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De-Lovely
Watch an exclusive clip from 'De-Lovely,' with an introduction by Ashley Judd who stars as Linda Porter, the patient, understanding wife of the impudent but dearly beloved songwriter, Cole Porter (Kevin Klein).
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 | Writer Nell Minow sat down with 'De-Lovely' star Ashley Judd to talk about the film. |
Nell Minow: What drew you to the role of Linda Porter, the wife of songwriter Cole Porter?
Ashley Judd: I was attracted to playing someone really rich! And I thought the locations would be nice [laughs]...No, that wasn't really it. What drew me to the role was the project as a whole. I got all Hermes-ed up to go meet with [director] Irwin Winkler and I could see that he would create a safe and lovely environment to work in. I also wanted to try taking a supporting role and see if it would help my performance to have some breaks rather than being on screen every day.
Nell Minow: How did you prepare to play the role of a real-life character?
Ashley Judd: I never bothered to watch the Cary Grant film ["Night and Day," the highly fictionalized 1946 biopic with Alexis Smith as Linda Porter] just like I never bother to read the junk about my family. But I did read the biographies. Kevin [Kline, who plays Porter] did an immense amount of research and it really shows in the film, as when he tells the performers that he can't hear the consonants in the song. Porter really did that.
Nell Minow: You get to wear some magnificent clothes in the film. What was that like?
Ashley Judd: They were so comfortable! Except for the shoes. They were all Armani, taken from recent archives with period touches, which really shows the timelessness and versitility of his work. Simple, elegant, beautifully made, a lot of jewelry. Someone once said that Linda Porter's favorite department store was [jeweler] Van Cleef & Arpels!
Nell Minow: What was Irwin Winkler's style as a director?
Ashley Judd: "Do it in a take!" We had a low budget, and he wanted to get everything done in one take. He works with a lot of poise and equanimity, a real old school gentleman, with his family all around him, which I admire very much.
Nell Minow: Were you a Cole Porter fan before the movie?
Ashley Judd: I always loved him and knew he was gorgeous and chic, but did not know how many of the wonderful old songs were his.
Nell Minow: Do you have a favorite?
Ashley Judd: The one from "Kiss Me Kate" called "So in Love." It kills me! If I could hear my sister [country star Wynonna Judd] sing that, wouldn't it be great? I heard that Cole Porter called Frank Sinatra about the way he sang "Under My Skin" and said, "I hear you like my music. Why don't you play it the way I wrote it?" Can you imagine saying that to Sinatra?
Nell Minow: What's the best advice you ever got about acting?
Ashley Judd: Don't do it for the money!
Nell Minow: The movie is really about the relationship between Cole Porter, a gay man, and the woman who was his best friend and muse. How would you characterize their connection?
Ashley Judd: They had in common an appetite for life and a sense of how to move through this world. She was very protective of him and a world-class enabler. She created a workspace for him that was a prototype minimalist room, all white walls and smoked glass that let in light but did not let him see out to get distracted -- except for one space left just to let him look out into the courtyard at a tree. They had a very nurturing and sustaining marrige for more than 30 years. He described their intimacy as stunning. People want to be known and authentically accepted for who they are, and that can surpass sex. He never considered a song finished until he had her approval.
Nell Minow: There is a touching scene in the movie where he presents her with a rose named in her honor. Is there really a Linda Porter rose?
Ashley Judd: Yes, there is! I am a dedicated rosarian and have searched the internet to find one, but haven't been able to yet. I'm hoping that the movie will help me find someone who has it.
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| About the Movie
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Comedy and Romance
July 2nd, 2004
Starring:
Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Keith Allen
Full Cast & Credits...
Directed by:
Irwin Winkler
Synopsis: "De-lovely" is an original musical portrait of American composer Cole Porter filled with his unforgettable songs. In the film, Porter is looking back on his life as if it was one of his spectacular stage shows, with the people and events of his life becoming the actors and action onstage. Through legendary hits like “Night and Day,” “It’s De-lovely,” and “In the Still of the Night,” Porter’s elegant, excessive past comes to light – including his deeply complicated relationship with his wife and muse, Linda Lee Porter.
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