submission by @melissascullysmessybun . Thank you so so much for translating this interview for us!
The truth is out there
I had no idea British rule in India lasted for over 300 years, and for that period of time lives of millions people were in the hand of very few people.
Berlin – I today’s world, there is something that’s been called The Scully effect. The Scully effect is a phenomenon initiated by worldwide famous fictional character Dana Scully, who inspired many young women to pursue careers in science, medicine and the law enforcement and as a result brought a perceptible increase in the number of women in those fields. Dana Scully is a character from worldwide popular TV series, The X files, and the person who brought Scully to life is a tiny (petite) woman, actress Gillian Anderson.
Scully forever changed the life and career of this actress, born (1968) and raised in Chicago (IL), who later moved to UK, where she still lives. Single mother of a three children (from two husbands), she writes, starers in theater, movies and TV series and she is actively engage in charitable and humanitarian work, especially within Neurofibromatosis network (from which her brother Aaron died) and the organization for sustainability education in South Africa.
But even after all those roles Anderson played in years after the show ended, it seems like she can’t escape the ghost of Scully. That fact was also visible at the premiere of her latest movie, The Viceroy’s House, directed by British director of Indian origin Gurinder Chadha, in which Anderson very convincingly embodied the character of Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten ofBurma, socialist and advocate for labor rights. Edwina was a wife of Louis Mountbatten, king’s relative and the last Viceroy in India, who represented the Crown when India declared independence in 1947, which divided the territory into two countries, India and Pakistan, while the violence that followed the political moves killed over 200 000 people.
Exclusively for Politica, Gillian Anderson talks about the challenges of portraying the historical character, price of being popular, Brexit and the sudden discomfort it brought to her and her family…
Press: What was it like to connect to the historical character from today’s perspective?
Gillian: It was very easy, she was very likeableperson. I was surprised how much respect I’ve grown to have for her, after I’ve read her biography, the details from her early life, her activism and how much she was involved in war, and the events that led to The Partition of India. It’s always a good thing when you fall in love with the character. It helps you to be convincing and to do your job as best as you can. Forest Whitaker did the same, when he played Idi Amin (Gillian was his partner in the movie (she was not, lady didn’t do her homework)), and Forest believed that Amin’s motivation was justice, ha, ha.
P: How much did you know about historical events that led to The Partition of India before you took the role?
G: Not much, really. Most of the things were a lessions for me. I don’t think I even knew British rule in India lasted for over 300 years, and for that period of time lives of millions people were in the hand of very few people. It wasn’t a part of my education, it wasn’t something we’ve learn at school. But all of those new information, the fact that the small amount of people had power over millions of people. It had a very big impact on me.
P: What was the greatest challenge in Edwina’s character?
G: From technical point, probably her accent. She had a very posh accent and it took a lot of time for me to learn how to move and shape my lips so I could spontaneously speak the way she did. After the premiere, mother of one of our producers congratulate me and said: Great concentration! And basically that’s what it was: a lot of concentration so you don’t make a mistake.
P: You’ve managed to achieve the physically resemblance as well?
G: That was a challenge of a different kind. She had a sort of dislocated hips, so her entire body was somehow pushed forward. That forced her back to bend and her shoulders were stiff. It was very important for me figure out the way she moved, the way she walked. Edwina was a very active woman, the hostess of this huge palace, with a lot of stairs. Plus, she was taller than me, I’ve noticed that while I was watching archival footage. It was very exciting trying to overcome that, and to make the physical
appearance credible. Long after the shooting was over, I would caught myself walking like her, with my hips forward and my back shrugged. It took awhile to get things back to normal.
P: Edwina did a lot trying to find the way to prevent the conflict between the Muslim and Hindu populations?
G: She did, yes. She was restless, she was always on the field, in the conflict zones, trying to make people realize the need of peaceful cohabitation, the value of compromise. She was strongly against discrimination of any kind. She really did a lot. She was in contact with Nehru, Gandhi, the Muslim leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah, she often advised her husband…
P: Some sources say that she and Nehru had an affair, but the movie is not exploring that.
