Academy Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek has worked with some of the greatest directors of all time and played some of the most iconic characters in film history. And this year, she continues that trend of scoring incredible roles by starring opposite another legend, Robert Redford, in “The Old Man & the Gun,” which is said to be Redford’s swansong as an actor. And speaking with Yahoo, Spacek goes over her illustrious career that includes Malick, Oscar wins, and…a comedy with Andy Samberg?
Spacek’s career took off alongside actor Martin Sheen in the film “Badlands” in 1973. Not only did the careers of two amazing actors break out of the film, but “Badlands” is also the directorial debut of none other than Terrence Malick. It’s a touchstone film for those interested in the careers of what would become film royalty.
And Spacek has nothing but kind things to say about everyone involved, including the iconic director, saying, “What my husband says about Terry is that he’s a philosopher, and it’s so true. He’s such a deep, deep individual and shares a point of view with people. I learned that I had to be very careful about choosing a film after ‘Badlands,’ because it gave me a yardstick by which to measure other projects.”
From there, Spacek earned critical and box office success with films like “Carrie” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the latter of which won her an Oscar. However, during the ‘90s, Spacek’s career hit a bit of a lull.
Enter Todd Field. The elusive director was ending his run as an actor to take a stab at filmmaking. His first work, “In the Bedroom,” starred Spacek alongside Tom Wilkinson and went on to earn five Academy Award nominations, including one for the actress. However, Field went on to only make one more film and hasn’t returned to directing since (though some would say he’s been relegated to Director’s Jail, but that’s another topic altogether).
“I just wish that Todd Field made more movies; we were so lucky to have him work on the film. If you asked him a question, he’d give you all day to answer that specific question. He’s a real artist, and very literary,” says the actress about her experience on that film.
But after dozens of films, and having already established herself as one of the greatest living actors in the world, Spacek surprised many by accepting a role in Andy Samberg’s “Hot Rod.” The film, which has gone on to earn cult classic status, was a commercial and critical flop, and was seen as a low point in the filmography of Spacek. But the actress doesn’t regret it at all. In fact, she claims the only reason she signed on to the film was thanks to none other than Paul Thomas Anderson (who has never shied away from professing his love for silly comedies).
“My husband, Jack, had worked on ‘There Will Be Blood’ with Paul Thomas Anderson, and Paul called him to say, ‘This is not a film that Sissy would ordinarily do, but they want to offer it to you, and they know you’ll never see the script unless we get to you. These guys are great — you should do it.’ And when Paul Thomas Anderson talks, you listen! So that’s why I did it, and now I’m friends with all these young, cool guys with crazy names like Akiva, Jorma, and Andy,” reveals Spacek.
She continues, “It’s not what I expected, but it’s fabulous. At a certain point, you just have to go for the gusto.”
Early word is that Spacek has revitalized her career yet again in ‘Old Man,’ so film fans hoping to see yet another incredible performance from the legendary actress should go check out the film in theaters now.