INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR MARK JENKINS

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, actor Mark Jenkins, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Mark has acted in several motion pictures over the years such as DOCTORS’ WIVES, THE FILTHY FIVE, RIVERRUN [my review of the film can be found here] THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, and DESERT BLOOM, to name a few examples. In this interview Mark will be discussing his role in RIVERRUN, acting, theatre, and position, now retired, as Professor Emeritus, Acting, in the University of Washington’s School of Drama.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Mark!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actor?

Mark: It was my private, secret ambition from about the age of fourteen. While in college I discovered I could do this.

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Athan: Where did you study acting?

Mark: First at the University of Wyoming near where I grew up. Then in New York, with Herbert Berghof, and eventually at The Actors Studio.

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Athan: Your performance as Dan in RIVERRUN was a distinctive portrayal of a thoughtful young man trying to find his way in life away from the hustle and bustle of modern life, seeking a more meaningful existence. What it is that drew you to the part of Dan?

Mark: Auditioning and being offered the role - my first film role. I would have been happy to work in any movie. I had done only theatre work before riverrun, mostly Shakespeare. But,  I happened to identify with Dan for two reasons. I had left city life in Denver, Colorado to work on a ranch during my high school years which transformed me. Second, I was resisting being drafted for the war in Viet Nam and anticipated I would go to prison. Luckily I didn’t. I responded to Dan’s idealism and determination to do what he felt was right.

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Athan: RIVERRUN had a strong cast with yourself, John McLiam, and Louise Ober as the central trio of protagonists. What was it like working with these performers?

Mark Jenkins, Louise Ober, and John McLiam in RIVERRUN

Mark: It was easy to work with those good people. We had an easy rapport. John was very experienced and gave me a lot to push back against. Louise Ober was not even an actress but was easy going, natural and had a quietly expressive depth. 

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Athan: What did you find most exciting about the experience of making RIVERRUN?

Mark: Probably the fact that we were living and working far away from Hollywood and the show-business world, on an out of the way part of the Pacific coast. John Korty had leased a real farm where we shot most of the film. There were no distractions from us making a world for the film.

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Athan: RIVERRUN had a large amount of location filming, which gave the movie an authenticity. The waterways, the farm, the streets of the town, for example, all oozed realism, adding to the verisimilitude for which the film aimed in its presentation. For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming RIVERRUN?

Mark: Trying to tell my story with simplicity and authenticity. And adjusting to working for the camera which is massively different than working for in a play before an audience.

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from RIVERRUN?

Mark: John McLiam, became a good friend and introduced me to his agent who ‘”signed” me and to a whole community of good, experienced actors and directors. We even did a play together about ten years later - Eugene O’Neil’s Desire Under the Elms, in Los Angeles. Louise Ober never acted again, that I know of. She was an extremely curious soul, audacious and adventurous. Unfortunately, she died, far too young, of cancer.  

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Athan: RIVERRUN was directed by John Korty, who directed other diverse motion pictures as FUNNYMAN, THE CRAZY-QUILT, OLIVER’S STORY, and ALEX & THE GYPSY. What was it like being directed by Mr Korty in RIVERRUN?

Mark: He created a situation where; on one hand he considered us all as collaborators and welcomed our input and points of view. Only later did I realize that he kept his primary vision of the film to himself. (I would say, his attempt to merge nature with the human spirit by means of visual details.) To him, in this film “nature” was more than background.

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Athan: You were Professor Emeritus, Acting, in the University of Washington’s School of Drama for many years, and have taught many drama courses to students over the years. What did you find the most satisfying aspects of working with students in the School of Acting?

Mark: That is too big a question for this interview. Let me just say that being able to help actors peel away preconceptions, vanity, and ego-needs so that actual creativity can take place in real time, is profoundly satisfying. Also, I have able to introduce many actors to the subtle but thrilling genius of and craft of Anton Chekov’s plays which can be transforming to one’s sense of what art and theatre can be. I’ve also been able to teach, act and investigate acting as it’s practiced in Russia, Japan, Asia as well as locally.

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Athan: You are also a life member of The Actors’ Studio, which is renowned for the caliber not only of its alumni but also, its acting coaching. What it is that you most admire about the Actors Studio?

