June Squibb received rave reviews at the end of last year for her performance in Alexander Payne's latest film Nebraska: she went on to receive a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work.
Ahead of the DVD & Blu-Ray release, we caught up with the actress to chat about the film, reuniting with Payne, and what lies ahead.
- Nebraska is about to be released on DVD here in the UK, so can you tell me a little bit about it?
It is a film that we shot in the Mid-West, and it is a film about a man who thinks he has won a million dollars. He is determined to get to Nebraska to pick up him money.
I play his wife, and he has two sons; we realise that it is a sham. He feels like he has already won it. The younger son decides that he will drive his father to Nebraska: which is where the husband and wife grew up.
Because of accidents, they end up at a 'family home' and the whole family ends up in this little town where these two characters grew up.
It is really a story about the son and the father, and how they get to know each other better. It is a family story. Everyone who sees it says 'oh my god that is my family'. They just seem to really relate to the family.
- You take on the role of Kate Grant in the movie, so what was it about this character and the script that initially appealed to you?
This script was brilliant; it was one of the sparsest scripts that I have ever read. There wasn't a single word that wasn't absolutely necessary in this script. Bob Nelson was just brilliant with what he wrote and how he wrote it. You read it and you think 'oh my god I want to do that'.
There is a scene in the middle of the film, where Kate is at the family cemetery in this small town in Nebraska, and she is just impossible. She has no filter, and she is calling her husband's sister a whore and a slut. Nothing stops the words from coming out of her mouth; if she thinks it, it comes right out of her mouth.
- How exciting is it to get the chance to play a character like this, who is no holds barred?
No holds barred is right. I just loved it. It is interesting because people ask 'were you not frightened?' However, I wasn't, I just thought it was going to be great. And it really was great fun to do.
- I was going to ask you about that cemetery scene. In that scene, we see Kate at her most frank, how do you approach a scene like that? And what did you think of that moment when you saw it in the script?
Well, when I saw the script, I realised that she relished being able to say these things to her husband and her son. I went into it with the idea of enjoying something tremendously.
She is one of these people... there are people who enjoy anger, and there are people who enjoy being snide; she enjoys all of the things that she spouts. She has a good time, I think.
- I am a huge Alexander Payne as a director, and this is the second time that you have worked with him. How do you find working with him? And what kind of director is he?
He is great. He knows how an actor works and he knows what time you need and when you are going to get there. He really is so attuned to the actor when he is working.
One thing that has always impressed me with him is that he always wants truth and honesty; he doesn't want it on the screen if it is not going to be true. He really makes sure that the actors that he is using understand the truth of every scene.
- Despite the fact that you have worked with him before, were you nervous about going into the audition for this role?
I didn't really go in. What happened was... he felt that I was the little old lady from About Schmidt and wasn't right for the role of Kate Grant. At some point, he decided that he wanted to see me. I don't know what happened, as he never talked to me about that.
He wanted to see me right away in Los Angeles, but I was in New York working and couldn’t. They asked me if they sent me a script, would I tape some scenes. I said 'sure'. So I did.
He called right away and said that he wanted me to do it. The taping was my audition. We taped at my agent's office in New York.
- Bruce Dern played your husband Woody, while Will Forte is on board as your son. How did you find working alongside the, Bruce Dern in particular?
Bruce is brilliant; he is one of the best actors that I have ever worked with. He is just so great. But he is wicked (laughs). He comes up with all of these things and is just so funny. He is just so dear, he really is.
Will was going on 'what am I doing here with you two?' I think, at the beginning he was intimidated, but he realised that he didn't need to be. He was just wonderful.
- The movie has been a huge critical hit, but how have you been finding the response to the film? It really does seem to be striking a chord with audiences.
It is amazing. After they see it, people are saying 'I saw my family up there'. Again, it goes back to Alexander's truth and honesty, and audiences can see real people' that is not always true in film.
The fact that we got the applause that we got. Everyone has been on the bandwagon for it, and that has been really exciting. I feel that personally, and I also feel it for the film.
- It is interesting that you mention people saying 'that is my family', I was wondered how much of your own family you saw in the screenplay and the final film?
It was interesting because I didn't think of my own family when I was shooting it. However, when I saw it for the first time I was like 'oh my god, that is my mother up there'; I had become my mother (laughs).
I have even said that Kate Grant is in my genes; I had a mother with two crazy sisters. I think that Kate Grant was somewhere around there.
- Your performance saw you pick up your first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. How would you sum up your Oscar experience? And how did you find the whole awards season?
I was great, it was fun, and it was exciting. I felt that we had a season of tremendously important films; it wasn't just Nebraska, every film that was involved was a really great film. Everyone kept saying 'this season is amazing with the amount of really fine films in it'.
I felt that we were always in good company. I was just really proud that the film got there, and Bruce and I. It was tremendously exciting being a first-timer.
- You have enjoyed a career that has seen you work in TV, film and theatre. How have you working in all three mediums during your career?
I have enjoyed it. People have asked 'do you wish you had started film earlier?' And I don't. I had a wonderful career on stage doing Cabaret and Broadway: I did everything that one could possibly do in New York City on stage.
I think the film thing was almost a surprise to me. I think that it is where I should be working because it has been great to me: both film and television.
- That does lead into my next question. As you say, you did come to film quite late in your career, so how did you find that transition to the big screen?
I found it very easy, I enjoyed it. My husband taught acting, and he taught in such a way where it was very easy for me to make that change. He gave me real knowledge about myself and about my work.
I have done stage since, and you just relate to the fact that the audience is there and it is huge. When you are working with the camera, I never think about the camera as I am more focused on the actors that I am working with.
I know some people have trouble making that transition, but I did not. It was something that I understood right away.
- Finally, what's next for you?
I am doing a film right now called I'll See You In My Dreams, with Blythe Danner and Sam Elliott.
Then I am going to be doing the TV show called Devious Maids: Marc Cherry will be producing. I will be playing Susan Lucci's mother. I will be doing at least two segments, but possibly more.
Then in the Fall, I am going back to Dallas, Texas to the regional theatre to do Driving Miss Daisy: I will be there about six weeks.
Nebraska is released on DVD & Blu-Ray 14th April.
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