An Evening with Laura Linney at Ringling College

Laura Linney charming her audience

The past few weeks have provided some outstanding opportunities for me to go full fan girl. (I know -- it's probably not the most attractive look for a mature woman, but I really can't help myself.) Author Amor Towles spoke in Venice as part of the Off the Page Literary Celebration. Author Bianca Booker and artist Julie Curtiss spoke at the St. Pete MFA about "Get the Picture," an insightful and entertaining book about the contemporary art world. A few days later I found myself at Ringling College listening to actress Laura Linney share some highlights of her career. That's what I call a trifecta. 

The moment Linney started speaking, I was all in. What a voice! She began with the surprising comment that she’d never expected to work in film or television. Her father was a theater critic, so when she decided to pursue a career as an actor, she envisioned herself on the stage.  As a result, shooting her first film – “Lorenzo’s Oil” – was full of even more surprises than those experienced by other newbies.

In her opening scene on camera, Linney knocked on a door. Susan Sarandon answered. Well, hello! Linney recalled later going outside to shoot a scene. She realized she didn’t have to act cold; she was cold. There was a breeze, and a leaf blew by, taking her by surprise. She loved it. Since then, Linney has had a consistent presence on screens big and small.

Surpisingly, Linney calls herself camera shy. As a result, she watches herself on screen as little as possible. She said she hasn’t even seen much of “Ozark,” a fact that greatly frustrates Jason Bateman. Needless to say, when shooting a film, she only watches the dailies when required to do so.

Even if she'd wanted to, Linney wouldn’t have had much time to watch dailies when filming “Love, Actually” and “Mystic River.” She shot the films at the same time, commuting back and forth between London and New York. And so she bounced from co-starring with Hugh Grant in a comedy to playing Sean Penn's wife in a gritty drama. The experience reminded her of her days doing repertory theater at Julliard. She also noted how much she enjoyed working with Clint Eastwood in his role as director of “Mystic River.” He’s a one take guy whenever possible. If you get the shot, move on. The approach suits her.

Liam Neeson holds the record as the actor with whom she’s worked most frequently – four times. It’s hard for me to imagine her opposite the actor I associate with movies like “Taken," but the world is full of surprises. She acted in back to back projects with Neeson on stage in “The Crucible” and on film in “Kinsey.” Needless to say, the differences in their roles made for a lot of fun.

Linney in "My Name is Lucy Barton"

I’ll wrap with a note about Linney’s return to her first love – acting on the stage. She performed the one woman show “My Name is Lucy Barton” in London and reprised the role on Broadway a few years back. She called it “the scariest thing I’ve ever done.”  Her nerves never really settled, and she reported throwing up before almost every performance. She also said she'd sometimes think to herself during the show, "Shut up! You've been talking non-stop for way too long!" The perils of a solo show. 

If you’re getting the sense that Linney seemed like a real person, you’ve got that right. She is, of course, a consummate performer, so it could have been an act. But I came away feeling like I’d been in the room with someone who feels fortunate that she’s been able to make a living pursuing her craft. Her audiences are fortunate as well.