Ormond values variety in her roles
“I’m always more interested in playing characters with flaws,” Julia Ormond says. “I always look for great writing, because without great writing, you really are stuck. A great story is something you recognize when you see it, and it either resonates with you or it doesn’t.”
The British actress, 53, has a history of great stories about women with a lot of issues, but she’s always tried to keep each character and project distinct and unique.
“For a long time, I felt like there were themes in the characters I was given that I had to resist — I always seemed to cry and die,” she notes. “And then for a while, particularly in American films, I was playing a woman who was between more than one man, which I really had to fight against in terms of being typecast.”
Ormond’s latest project is a four-part remake of “Howards End” for Starz, directed by Hettie Macdonald and adapted by Kenneth Lonergan (“Manchester by the Sea.”). She plays Mrs. Wilcox, a matriarch caught in the tradition of the times.
Next, Ormond is shooting a comedy, which is a purposeful effort to veer in a new direction. “I look for something that shakes off any preconceived ideas,” she says.
Here Ormond discusses some of her most memorable work.
“Mad Men,” Marie Calvet (2012-15).
“‘Mad Men’ was one of my favorite shows, so it was like being a kid at Disneyland going to work every day. It was a huge compliment to be cast in it, and I can honestly say that Marie was one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever gotten to play — and one of the most fun.”
“Temple Grandin,” Eustacia (2010).
“I loved playing it, and I still have a relationship with Eustacia Cutler, who is Temple’s mom. I connected with her after the filming. What I remember about that role was leaning into the tough decisions she had to make as a mother. Claire (Danes) was so exceptional.”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Caroline (2008).
“(Director David) Fincher got to show me the entire movie, start to finish, without my bit. He cut the whole thing together into an edit and showed it to me so that we had a sense of ‘This is what we come out of when we come into the Caroline bit.’ I had this very intense time of just filming the hospital stuff with Cate (Blanchett).”
“Sabrina,” Sabrina Fairchild (1995).
“Coming from England, we have a different sense of rigor around remakes, and I think it’s because of our relationship to theater. There’s nothing wrong or taboo about remaking a classic . ... It was only after, in America, when I got to New York to film, that people were like, ‘Oh, you’re doing a remake of “Sabrina.” ’ You realized the extent to which it was going to be challenging for people.”
“Legends of the Fall,” Susannah Fincannon (1994).
“What I remember about that was this extraordinary setting and having a blast with a very fun, very warm cast. I have three brothers, so there was something very familiar about these three guys (Aidan Quinn, Brad Pitt and Henry Thomas).”