Mark: The Studio’s utter devotion to the actor’s individual process in order to unlock and reveal the inner life of a character “profoundly and intensively.”  

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Mark: I spent much of the last thirty years trying to write plays. One, All Powers Necessary and Convenient was produced twice in Seattle and published by the University of Washington Press.  It deals in some detail with how the anti-communist “red scare” played out in Washington state in the late 1940’s. Since I retired, I’ve been trying to create a coherent and interesting look-back at my life’s journey.

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Thank you so much for your time today Mark, and for the insight you have provided into the art of acting, RIVERRUN, cinema, and academia. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

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Mark Jenkins links

+Mark Jenkins IMDb Actor Page

+RIVERRUN movie IMDb page

INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS TRACY MANN

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, actress Tracy Mann, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Tracy has acted in many motion pictures over the years such as HARD KNOCKS, GOING DOWN, FAST TALKING, THE BOX [my review of the film can be found here] RECKLESS KELLY, FELONY, SLEEPING BEAUTY, ANGEL OF MINE and TOP END WEDDING. Tracy has also been very active in theatre over the years, starring in many notable plays and musicals. In this interview Tracy will be discussing her part in THE BOX movie, acting, cinema, theatre, and television.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Tracy!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actress?

Tracy: When I was 4 I believe I said to my parents ‘I want to be an actress’! My mother thought I’d grow out of it. I never did!

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Athan: Where did you study acting?

Tracy: I come from the school of hard knocks. Drama classes as a child, then as a teenager with the Saturday Company, a branch of the SATC in Adelaide. I went straight from my final exam in high school to rehearsals at the Adelaide Festival Theatre for Winnie the Pooh. I joined Actors Equity then.  It was 1973.  I finally began studying in London with Phillipe Gaulier in the 90s. I have worked with many wonderful teachers over the years. Lindy Davies being one.

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Athan: Your performance as Tina Harris in THE BOX could be described as being the film’s conscience, providing it with a sympathetic moral centre among the movie’s derring-do. What is it that you most enjoyed about playing Tina in THE BOX movie?

Tracy: You must remember, I was 17 years old when I did THE BOX movie. So everything was exciting and new and fun. We were on location at Eildon Weir staying in a local motel and Graham Kennedy was in the room next to me. He arrived in his Rolls Royce. But Tina, was a great role for me because we grew together. Her journey was mine. A fortunate beginning to my career.

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Athan: THE BOX had an excellent ensemble cast including Ken James, Paul Karo, Barrie Barkla, Lois Ramsey, and Fred Betts. What was it like working with these performers in the film?

Tracy: In my day, (I feel I can say that at my age!) actors working in soap were older and very experienced and many were theatre actors.  So I learnt professionalism from these wonderful actors and actresses. That was my ‘acting school’. Also working for 18 months on the series gave me muscle to act swiftly and decisively.  And learn lines quickly.  And forget them just as fast!

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Athan: What did you find most exciting about the experience of making THE BOX movie?

Tracy: Everything was exciting in those days!!

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Athan: For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming THE BOX movie?

Tracy: I reiterate, I was a mere 17. Demanding and emotionally satisfying weren’t yet terms in my lexicon! But I will say when Ken James dropped his towel, it was A SHOCK!!! 

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from THE BOX?

Tracy: I remained friends with Lois Ramsey until she passed away. She was a very dear and valued presence in my life.

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Athan: THE BOX was directed by Paul Eddey, who mainly directed and produced episodic television, and for whom THE BOX was his sole movie credit. How was the experience of being directed by Mr Eddey in THE BOX?

Tracy: As it was my first movie too, I had nothing to compare the experience to. But I remember he was a very nice man.

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Athan: You have been in many stage plays over the years, with ‘The Graduate’, ‘Minefields & Miniskirts’, ‘Two Weeks With The Queen’, ‘Noises Off’, ‘Blithe Spirit’, just some of the productions in which you have starred. What is it about the theatre that you most enjoy?

Tracy: Collegiality. Community. Immediacy. Working with great texts, and time to rehearse and explore. Audience response. Not the nerves, or the late nights though!

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Athan: In addition to film and the theatre, you have also acted in a multitude of television series over the years, with classic programs such as The Box, Matlock Police, The Young Doctors, The Sullivans, Prisoner, Sweet & Sour, Skirts, Janus, G.P., and more recently on Wonderland, and Rake and Five Bedrooms. In terms of comparing and contrasting acting on film, and acting on television, what differences are most evident from your experience?

