent woman who’s emo-

suicidal, and extremely lonely.” She’s unwilling to reveal the past she created for her character, but will admit that Alex has been exposed to “all kinds of abuse.”

The sexuality, Glenn admits, was not something that came easily. “Of course, you just have to leap in there and do it. It took me a long time to feel close to Michael — but at the end, we really hit it off.

“My guess is that Alex will be a controversial character — that women will like her, and men won’t. Myself, I love her. She’s tragic, self-destruc-tive ... rather mysterious ... and she’s smart and capable in her job. She’s just had one man too many who’s used her and left her. So, while I may not actually like what she does, I do understand why she does it. And I pity her.”

— Copyright Duo