G: Yeah, I’ve read about that, but I really can’t say I’m sure it’s true. A lot of people in Britain didn’t appreciate her closeness to people from India, and, even more, they were against all the changes she made when she stepped in Viceroy’s palace. So maybe that’s where the story about their affair originated from.
P: She was very influential, the real proof of that behind every successful man stands a woman?
G: Yeah, but there is also a saying that the wives of powerful and genius men often go crazy. In real life it might be true, but not necessarily. There are examples of very influential and powerful first ladies, wives of US presidents.
P: As an American living in the UK, do you understand the fascination with the Royal Family? Or do you share it?
G: Hm, I do have a lot of respect for the challenges of neutrality, which is also part of the monarchy. And there is also a question of having strong leader as a head of the country and what happens when you don’t. So when you watch everything that’s been going on in the UK, with Brexit and everything, the existence of the crown became a basis of security and mental health.
P: Where you personally affected by Brexit?
G: The irony is: my daughter has a German passport, her father is German. She lives u UK, she goes to school there, so now the Brexit raised a questions like what does it all (the facts that she has a German passport but lived long in UK and is active student there) mean and will happen to her. It affects her, and we are all concerned. The final result of Brexit is yet to be seen, but what is certain is the this sudden insecurity at my home, in my family, which also brought a dose of worry.
P: It seems like you haven’t had much rest in past three years: you did movies, TV series, wrote a book, and you are very active in charity events.
G: Yeah, I don’t really have time just to sit and do nothing. Sometimes I think about slowing down a bit, and try to create a space for myself, so that I could be on still. But new challenges always emerge and than new choices have to be made.
P: What is your priority then: acting or activism?
G: My children are always my number one priority. Everything else shifts: sometimes it’s acting, sometimes writing and sometimes charity and activism.
P: And when do you write: during the day, or at night? Do you need a quite place for writing?
G: I definitely need a quiet room. But sometimes, there are long breaks on the set, so I use them to write in my trailer. And sometimes, I write on a airplane, because I spend a lot of time flying.
P: What was the most memorable moment from Berlinale, if there was one?
G: O yeah, it was! Freezing on the red carpet in that thin sleeveless dress!
*The questions on the side, in that almost purple box
Dana Scully is everywhere she looks
P: No matter what you did and still doing, people till identify you as Dana Scully. Is that bothering you?
G: It is how it is, no matter if that bothers me or not. I’m used to it.
P: So it isn’t annoying?
G: Oh please, don’t ask! It was so annoying, especially in that first period after the end of The X files. It took a long time and a lot of work to separate myself from her. It was very frustrating, because it was reflecting on the work, or the lack of it, because there wasn’t a lot of people who would want Dana Scully in their movies. Fortunately, I have manage to prove that I do have the acting talent. At one point I’ve stopped being angry at her existence and I’ve pushed her far enough so that now I can still play her role, without any stress and pain.
P: Many actors would be happy to have their television roles become phenomena and have such a powerful effect?
G: It’s true, but it may be true for Judy Dench or and any other actor in the UK, where, no matter how popular television role is, you will not have the problem working in the theater or on film, after the television series is done. In States is different, TV roles have been considered second-rate at the time. Now, the things have changed and all the most important television series are hiring the first-rate actors. And even here, on Berlin film festival, you can see that change: now there is a whole program dedicated to the premieres of the television series.
P: Are the people surprised when they see you on the street?
G: I’m the one who is constantly surprised, hhahah. There are days no one recognizes me: I walk the streets, go to the store, buy what I need. And there are days when every other person comes up to me. I don’t know what it is, is it the make up, the clothes, my hair, I have no idea. It’s like I am a Gillian Anderson on some days, and Dana Scully or any other character on other days.
THE END
Sorry it took so long, it was a loooooong day at the office. I’m sorry for all the mistakes, and if our grammar sucks, we did our best, and at least it’s better then the google translate shit. 🙂
Just Holding Hands 