Tracy: Film and television acting requires subtly, small gestures, minimal expressions. You can be quiet. And redo take after take. Theatre requires muscle, vocal and physical presence. Working with the audience, their breath, their laughter. It involves stage craft, finding your light, sharing intimate moments with 500 people demands different skills to film and television. But all mediums need ‘truth’.  Putting your attention on the ‘other’. And being present. Listening. LISTENING is key.

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Athan: In 1980 you won the AFI (Australian Film Institute) Award for Best Actress in feature film HARD KNOCKS. How did it feel to be acknowledged in this manner for your performance in the movie?

Tracy: It was a very special moment to hear my name called out. I remember bursting out of my seat in the (now sadly demolished) Regent Theatre in Sydney and running up the aisle in my Linda Jackson green silk chiffon sheath! Glorious. I hadn’t prepared a speech but blurted out ‘thank you, thank you THANK YOU’, with beautiful Michele Fawdon and a spritely oldish Kirk Douglas presenting my award.  You even got a monetary award in those days. Mr Douglas presented me with a $2,000 cheque and whispered, ‘you’re on your way kid’.

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Tracy: Yes I do, but in this climate, I think it’s prudent to keep things a bit quiet.  So much can change.  Nothing set in stone.  But I’ll work for as long as I’m asked. I’m grateful to be able to participate in interesting projects and meet new creative people and still learn. It’s an adventure.

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Thank you so much today for your time Tracy, and for the astute insight you have provided into the art of acting, THE BOX, cinema, theatre, and television. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

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INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR KEN JAMES

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, actor Ken James, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Ken has acted in several motion pictures over the years such as THE INTRUDERS, THE BOX [my review of the film can be found here] THE LAST I HEARD, and THEY’RE A WEIRD MOB. He has also been prolific in theatre over the years, starring in many notable plays and musicals. In this interview Ken will be discussing his role in THE BOX movie, acting, cinema, theatre, television, and, the beauty of food and cooking.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Ken!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actor?

Ken: At the age of 12 - I was very fortunate to be born in an era when television was just in its infancy. A lot of demand but not much supply. My neighbour took her daughter to a casting agent and I went along.

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Athan: Where did you study acting?

Ken: I won a scholarship to NIDA in 1968. I was offered the role of Mark Hammond in Skippy, so opted to accept that instead. I learnt on the job by working with some wonderful people.

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Athan: Your performance as Tony Wild in THE BOX was one of its best features, giving the film both humor, and pathos. What did you most enjoy about playing Tony in the movie?

Ken: It was a difficult role to play because it was an actor playing an actor playing an actor.

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Athan: THE BOX had an excellent ensemble cast including George Mallaby, Belinda Giblin, Paul Karo, Judy Nunn, Barrie Barkla, Fred Betts, and Cornelia Frances. What was it like working with these performers in the film?

Ken: We were like a family. We spent so many hours working in such an emotional and creative environment. The production team, Crawford productions put together were the best of the best. Hector Crawford once gave me the secret to success – he said ‘always surround yourself with good people’

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Athan: What did you find most exciting about the experience of making THE BOX movie?

Ken: Four and a half years of constant work made me a better actor.

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Athan: For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming THE BOX movie?

Ken: We had a special effects guy who was supposed to sink Hector Crawford’s houseboat - except he did it a day early!

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from THE BOX?

Ken: Sadly, Lois Ramsey, Fred Betts, George Mallaby have passed away, but still in touch with other cast members and have very fond memories.

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Athan: THE BOX was directed by Paul Eddey, who mainly directed and produced episodic television, and for whom THE BOX was his sole movie credit. What was the experience of being directed by Mr Eddey in THE BOX?

Ken: Paul was extremely helpful but as he explained to me you’ve been playing this role for three years - you know the character.

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Athan: You have acted in many plays over the years, with Anything Goes, The Naked Vicar, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jack & The Beanstalk, and Run For Your Wife just a small sample of your credits. What is it that you find most compelling about performing in the theatre?

Ken: The live experience – immediate rapport with the audience which you don’t get with television.

