Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 23 February 2018
Actor and writer Tracy Letts 'having the time of my life'

By MARK KENNEDY one of the draws.
NEW YORK (AP) — If you "I knew he would be a real
want to get Tracy Letts in rock in all the scenes I have
your movie — and that with him," she said. "I've told
might be a good idea since him I love his style of acting.
he has two up for best pic- It's very minimalistic. Very
ture at the Oscars — you'd direct, very quiet. No ker-
better proofread the script fuffle. I like that."
before you send it. "The Post," in which Letts
Letts, who has supporting plays a trusted adviser
roles in "Lady Bird" and "The to Washington Post pub-
Post," is also a Pulitzer Prize- lisher Kay Graham, came
and Tony Award-winning together fast. The timely
playwright and says he has story about publishing the
abandoned new scripts af- Pentagon Papers forced
ter 20 pages if they torture director Steven Spielberg
the English language. and actors Tom Hanks and
"If I get a script that has a Meryl Streep to accelerate
lot of bad grammar, a lot their normal film schedules.
of typos, then I think, 'Well, "We did absolutely feel an
they probably didn't work urgency. There was a civic-
real hard on making the mindedness about all of our
script good,'" he said. "So approaches to the film," he
that's big for me." In this Jan. 16, 2018 photo, Tracy Letts poses for a portrait in New York. said. "We all had a reason
His instincts seem to have Associated Press to be there."
worked out marvelously The pitched politics of to-
over the past year, with two on my doorstep," he said "The Leftovers" and "Fargo," Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" day also infuses Letts' "The
celebrated films, his play, during a recent interview. are welcoming their first and had two good things Minutes," a play about
"The Minutes," about to land "I've had so many great op- child this spring. happen — he met his wife members of a small-town
on Broadway, another play portunities and I'm having "People keep telling us our doing the show and one of city council meeting work-
— "Mary Page Marlowe" — the time of my life." lives are going to change. the creators of "Homeland" ing out their differences
coming off-Broadway this His busy schedule is about I don't believe 'em," said saw him in the play, kick- over 90 minutes.
summer, and a role in HBO's to magnified — and per- Letts, displaying his dry starting his latest screen "The play isn't about Donald
"Divorce," now in its second manently: Letts and his sense of humor. "No way. career with a story arc as a Trump and it's not about
season. wife, Carrie Coon, who is No chance. How could it CIA director. Hillary Clinton. It's not about
"Look, I'm just real lucky. I having her own breakout possibly change my life?" Soon he was in Todd Solon- Democrats or Republicans,
had some great stuff land moment thanks to roles on As a sign that Letts and dz's "Wiener-Dog," which though it does present a
Coon have reached the also starred Greta Gerwig, couple of different political
big time, the couple is sud- the author of "Lady Bird," a philosophies in the mouths
denly being approached coming-of-age tale about of characters," he said.
with offers of swag. Letts, a teenage girl in her last To get ready to write, Letts
52, is both appalled and in- year of high school in 2002. endured watching hun-
trigued at the idea. Gerwig and Letts didn't dreds of hours of civic
"People now give me free share any screen time and meetings on YouTube. "If
stuff. Like my wife is preg- only met for the first time at you're struggling with in-
nant and so suddenly it's the premiere of "Wiener- somnia, I've got a surefire
like, 'Hey, you guys need Dog" at the Sundance Film solution to that problem,"
some free stuff?' Baby car- Festival. They talked for 20 he joked.
riers and stuff? Here's a free minutes and something To extend Letts' dominance
dad bag,'" he said, laugh- clicked. "She realized on of all possible media, he
ing. "We get free stuff! It's so talking to me that I was an also features on "Divorce,"
unfair." old softy and decided to playing the wealthy hus-
Letts burst to worldwide put me in her movie," he band of Molly Shannon. He
fame when his "August: said. shot eight episodes, in style.
Osage County" won the Laurie Metcalf, a fellow "Because I play a guy with
Pulitzer and five Tonys, in- member of Steppenwolf money, I get to be on nice
cluding the best-play tro- who only worked with Letts sets and wear nice clothes.
phy in 2008. for the first time as his on- Oh, man, it's a dream job.
He returned to Broadway screen wife in "Lady Bird," Who wouldn't want that
in a 2012 revival of "Who's said working with him was gig?" q

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