Latest news with #TheGreatLillianHall
NZ Herald
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Jessica Lange's touching portrait of dementia and loss
Great Lillian: Jessica Lange. Photo / Supplied The Great Lillian Hall, directed by Michael Cristofer, is in cinemas now. The onset of dementia in loved ones or oneself can be a frightening and heartrending journey of learning, compassion and grief. Films such as The Father and Still Alice have portrayed the condition to soul-shattering effect.
Sydney Morning Herald
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
This star-studded tale takes us into the heart of acting and obsession
THE GREAT LILLIAN HALL ★★★★ (M) 108 minutes Maybe it's all the time she spent starring in American Horror Story, but Jessica Lange has become more febrile and actressy as she's grown older, making her perfect for the role of Lillian Hall. Directed by a Broadway veteran, the playwright Michael Cristofer, The Great Lillian Hall is a tribute to the New York stage and one of its most revered performers, Marian Seldes, famous both for her talent and the fact that she rarely missed a performance, no matter the length of a play's season. The script is by her niece, Elisabeth Seldes Annacone, and the action takes place during rehearsals of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard just as Lillian, who shares Seldes' work ethic, is starting to lose her grip. The first sign comes when she causes one of her co-stars to trip over the furniture and her troubles accelerate rapidly when the lines begin slipping from her memory. Lange frequently overacts but that is the nature of the part. In her head, Lillian is never offstage. The doorman in the lobby of her apartment building on Central Park South is treated to a line from Chekhov as she leaves for the theatre, and a passing fan on the street gets the same treatment. The only people who can get past the pose are her neighbour, Ty Maynard (Pierce Brosnan), an artist who shares her late-night confidences when they chat to one another from their adjoining balconies, and Edith (Kathy Bates), her salty-tongued housekeeper and assistant. Edith occasionally succeeds in putting her in touch with life's realities but Lillian's daughter, Margaret (Lily Rabe) lacks that gift. In an early scene, Margaret arrives for a scheduled breakfast with her mother only to find that Lillian has forgotten and is about to hurry off to rehearsal, and we gather from her response that this is the kind of disappointment she's been dealing with for most of her life. Films focusing on famous people during their darkest hours seem to be in vogue. We've recently seen Angelina Jolie in Maria, which takes Maria Callas through the last unhappy weeks of her life. Now we're with Lillian as she receives her dementia diagnosis. The difference is that she's refusing to give up. She will act in The Cherry Orchard even if she has to die in the attempt. And in this context, dying doesn't mean merciful oblivion. It means total humiliation.
The Age
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
This star-studded tale takes us into the heart of acting and obsession
THE GREAT LILLIAN HALL ★★★★ (M) 108 minutes Maybe it's all the time she spent starring in American Horror Story, but Jessica Lange has become more febrile and actressy as she's grown older, making her perfect for the role of Lillian Hall. Directed by a Broadway veteran, the playwright Michael Cristofer, The Great Lillian Hall is a tribute to the New York stage and one of its most revered performers, Marian Seldes, famous both for her talent and the fact that she rarely missed a performance, no matter the length of a play's season. The script is by her niece, Elisabeth Seldes Annacone, and the action takes place during rehearsals of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard just as Lillian, who shares Seldes' work ethic, is starting to lose her grip. The first sign comes when she causes one of her co-stars to trip over the furniture and her troubles accelerate rapidly when the lines begin slipping from her memory. Lange frequently overacts but that is the nature of the part. In her head, Lillian is never offstage. The doorman in the lobby of her apartment building on Central Park South is treated to a line from Chekhov as she leaves for the theatre, and a passing fan on the street gets the same treatment. The only people who can get past the pose are her neighbour, Ty Maynard (Pierce Brosnan), an artist who shares her late-night confidences when they chat to one another from their adjoining balconies, and Edith (Kathy Bates), her salty-tongued housekeeper and assistant. Edith occasionally succeeds in putting her in touch with life's realities but Lillian's daughter, Margaret (Lily Rabe) lacks that gift. In an early scene, Margaret arrives for a scheduled breakfast with her mother only to find that Lillian has forgotten and is about to hurry off to rehearsal, and we gather from her response that this is the kind of disappointment she's been dealing with for most of her life. Films focusing on famous people during their darkest hours seem to be in vogue. We've recently seen Angelina Jolie in Maria, which takes Maria Callas through the last unhappy weeks of her life. Now we're with Lillian as she receives her dementia diagnosis. The difference is that she's refusing to give up. She will act in The Cherry Orchard even if she has to die in the attempt. And in this context, dying doesn't mean merciful oblivion. It means total humiliation.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jodie Foster's Son Charlie, 26, Makes Rare Appearance as He Attends 2025 SAG Awards with Her
Jodie Foster had a very special someone by her side at the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards. The actress was joined by her 26-year-old son Charlie Foster at the ceremony in L.A. on Sunday, Feb. 23, marking a rare appearance by her oldest boy, whom she shares with ex-wife Cydney Bernard. Jodie, 62, is nominated at this year's show for outstanding performance by a female actor in a TV movie or limited series for her role in True Detective: Night Country — a role that has earned her two wins so far this awards season. Related: SAG Awards 2025: Live Updates from the Star-Studded Red Carpet Before the Ceremony Begins The actress is nominated alongside a slew of fabulous women at this year's SAGs. Kathy Bates is also nominated for her role in The Great Lillian Hall, as is Cate Blanchett for Disclaimer, Lily Gladstone for Under the Bridge, Jessica Gunning for Baby Reindeer and Cristin Milioti for The Penguin. Jodie is fresh off a win at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, where she shared a rare personal reflection on her family life in her acceptance speech. "I just want to thank my family. Because Kit, my scientist son, and Charlie, my actor son who's starting his career, hopefully you understand the joy, such joy, that comes from doing really hard, meaningful, good work," she said. "So my boys, I love you, and this, of course, is for you." Related: Jodie Foster Reveals She's at the 'Most Contented Moment' of Her Career: 'Something Happened the Day I Turned 60' Jodie, who also took home a win at the 2024 Emmy Awards for True Detective, told PEOPLE in September that Charlie and her younger son Kit, 23, are "at that age where they're starting their careers" right now — "and they're pretty insecure about what's gonna happen." "But every time they get a joy, like I got an 'A' or I got this job or I got an audition, my heart just fills up 14 times because I have this memory of a beautiful career that's built on doing meaningful work, and I know that's the recipe for happiness," she said. "So I'm just thrilled for them, for the future." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, airing on Netflix. Read the original article on People