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Athan: Aside from film, you have also acted in many classic television series such as Skippy, The Box, Matlock Police, Division 4, Cop Shop, Sons and Daughters, Skyways, and Prisoner. In terms of comparing and contrasting acting on film, and acting on television, what differences are most striking from your experience?

Ken: The time spent. Television is so immediate. Working on a film set there is a saying – hurry up and wait!

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Athan: You have a deep interest and appreciation for food and cooking, having a cooking segment on Good Morning Australia for many years. Being a foodie, this is very understandable. What is it about cooking and cuisine that makes your heart race?

Ken: The creative process from sourcing the food to preparing, enjoying is a creative experience for me.

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Ken: Just my grandson’s 10th birthday. 

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Thank you so much today for your time Ken, and for the keen insight you have provided into the art of acting, THE BOX, cinema, theatre, television and, of course, glorious food. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

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Ken James links

+Ken James IMDb Actor Page

+THE BOX movie IMDb page

+Ken James official website

INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS GERALDINE TURNER

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, actress Geraldine Turner, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Geraldine has acted in several motion pictures over the years such as BREAK OF DAY, THE BOX, SUMMERFIELD, CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU [my review of the film can be found here] and THE WOG BOY. She has also been very active in theatre over the years, starring in many notable plays and musicals, winning awards for her acting. In this interview Geraldine will be discussing her role in CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU, acting, cinema, theatre, and receiving an Order of Australia for services to the performing arts.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Geraldine!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actress?

Geraldine: When I was five.

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Athan: Where did you study acting?

Geraldine: I didn't really. I studied singing at Qld Conservatorium, then was in the first acting company of Qld Theatre Company in 1970, where I learned a great deal.

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Athan: Your performance as Vere in CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU was one of its most entertaining elements, but also had a serious, down-to-earth side that made Vere a fully rounded character. What it is that drew you to the part of Vere?

Geraldine: Just those things. It is quite difficult to pull off a larger than life character, whilst making her real and having dimension.

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Athan: CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU had a stellar ensemble cast including Robyn Nevin, Wendy Hughes, Peter Whitford, John Hargreaves, and Nicholas Gledhill. What was it like working with these performers?

Geraldine: Wonderful. It was a great company. Also that year, John, Robyn, Wendy and I did the Noel Coward play, "Present Laughter" at the Theatre Royal in Sydney for STC. I adored John. He always seemed to leap off the screen at you.

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Athan: What did you find most exciting about the experience of making CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU?

Geraldine: I am proud to be a part of that great resurgence of the Australian Film Industry during that period. The film holds up today.

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Athan: For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU?

Geraldine: I think for me, the railway station scene … fabulous!

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU?

Geraldine: Well, unfortunately, a lot of them are no longer with us. I see Robyn, as she lives near me, and I keep in touch with Nicholas Gledhill.

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Athan: CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU was directed by Carl Schultz, who also made diverse movies such as BLUE FIN, GOODBYE PARADISE, TRAVELING NORTH, and THE SEVENTH SIGN. What was it like being directed by Mr Schultz in CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU?

Geraldine: I loved working with Carl. He has a deft touch. He knows when to give a note and when to leave the actor alone. A great experience!

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Athan: You have been involved in the theatre for many years, acting in productions and musicals such as CHICAGO, LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS, SWEENEY TODD, COMPANY, INTO THE WOODS, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, and receiving Green Room Awards for a Female Actor for both OLIVER!, and ANYTHING GOES. What is it that you find most compelling about performing in the theatre?

Geraldine: The fact that that night will never happen again. You had to be there to experience it. I adore theatre and the live aspect, the immediacy of it.

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Athan: In terms of comparing and contrasting acting on film, and acting in the theatre, what differences are most striking from your experience?

Geraldine: None really. I guess a close up allows you to do less to show emotion, but really stage and film acting all must come from a place of truth.

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Athan: In 1988 you received an Order of Australia for services to the performing arts, which is a significant achievement. How did it feel to receive this award?

Geraldine: I was quite chuffed, as I was young to receive such an award.

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Geraldine: I have various concerts coming up and I have written a Memoir, which should be out mid year. I am looking forward to that and hope people buy it.

