Reneé O'Connor in Macbeth

An interview with Reneé O'Connor (Lady Macbeth):

Obviously, I was terribly nervous! I hadn't expected to do the interview on the spot. I figured that if she agreed to do it at all, she would have wanted to schedule a time for a later date or something, to allow her to fit it into her schedule. However, I was not about to push the issue. She had agreed! That alone sent my head reeling. It was now or never. Ok, let's do it. Get a grip girl. You can do this. Just keep focused. I returned from my seat with recorder and notebook in hand, and I waited in the side field next to the building, while she took her things inside. Then while I chanted the above mantra to myself, she came back out and walked over to me. *Tick Tock, Tick Tock* The timer in my head turned on.

Renee - Sorry to throw you. Hope you weren't--

SaM - That's ok. I was like, "Aahh!"

R - Aahh! (She imitates me and laughs.)

S - I didn't expect it now. (Deep breath...) First of all, I wanted to know what led you to doing Shakespeare next.

R - I've always loved Shakespeare. But I never really knew how to present the material before. And I took this class back in January... it's in Topanga, California. Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum. They give classes for adults. So, I took these classes and I thought I should apply what I've learned. So, this is the first opportunity.

S - Right away.

R - Yeah. I wasn't expecting to do Lady Macbeth. But, yeah. Why not? Why not jump right in. (Giggle.)

S - Sure, feet first. (She laughs.) Speaking of the lectures, what were the most important tools you learned from that, that you could apply here?

R - The most important tool that I've applied so far are choosing key words that help the audience understand what's going on. So that maybe they don't catch all the phrases, but they know generally what's happening by hitting a few things so that they can connect the dots then. And speaking slowly and articulating. (We laugh.) Those are always good things to do.

S - That's key. (I muse.) ... There's a lot of emotional depth in your work throughout... not just this, but Gabrielle and everything

R - (appreciatively) That's very nice.

S - Do you have any tricks or tools that you use consistently or do you gear it to the moment?

R - I guess I keep searching for something that's going to help me connect to the material. And if I find I can't connect with something because I've used it too much, then I just have to keep exploring something else. And I find that with Shakespeare, that the reality is so heightened, it's really hard to use anything in my life. (We laugh.)

S - Right.

R - Which is great as an actor, because then you get to go into your imagination. You really can explore. That's been fantastic for me to try to do.

S - In terms of Lady Macbeth, particularly, what has been the most challenging... key moments or in the character itself.

R - (She thinks for a moment.) First, I guess, is getting beyond the phrases that I learned in high school. You know, "Out, out damn spot" and all those. (She laughs.) Which actually isn't the correct way to say it. So I was, "What do you mean, I learned the wrong way back then." (Giggle.) But yeah, that was hard to get my head over the fact that so many people-- incredible actresses have done this before. And to not be intimidated by that. So, I finally let that go. And then I guess I'm so particular about trying to get things right, and I wanted to apply all the tools I learned from the classes in this performance, and so I finally had to let that go and say, you know, now it's just about each moment--acting moment and not worry about how much I've worked to get here... Cause for me this is the first time. My first Shakespeare ever.

S - Really? Wow!

R - Yeah, so it's - I was really kind of nervous picking it up. But it's been fun.

S - One of the things I really love about your performance is... you don't make her bitchy. Was that a conscious decision on your part?

R - (She thinks.) I know at the audition I was speaking with the director and we both agreed and talked about how the character believes that Macbeth should be a king. And it's just her desire to lift him up to be that, so there's no internal ambition that propels her forward. (She adjusts her thought.) Yes, there might be a surrounding element to that, because she goes with him. But that's not the core of why she pushes this whole thing forward. And I guess because it's based in a truth of love, that there's no bitchiness. (Another thought adjustment.) I do find that there are occasional places where I try to not hit the same note all the time, which could become a bitch, you know. But yeah, sometimes I'll play it and I feel just *blah* (she gives a disgusted expression - vocally and facially) ... just dirty... Not dirty, but ... evil or... No, not even evil. I don't know what it is... Just bad! You just feel like a bad person. But I know that she's still... she means sort of well, I guess. (She laughs.)

S - Well, she can't think of herself as a villain or anything.

R - No, of course not. She's doing what she thinks is correct. That Macbeth is a better king. So, that's the easiest way to get there. (We laugh.)

S - That's a good point.

R - (In an undertone) It's funny.

S - Do you have any special methods that you've learned with this in terms of memorizing Shakespeare?

