Woody Allen interviewed by Stig Bjorkman
SB: Much of the story revolves around the mother, Eve. Even when she's not there, her presence in the life and actions of the others if very strong. Her husband, Arthur, says about her: 'She'd created a world around us that we existed in ... where everything had its place, where there was always a kind of harmony. A great dignity ... it was like an ice palace.'
WA: Yes, she's definitely the central character.
SB: She is a very domineering mother figure, and in many of your films you've had a succession of very strong mothers. Why does she occupy such a great interest in your films? Is this, do you think, a specific American phenomenon?
WA: No, the fathers are strong American dramatic figures as well. I've just been more comfortable in recent years with female characters. So mothers have loomed more potently in my films. But I wouldn't mind writing a film about a strong father.
SB: Was your mother a very strong figure in your life as well?
WA: No. She's alive. She was fine. She is pleasant. I'm friendly with her. Both my father and my mother live very near me. I guess you can say, she was a very typical mother. A little too strict maybe, but basically nice.
SB: Here in Interiors the mother is impersonated by Geraldine Page.
WA: She was at that time our greatest actress in that age group. And she seemed perfect for the part. She's very dynamic and expressive and very refined. In general, I like to trust the actors; when an actor is doing something that's good and meaningful, I just like to leave the camera on them and let them be there and not bother them. And Geraldine Page was that kind of actress, somebody to trust.
SB: Her environs are also very important and they reflect her character to a great deal.
WA: I wanted the Geraldine Page character to have everything harmonious and cool. And just the right amount of furniture. No more. And when this poor man who has been living with her for years finally breaks out, he picks a completely different kind of wife. A much more vital one. I felt that the daughter Joey played by Mary Beth Hurt was in the worst predicament of all, because Joey had no talent. She was full of feelings, but she had no way of expressing them. She is a victim of this terrible mother. I had a feeling myself, when the mother died at the end and Joey got this kiss of life from this other mother, that she was reborn and that there would be more hope for her in the future....
from Woody Allen on Woody Allen: In Conversation with Stig Bjorkman (Sweden, 1993).
WA: Yes, she's definitely the central character.
SB: She is a very domineering mother figure, and in many of your films you've had a succession of very strong mothers. Why does she occupy such a great interest in your films? Is this, do you think, a specific American phenomenon?
WA: No, the fathers are strong American dramatic figures as well. I've just been more comfortable in recent years with female characters. So mothers have loomed more potently in my films. But I wouldn't mind writing a film about a strong father.
SB: Was your mother a very strong figure in your life as well?
WA: No. She's alive. She was fine. She is pleasant. I'm friendly with her. Both my father and my mother live very near me. I guess you can say, she was a very typical mother. A little too strict maybe, but basically nice.
SB: Here in Interiors the mother is impersonated by Geraldine Page.
WA: She was at that time our greatest actress in that age group. And she seemed perfect for the part. She's very dynamic and expressive and very refined. In general, I like to trust the actors; when an actor is doing something that's good and meaningful, I just like to leave the camera on them and let them be there and not bother them. And Geraldine Page was that kind of actress, somebody to trust.
SB: Her environs are also very important and they reflect her character to a great deal.
WA: I wanted the Geraldine Page character to have everything harmonious and cool. And just the right amount of furniture. No more. And when this poor man who has been living with her for years finally breaks out, he picks a completely different kind of wife. A much more vital one. I felt that the daughter Joey played by Mary Beth Hurt was in the worst predicament of all, because Joey had no talent. She was full of feelings, but she had no way of expressing them. She is a victim of this terrible mother. I had a feeling myself, when the mother died at the end and Joey got this kiss of life from this other mother, that she was reborn and that there would be more hope for her in the future....
from Woody Allen on Woody Allen: In Conversation with Stig Bjorkman (Sweden, 1993).
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