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Thank you so much today for your time Geraldine, and for the understanding you have provided into the art of acting, CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU, cinema, theatre, and the Order of Australia. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

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Geraldine Turner links

+Geraldine Turner IMDb Actor Page

+CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU movie IMDb page

+Geraldine Turner Opera Australia page

+The Australian Live Performance Database

INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS MANUELA THIESS GARCIA

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, actress Manuela Thiess Garcia, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Manuela has acted in several motion pictures over the years including BUCKSKIN, CHANGES [my review of the film can be found here] and TERROR CIRCUS. In this interview Manuela will be discussing her part in CHANGES, acting, theatre, and her passion for photography, poetry, and writing.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Manuela!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actress?

Manuela: I started studying acting at around age 22.  I had actually had a bit of an aversion to acting before that as I did not want to enter my parents’ profession.  But perhaps because I moved to Laurel Canyon, Hollywood rubbed off on me in spite of myself. 

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Athan: Where did you study acting?

Manuela: I studied method acting with Estelle Harman for several years and Guy Stockwell after that before joining Ralph Waite’s L.A. Actor’s Theatre.

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Athan: What did you find most exciting about the experience of making CHANGES?

Manuela:  Truthfully, I had a mad crush on Kent [Lane], and that certainly made working on the picture titillating.  In addition, it was my first film and that made every moment a new and exhilarating experience.   

A day that was more than a little exiting was when I had to walk into the ocean to drown myself.  I had nearly drowned in the ocean as a teenager and I was terrified of the waves.  That was a helicopter shot and so there was nobody down there on that rocky beach but myself.  Plus it was freezing in Big Sur (I think it was February), and I had to do the scene several times in clothes that were soaking wet.  I was glad when that day was over.

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Athan: Your performance as the loving, sensitive Bobbi in CHANGES, who makes a decision which irrevocably changes her life, was excellent. For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming CHANGES?

Manuela:  When I had to cry.  I hadn’t cried in my personal life in years.  To conjure those tears took some doing, especially in front of the whole crew, but it felt really good to have been able to do that.

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from CHANGES?

Manuela: No, I have not, though I have occasionally tried to google one or two of them to see what they were up to.

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Athan: CHANGES was directed by Hall Bartlett, also notable for films such as ALL THE YOUNG MEN, THE SANDPIT GENERALS, and JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL. What was it like being directed by Mr Bartlett in CHANGES?

Manuela:  At the time, I was young, self-obsessed and foolish and had no idea what a truly extraordinary man I was working for. Hall struck me as an all round decent human being and he was kind to me, as he was to everyone, but I had little appreciation for the talent he had and what a true artist he was and continued to be.  Nor had I been aware that he had graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard, which I only found out when I read about him in the Wikipedia.

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Athan: You have worked on the stage in various productions years ago, also writing several plays. What for you most stood out when comparing the theatre, and film?

Manuela:  My mother started out to be a stage actress, and she had had a love for that, which I think prompted me to want to try it.  It’s really impossible to compare the two mediums.  Stage acting requires perhaps more agility, for if you forget a line, or someone else does, you have to be quick on your toes and work around that.  But there is also a lot of repetition of the same script over and over, even given the small variations night to night.  In film acting, you have to let your emotions show in a way that stage does not demand, and although you sometimes have to do retakes, the action moves much faster. And for closeups, there is no cheating allowed.

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Athan: You have been a photographer for many years, your photos capturing both the beauty, and different facets of cities such as Barcelona, Spain, Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France, to name a few examples. What is it that you find most exciting about photography?

Manuela:  I wrote a poem about that, I think I posted it on my website.  In photography, you can capture a split second in time.  I often feel like a thief, though I rarely know what I actually stole until I get home and have a chance to review what I shot on the computer as I shoot digitally.  That keeps it adventurous and exciting for me.  

I find by studying the faces of strangers (for I shoot random people on the streets more often than not), I get more understanding and compassion for our misbegotten species with all its flaws and imperfections.  

As for scenery, the sky and the circumstances constantly change, so like with expressions, capturing of a moment in time that will never repeat.

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Athan: Your website features poetry and writing pieces by you, dealing with a number of themes, especially your thoughts on life. How does poetry, and writing make you feel?

