Author: Sarah Dunlap
Stage and film actor Kathleen Turner spent over an hour perched at the edge of Keck Auditorium’s stage Tuesday, March 6, answering questions about acting as an art and an industry. Theater Professor Susan Gratch invited Turner to address Occidental theater students, given that she is currently in Los Angeles acting in the Ahmanson Theater’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. During this informal question-and-answer session, Turner addressed issues of artistic technique and gave advice for survival in the ultra-competitive, cutthroat theater business.
Pluck and skill served Turner well, who began her career waiting tables during the days and attending auditions at night. By her early twenties, Turner was able to earn sufficient wages acting-an unusual situation for a young performer.
“I don’t think that story is too usual,” she said. “I’d like to say that it happens a lot, but it doesn’t.”
With a husband, a daughter, and a hectic schedule, Turner juggled family life with her career. Drawing from her own experiences, she advised her audience that traditional female roles and professional acting rarely jibe.
“[My husband] and I just separated last year, which is great-don’t feel bad,” she said. “You need to be able to hire a wife, because you can’t always pick the kid up from school. Buy a wife. That’s my advice.”
As a woman working in the entertainment industry, Turner described her encounters with gender inequity, which she said continues to plague the business.
“It’s not like [acting] depends on your physical strength or anything like that. [ . . . ] But women are not treated respectfully. I don’t like the attitude towards women. I think it’s dismissive,” she said.
Often, Turner told the audience, the industry treats opinionated, driven women as “emotional,” while it regards men as “decisive.”
“This is bullshit, but it’s real life,” she said. “If you’re smart, you’re never going to starve. You’ll do what you have to do.”
With the majority of audience members active within the Theater Department, Turner spoke about the differences between stage and film acting, and she counseled students about audition protocol. In particular, Turner said that impromptu reading and self-direction are integral abilities in finding work. “Cold reading is a skill that’s really important. You must be able to read impromptu,” she said. “Make a choice. They don’t want actors who are going to be noodles-they don’t have time for that.”
The interactive format of Turner’s visit encouraged spectator interaction, and Turner answered a steady stream of broad-based questions from students and faculty. The audience’s reaction was generally positive. Elizabeth Cutler (sophomore) found Turner’s remarks regarding the industry especially helpful.
“I was really impressed with how comprehensively she was able to answer students’ questions about ‘the business,’ just based on her own experience and personal knowledge base,” she said.
Rachel Noll (junior) had similar remarks. As a student planning to pursue a career in acting, she appreciated the intimate dialogue with Turner.
“I loved the intimate format of the visit. I was sitting in the second row of Keck, and she was sitting on the edge of the stage, so she was literally a foot away from me. This allowed for a much less formal mood, and made everyone very comfortable just talking with her as a person, and not as a celebrity.” Gratch also spoke highly of Turner’s visit to Occidental, calling attention to her candor, experience and wisdom.
“I was impressed with the detail of the advice and the pertinence of the stories that she chose to relate in response to questions,” Gratch said. “She answered each question with care and attention. It was a true delight to have her sitting on the edge of the Keck Theater telling stories of her work on stage and on film.”
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