Interview with Hollywood Legend Marion Ross, Star of A Reason
When you think about someone like Marion Ross, I suspect your mind is immediately taken back to memories of watching Happy Days on television. What you may not know is that Ross has been in show business since the mid-1950s and is showing no signs of stopping. Her latest role, in director Dominique Schilling’s A Reason, is a departure of sorts. Ross plays Aunt Irene, an elegant, yet villainous woman dying of pancreatic cancer. Well aware of her impending death, she calls her family together for a reading of her will.
Aside from trading in her typically nice, charming, and wholesome persona for something a little more dastardly, this movie is currently working the festival circuit which offers new opportunities for the Hollywood legend. Ross sat down with CinemaNerdz to chat about her experience with the movie, the differences between acting for TV versus movies, and her oddest jobs. A transcript of that interviews follows below.
CinemaNerdz: What was it about Aunt Irene that intrigued you enough to work on A Reason?
MARION ROSS: I was intrigued by the fact that I got to play a different character than I normally do. I usually play a sweet and kind grandmother, but in this film I am somewhat of the villain. In the end you see her turn around. She does turn around of course and that’s what was fun.
CinemaNerdz: Everything I’ve seen, read, and heard about you always seems to point out how genuine and nice you are. Was it hard to slip into the more disagreeable persona of Aunt Irene?
ROSS: Yes, it was hard because I am genuinely a nice person. So I would find myself slipping out of meanness at times.
CinemaNerdz: A Reason has been showing to captive audiences in the film festival circuit lately. What are your thoughts on independent cinema?
ROSS: I think it’s great because it’s wide open. The world has opened up and you have people making films out of their basements now. It’s all new energy. You don’t have to be in the three big studios or five big networks anymore. You can operate independently and I think it’s great.
CinemaNerdz: Do you enjoy the hustle and bustle of supporting the film at various festivals?
ROSS: It’s funny, it’s like going to a fair. You come home exhausted because of the noise and people, but on the other hand you energize each other while there and it’s fun to see the competition. When I was younger it was a very small, elite group of people in the business. It was something you just couldn’t be a part of. Now, it’s very different and wide open, that is pretty exciting.
CinemaNerdz: For the uninitiated, what can you tell us about A Reason without ruining the plot?
ROSS: It’s a family drama that centers around family members coming together in order to hear the reading of my will. There is some backstabbing and arguing involved to say the least.
CinemaNerdz: This was Dominique Schilling’s first true feature-length film. While I’m sure she learned many things working with someone like you who has had such a storied career in show business, I’m curious about what you learned from her.
ROSS: What was so enjoyable for me was seeing her next to the camera and seeing her face light up. She seemed to be thrilled by what she was seeing. She imagined it and was so happy to see it come to life. I liked that because I do well with an audience.
CinemaNerdz: For you, what are the key differences between acting for a television show and a feature length film?
ROSS: Back when I did the series Brooklyn Bridge we had one camera. By the time we would get the close-up the director would say, just breathe. The size of the shot was so big they didn’t want any acting, just to breathe. When you are on stage you have to kick it up and when on TV with two cameras you have to kick it up for them too, that way the camera is in your face. It is interesting to see how good a movie actor can be by basically doing nothing. It’s hard to find that level sometimes. The British actors are who impress me because they can do it all.
CinemaNerdz: If you could offer up one piece of advice to someone who may be thinking about going into acting, what would it be?
ROSS: At this phase in my life it has changed so much. It is a different story now. I would once again try to encourage them to work with the most important people you can and the people that seem to be busy. Try to husband yourself with a close group because you will get asked to do a million films, so you have to use your energy wisely. What I find interesting is the actors are coming out of nowhere these days and they can do it. It’s exciting. I am very careful how I live my life because I have seen these corpses, people’s careers, be kicked on the side of the road. I think I have achieved a very full career now.
CinemaNerdz: Prior to your acting career, what’s the weirdest job you ever had?
ROSS: I had a job when I was very young, you would walk around a table and put together the yellow pages of a phone book. Another horrible job I had, I got in an open truck and went out in the fields of Minnesota to weed onions. I did not last long with that one. (Laughs)
CinemaNerdz: With the type of career you’ve had, you could really rest on your laurels. What keeps you motivated to be so active in show business?
ROSS: I like to do this. If the role interests me I will do it. I like to be someone else. When I would see someone I liked when I was little, I would try to imitate them and become that. There was a little girl in grade school that I wanted to be like because she talked a little different. I started talking like her and then the teacher sent us both to remedial speech class because it turns out she has a lisp. I bounced out of that fast. (Laughs)
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