Molina gets back to basics at Ten Chimneys
GENESEE DEPOT - Actor Alfred Molina has spent the past few days working on his craft with fellow actors near the rolling woodlands of western Waukesha County.
While the setting is beautiful and serene, Molina readily admits the work itself isn’t always pretty.
“If you like sausage, you may not like to see how it’s made,” he said. “We’re actually in the process of making the sausage.”
Molina is working with 10 actors as part of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program at Ten Chimneys, the former estate of 20th-century theater legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. This year’s participants come from New York, California, Washington and other states. Zonya Love from the Milwaukee Repertory Theater brings Wisconsin ties.
Molina grew up in London and is the son of Spanish and Italian immigrants. He recently starred on the FX series “Feud” opposite Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. He got his big break acting alongside Harrison Ford in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
The 64-year-old actor received a Tony nomination for best actor for his work in the 2004 Broadway revival of “Fiddler on the Roof.” He received BAFTA and SAG award nominations for his portrayal of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera in the 2002 biopic “Frida.”
Molina’s master class kicked off Sunday and will wrap this weekend. On Friday, the Ten Chimney’s Foundation will host “A Conversation with Alfred Molina,” where Molina will share stories about his life and career and take questions from the audience. On Saturday, Molina, along with the 10 fellows, will perform together in a showcase. Tickets for each program start at $40.
Molina said he’s focusing on getting back to the basics of acting with his class. He said he especially likes that the class gives its actors an opportunity to be open and vulnerable.
It’s hard for actors to separate themselves from their work, he said. Difficult times are bound to bleed through, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“You start using it in a way so that you can turn tragedy ... or anything negative in your life, you can turn it into art,” he said. “You can turn it into something creative.”
Molina’s wife, fellow actor Jill Gascoine, is in an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s. Turning life experiences into something that’s enlightening or entertaining is often a part of the job, Molina said.
“It’s not therapy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not me talking with my fellows and saying, ‘How do you feel right now?’ ” he said. “That’s not what I’m interested in. What I’m interested in is helping them figure out how their characters are feeling.”
An ongoing, living thing
The backdrop for the weeklong training is Ten Chimneys, the house, museum and theater shrine built by Broadway legends Lunt and Fontanne, widely considered the greatest acting couple in American theater.
“If you have even the scantest understanding or knowledge of the history of theater in America and in Europe, you’ll come across Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne,” Molina said.
Lunt, who was born in Milwaukee, used the inheritance he received from his father to buy the undeveloped land for the estate in 1914. The Lunts transformed the property into a summer retreat where they entertained acting legends such as Laurence Olivier, Katharine Hepburn and Vivien Leigh.
The couple’s working years in the ’20s through the ’50s led them all around the country, bringing theater to big cities and small towns. They took a break from their busy schedule each summer at Ten Chimneys. When they retired in 1960, they lived there yearround.
In 2004, the home achieved National Historic Landmark status. The estate is open to the public as a museum. The fact that the space is still used and celebrated is part of what makes Ten Chimney’s so unique, Molina said.
“It’s an ongoing, living thing,” Molina said. “It’s not like the Lunts’ legacy is now being kept in a glass box that gets dusted off every now and then. It’s a living, organic thing that’s a continuing part of the life of American theater.”