Manuela:  Writing, whether in journals, small essays, one act plays or poetry, has been a great emotional salve for life wounds I would otherwise not have had a chance to allow to heal.  I highly recommend it as a therapeutic tool for anyone working through emotional distress.  It has a way of putting confusion into a more rational perspective.  Also, by sharing those experiences with others, there is a kind of cleansing, and a way of ingraining into my subconscious what I have learned and continue to learn each day, for the journey doesn't stop until we stop breathing, once and for all. What happens after that remains a tantalizing mystery, does it not?

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Athan: You have also taught in the California Department of Corrections, and as a Suicide Prevention Counselor. What it is that you found most enriching with these challenging, but rewarding positions?

Manuela:  At the Suicide Prevention Center I only worked as a volunteer counselor for around 8 months, and I had to quit when I started to get too many nightmares, specifically about callers which worried me when they hung up, which they did once in a while. But it helped me get insight into my own suicidal impulses as well as later when I worked in the CDC to be able to recognize those potential impulses in my students.

I worked for the California Department of Corrections for 15 years, and I loved that job.  I have never been good with bureaucracies and I riled against the administrative aspect of of the job, but I was fond of my students (for the most part) and of my fellow teachers. It was kind of like being stranded on an island together once those bars clinked shut.  

I learned a great deal about crime and punishment and the counter productivity of the American penal system.  The experience has given me an appreciation for the Restorative Justice model of corrections.  The U.S. had more people incarcerated per capita than any place in the world.  Think of that.  The land of the free and the home of the brave?

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Manuela:  I have another local exhibit coming up and my husband and I just opened a gallery here in Guanajuato featuring my photography but other local artists as well. In addition, I am working to finally gather all my poems and put them in a book. I will keep my website updated.  If you are ever in Guanajuato, come and share a coffee with us at our gallery.  And thank you, Athan for taking an interest in my work and asking me to participate in this interview.

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Thank you so much for your time today Manuela, and for the insight you have provided into the art of acting, CHANGES, cinema, theatre, photography, poetry and writing. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

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Manuela Thiess Garcia links

+Manuela Thiess Garcia IMDb Actress Page

+CHANGES movie IMDb page

+Manuela Thiess Garcia Official Website

+Manuela Thiess Garcia Instagram page

+Manuela Thiess Garcia Facebook page

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Manuela Thiess Garcia clip from Death Valley Days

INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS LYNN RAINBOW

Today I have the great pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, actress Lynn Rainbow AM, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. While Lynn has acted in two motion pictures over the years, being the big-screen version of NUMBER 96 [my review of the film can be found here] and the animated film SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SIGN OF FOUR, she has acted prolifically on Australian television. Some of Lynn’s television credits include the series version of Number 96, Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police, A Country Practice, and Home and Away, to name a few examples. In this interview Lynn will be discussing her role in the NUMBER 96 movie, acting, being recognized for her work as a Member with the Order of Australia (AM) in 2016, and as Vice-President of the Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund in Brisbane, Australia.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Lynn!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actress?

Lynn: I think it was in my DNA.  I am the fourth generation. My great grandfather John Fuller came to New Zealand from England and was known as the ‘Silver throated tenor of New Zealand. My Grandfather Sir Benjamin Fuller was a theatrical entrepreneur with his brother Johnny and created Fuller’s Theatres all around Australia and New Zealand. My mother was a dancer and her partner was Ron Shand (Herbie in Number 96).  Then there was me.  I don’t remember not performing.

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Athan: Where did you study acting?

Lynn: With Dame Doris Fitton at the Independent Theatre school, North Sydney. We were taught by the wonderful movement teacher Keith Bain, Robert Levis and Peter Summerton. Doris only paid the main 2 or 3 actors so all the smaller parts were played by the students. Also the students performed the Saturday afternoon Children’s plays. There is nothing harder than a restless young audience.

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Athan: I loved your performance as Sonia, a young woman whose husband attempted to steal her fortune by trying to drive her insane in NUMBER 96. You had left the series the previous year, and were invited back for the movie. How did it feel reprising the role of Sonia for the NUMBER 96 movie?

Lynn: Well I knew the character so well even though the circumstances were different. I had been working solidly in theatre since I left the TV series.  I remember how much fun it was to be back with the old gang. We were a very close knit unit and we were truly all good friends. By this time Tom (Oliver) and I were married. It was a very happy time.

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Athan: What did you most enjoy about the experience of filming the NUMBER 96 movie?