R - No! I have no idea. (She laughs.) You'll have to ask Patrick that one, cause he keeps telling me that it comes so easily for him. I mean, like, come on! ... I tease him cause he says he has no problems with memorization.

S - I want to know his trick.

R - Yeah, yeah. Let me know, as well... No, there's been no tricks for me in this, unfortunately. What I have looked at are the rhythm and melodies of the sentences. And that again was one of the things I learned from my classes at Will Geer, is that, there's like ten beats per line, and you can play with that if you want to. But um... (Someone pulls her attention towards the theatre building, for a moment.) Basically, I guess what I'm saying is that once I know how many beats are in a line then I can tell if I've got the right melody to help me in memorization. And the key words help to. You can kind of connect the dots as well, as you go.

(At this point, I can tell she needs to push this along.)

S - Just two quick questions...

R - Yeah.

S - You're a great listener when you're performing. I noticed that in Gabrielle and Lady Macbeth, there are moments where you have to give the focus to the other person [for long periods of time]. Is that difficult for you? And how do you keep that alive--

R - Well, I'm a believer of listening. Yeah, just listening. And I think that it's important that people each have focus at different times, because you're telling a story. And each person has to tell the story in order to get the whole thing off the ground, for everyone to understand what's going on. And then, of course, on Xena... well, I mean. You know, Xena is so formidable. She drives the whole show. So you have to, you know... Just listening... and responding to what they're doing. Not so much what they're saying but what they're doing.

S - One last question and I'll let you go. (*tick tock, tick tock*) With theatre, it's sequential, and you get to ride the wave.

R - Yeah, that's so fun!

S - How do you get that sense when you're doing television and film, where it's out of sequence?

R - You always have to make sure that you're aware of what happens before the scene when you're filming it, so that you know where the character is emotionally at that one moment. And that just takes homework, so that when you're on the set, it's your responsibility to know what's happened in the preceding moments. But the difficult part is that you have to do it over and over and over again... some times. (She smiles.) And where, as in theatre, you only get one shot. So, if you mess up you just have to keep going. If you flub the line? Keep going.

S - Yeah. Keep going...

R - Yeah.

S - Well, you're doing a wonderful job.

R - Oh thanks. It's been fun.

S - I really have enjoyed your work.

R - Thanks, thanks. Thanks for-- What was your name again?

S - Sarah.

R - Sarah. Ok. (She shakes my hand.) Shall I go get Patrick? ...If he has about five minutes...

S - Yeah, if he has time.

She then turns around and tells me to tell everyone at the Tavern Wall, thanks again for the card and the note in the program. "That was really sweet," she smiles. I assure her it was our pleasure, and thank her again for the interview. Then off she goes.

WOW! Reneé was so very sweet and generous to give of her time like that. She really listened and gave me her attention. My questions weren't all that earth-shatteringly brilliant, but she still put a lot of thought into her answers; and in a way, I think she really enjoyed talking about her experiences. She's so modest, too, and very matter-of-fact about her craft. There's also a charming mixture of seriousness and playfulness, which comes out while she's talking about her work. She takes it very seriously and obviously works very hard at it. Yet, at the same time, you can tell how much she loves it and truly has fun with what she's doing and whom she's working with. She has great respect for the art of acting. And to see her working in theatre, with this freshness and wonder, exploring this different medium... She's like a kid in a candy store... with that sweet disposition, incredible twinkle in her eye, and infectious smile... *swoon*

As for me... I was so overwhelmed by it all, trying not to sound like a complete idiot, trying to listen to everything she was saying, and at the same time being completely captivated by simply watching her speak. And to be so close! Good gods! I can visualize it all, yet, at the same time, I have a hard time convincing myself it really happened. There we were talking and laughing and... OI! Could life be any sweeter than that? Yet, even as it was happening, the reality of the moment was beyond my comprehension. It was all I could do to get my questions out. The times when I could grasp and treasure the moment were few and fleeting. It was too much for my being to handle. In a way, I had to detach from it all and just focus on my task - conducting the interview... like it was the most natural thing in the world and she was just another person. Which she is... BUT! ...

At any rate, I'm sure I must be the most bumbling interviewer she's ever had, or will have. Yet, it amazes me that I mustered even the slightest bit of wit about me. I didn't gush and get emotional. There were even a few times when I actually sounded intelligent and professional. Of course, the rest of time I was stammering like a moron!

Regardless of how it went, however, it is a moment in time I will treasure for as long as I live.

THANK YOU RENEÉ!

Copyright - Sarah Mears, 7/7/02; Edited: 7/8/02
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