HER WORK WILL GO ON
NEW YORK — In Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread,” Lesley Manville’s enigmatic Cyril is critical in the development of the unusual relationship between her on-screen brother Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel DayLewis) and his new model Alma (Vicky Krieps).
And in a sense, that’s true of Manville herself — over her 40-plus-year career, largely played on British stages, films and TV shows, the 61-year-old may not always take the lead — but she’s a linchpin in making a story happen.
The actress spoke with The Envelope in New York about relationships — poisonous and otherwise — and aspiring to chameleonic status. But be aware, there is a key spoiler ahead.
“Phantom Thread” is one of those movies that will likely have people talking – or scratching their heads — or both. What drew you to playing Cyril?
I’m interested in films about relationships. This was primarily a film about a romantic relationship, but secondarily a sibling relationship that shifted for Cyril once Alma became a permanent fixture. I felt that we could go anywhere with Cyril. I felt she was a woman who had a sense of herself and was sparse with language — but when she spoke, it was crystal-clear. There was a stillness about her.
And yet Cyril more or less disappears from the film once Alma asserts her authority. How did that feel?
A friend of mine saw it and said, “I wish Cyril’s story had been resolved in some way.” I know what they mean, but she is the third player in the story. I don’t think her story can be resolved. The audience is left to imagine where Reynolds and Alma will go, but I think for Cyril, while the day-to-day dynamic of her life will be different, the pattern of her life with Reynolds won’t alter that much. And by the end, Alma is a welcome third party in the gang.
Your career has spanned over 40 years, with a strong focus on the theater and largely British productions. How has that helped hone the actor you want to be?
This is the kind of actor I want to be now. The only kind of actor I want to be is a chameleon. Not disrespecting someone who just plays one thing — people can do that brilliantly. It’s just not my thing. I love that I can jump around with class, with character. I can go from [starring in BBC dramedy] “Mum” to plays by Ibsen and O’Neill and then to PTA.
Daniel Day-Lewis has famously said he’s retiring after this film. Can an actor truly just give up acting?
I don’t feel like that. I’m having the most wonderful time at a time I have to guiltily acknowledge can be a terrible time for actresses my age. But I think there’s a shift. It’s getting better. Actors my age are defying pigeonholes of how they’re meant to look. I can’t imagine retiring.
“Thread” focuses on a powerful man who takes on an ingénue in a relationship both about work and sex, and the other women around him are subordinates who support his mercurial nature so he can be an “artist.” It’s a familiar trope — but do you think that in the current social climate this film will be received differently than it would have six months or a year ago?
Something that might come up is what people say even now about 10, 20 years ago: It was a different time. It was 60 years ago [in the film] and women were in a different position than they are now. But there’s a balance in that, because Alma does challenge Reynolds. He’s not very nice to her. He’s not very likable for most
‘I’m having the most wonderful time ... I can’t imagine retiring.’ — LESLEY MANVILLE, ‘Phantom Thread’ actress
of the picture. But you do see her challenging his behavior.
Yes, but that challenge takes the form of — spoiler alert — her poisoning him. Repeatedly.
I know! It’s an extreme step, and he knows he’s being poisoned. He’s complicit. There’s often an oddity in Paul’s films. In “Magnolia” it rains frogs. I like the way he does that, in a minefield of reality, he’ll just throw in something utterly heightened and surreal. The [poisoned] omelet isn’t as heightened as raining frogs, though it is a strange route to tame Reynolds. But there’s something about these characters that like to do this dance around one another. It’s clever. Clever. I might try it myself one day.
Anyone in mind?
I have nobody in mind or in fact nobody to try it out on. But it’s a nice idea. I can think of some people I might like to have tried it on.