Lynn: Enjoy is probably not the word. Sadly, it was shot so fast like the TV series. I shot 18 scenes in one day. It was lucky I knew and understood my character. There was no time to get deep and meaningful, ‘just say your lines and don’t bump into the furniture’.

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Athan: What for you was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of making NUMBER 96?

Lynn: In the TV series it was probably the relationship and kiss I had with black dancer and actor Ronnie Arnold as it was the main reason Number96 the series could not be sold to the USA.

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from NUMBER 96?

Lynn: Oh yes! I was very close to Bettina Welch (our families shared Christmases) and darling Elaine Lee and Gordie McDougall until their deaths. Sheila Kenelly knew my second husband before me, as she bought one of his bulls and lived near us. I see Joe Hasham whenever I go up to Indonesia. Liz Kirkby and Carol Raye live in the country now, so I don’t see as much of them.  David Sale (the creator of Number96 the TV series and the film) and I are still close as he has recently moved up to Queensland.

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Athan: NUMBER 96 was directed by Peter Benardos, who also directed the series version of Number 96, and was his only feature film. What was it like being directed by Mr Benardos in the NUMBER 96 movie?

Lynn: Peter was such a nice man, a gentle director. He was under pressure to get the film done, but he knew we knew our characters and so I think he trusted us not to let him down.  Just few gentle words here and there.

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Athan: You filmed all your scenes in the NUMBER 96 movie over the course of a single day, and subsequently acted on stage in a play the same evening, which is a significant achievement. How was the experience of undertaking this for you?

Lynn: Yes, as I have said I shot 18 scenes in one day, then went straight to the theatre to play the lead Elvira in “Blythe Spirit”, which was the same night my in-laws who had just arrived from England, came to see the play!! You might say a very full day.

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Athan: You have done much stage work, and in television. What were the differences you found in acting for the screen, and in the theatre?

Lynn: I am a creature of the theatre. Film and Television technique were not taught when I was at drama school. I always felt at home on stage it was my domain and our voices (with no mics) had to reach the back stalls and the gods 6 nights and 2 matinees a week.  It is so much fun winning over an audience on a cold winters evening when you know they’d rather be at home. I never felt comfortable on camera as I felt too constricted.  I learned by watching others, by the seat of my pants really.

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Athan: You received the Order of Australia in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours for ‘significant service to the community through support for a range of cultural and charitable organisations, and to the performing arts as an actor’. How did it feel to receive this tremendous honour?

Lynn: Oh, it is such an honor and such a secret to keep. You are contacted several months before, to see if you are willing to accept the Honour.  I was like a little bubbling kettle.  The strap on my shoe broke just before the ceremony at Government House in Brisbane.  The shoe was whisked away, fixed and placed back on my foot a la Cinderella before I knew it. The wonderful thing is that although you are the recipient of the Honour, it is really about all the people who have helped realise the dream. The Judge Rainbow Memorial Fund, of which I am now Patron, La Boite Theatre, The Rainbow Reid Endowment fund at Creative Industries (acting) for Artists in Residence, and of course my beloved Actors Benevolent Fund.

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Athan: You are Vice-President of the Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund in Brisbane, Australia. How did you become involved in the Fund? What makes you most proud of being a member of the Fund?

Lynn: It seems I have been involved with the Actors Benevolent Fund all my life. I was on the ABFNSW for two 10 year stints and another continuing stint when I moved up to Queensland. I became involved with the fund in the late sixties.  It is such a wonderful group who help their fellow performers and is totally confidential. Recently, and long overdue, we have amalgamated (while retaining each States autonomy) into the Alliance of Australasian Performing Arts Benevolent Funds, AAPABF with Cate Blanchett as our Patron. During this pandemic when so many people in the Arts are hurting, it never ceases to amaze how generous the Public is.

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Lynn: Not really, just more of the same. If something new comes up.  I’ll let you know.

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Thank you so much today for your time Lynn, and for the insight you have provided into the art of acting, NUMBER 96, theatre, the Order of Australia, and the Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund. It has been wonderful to have you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

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Lynn Rainbow links

+Lynn Rainbow IMDb Actor Page

+NUMBER 96 movie IMDb page

+Order of Australia page 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours

+Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund page Vice-President Lynn Rainbow