In
the 1970s, a gay couple fights a biased legal system to keep custody of
the abandoned mentally handicapped teenager that comes to live under
their roof. Video courtesy of Music Box Films.
When
Alan Cumming first read the script for "Any Day Now," some
lines gave him pause. "I thought, 'Ew, that's a little overly
sentimental,' " he says. "Do I really need to say that?"
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the film concerns a gay couple: Rudy,
played by Mr. Cumming, is a drag-queen cabaret performer; Paul (Garret
Dillahunt) is an assistant DA. They keep their relationship closeted as
they fight to adopt a boy (Isaac Levya) with Down syndrome after his
drug-addicted mother goes to jail.
![[image]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/AR-AA588_CUMMIN_DV_20121129210449.jpg)
Getty Images
Actor and singer Alan Cumming
The Scottish actor, 47, is best known
for his stage work—he won a Tony for "Cabaret"—but also for film and TV
roles (he's currently on "The Good Wife").
One of the most striking moments in "Any Day Now," which won several
audience awards at film festivals, is when Mr. Cumming sings Bob Dylan's
gospel-influenced "I Shall Be Released." The performance was so
emotional that the filmmakers decided to tone it down in editing.
Audiences tear up anyway.
The film will be released in 18 cities on Dec. 14. Edited from an interview.
Did you worry the script was too melodramatic?
After the first reading, I was like, "Oh,
that can be a little schlocky or tacky." And even when we were on the
set, I'd say, "Do I really need to say that?" And Travis [Fine, the
director] would say "No." Now, some of the emotional parts are
heartbreaking, but not overly manipulative. So, it was always a
worry—and rightly so—at the start. I realized that what you do in early
drafts is you overwrite.
So you'd suggest revisions?
Yes. I felt when we got to the script we started to shoot with, it
was in good shape, but then you've got to see it in the room with other
people and it feels different. Garret and I were both so impressed with
Travis saying, "You know what? Don't say that." He was working too hard,
milking a scene too much. The whole thing was a real lesson in economy.
Were you concerned Rudy was too flamboyant?
Yes, I was worried about how I made the character more effeminate-y,
that's not a word. It's always a worry when you do something clichéd and
perhaps not the most positive representation of a gay person. Yet also,
there was this toughness to [Rudy]. Even though he was a drag queen, I
thought he is tough. Drag queens are some of the toughest people I've
ever met. Because if you're a man and you're going to parade around in
high heels and a wig, you'd better be.
You look very skinny in this film. Did you lose weight for the role?
I had just decided to stop drinking for a while. Then I realized in
all the pictures I looked at that everybody was much skinnier in the
1970s, because probably they all smoked and there wasn't such a
proliferation of processed foods. So, I was losing weight and I thought
that the not-drinking would kind of help with that. And I went to the
gym a lot. [After shooting was complete] I took my mother on the Queen
Mary across the Atlantic. And I realized there was no way I could spend a
week at sea with my mother without alcohol involved.
Tell me about when you sing "I Shall Be Released."
It's an amazing thing to be able to do as a performer, to sing a
beautiful song like that, but also to imbue it with such emotion and
pain. That communicates so much to the audience without actually being
part of the story. Of course, it was like, "No pressure!" I was feeling
very vulnerable singing in that way. The really scary thing was that I
didn't know the song, so [Mr. Fine] sent me a video from YouTube of
Bette Midler singing it in a bathhouse with Barry Manilow playing the
piano for her. It was all about the level of how much she would lose it.
[After editing], you see me trying so hard to keep it together. That's
more moving than someone losing it.
It sounded sort of Elton John-ish.
I know what you mean. But I didn't mean to. Unless I am impersonating
someone, I just kind of do it. That's interesting. It's the right
period. I heard the Jerry Garcia one, too. I heard a few, and was like, I
can't deal with this. When it's Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia and Bette
Midler—and then you have to actually do it in a way that's you and in
character and all that—so I just stopped. I made sure I knew the vague
tune. When the day came to do it, I wanted it to be heartfelt and raw
and kind of spontaneous.
Had you ever worked with an actor with Down syndrome before?
No. It was another one of these things where I thought, I have no
idea what this will mean to the day-to-day work. I had no idea what type
of relationship I would have with him. The first day I met him, he was
excited because he had seen "Spy Kids." We chatted, and he told me about
his favorite film, which was "High School Musical." He sang this song
in its entirety just looking in my eyes, and it was just amazing. I just
fell in love with him that afternoon.
Source (including video and photo):
Wall Street Journal
Alan Cummings to appear on CBS SUNDAY MORNING (Dec 2)
Actor-writer-director
Alan Cumming has few memories of his childhood – the result of a troubled household, he tells Serena Altschul in a wide-ranging interview to be broadcast on CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH Charles Osgood.
His father was violent, while his mother overly praised him, and so as he grows older he feels like he’s recapturing his past with a newfound playfulness, he tells Altschul.
“I think, in a funny sort of way, I had to grow up,” he says. “I had my life backwards, in a way. I mean, I think a lot of people have this kind of quality. And as they grow older it gets more muted, and with me, it’s kind of the opposite way.”
Cumming, a star on the hit CBS series THE GOOD WIFE, tells Altschul that because of his father’s behavior, he has few memories of growing up in Scotland. “It’s really weird,” he says. “It’s because I didn’t want to make them memories because it was so painful.” Cumming adds, “Well, I had my father telling me I was worthless and my mom told me I was precious. And so, you know, I didn’t believe either of them.”
Theatre classes gave him a way out, he says. He’s parlayed that early experience into a career that spans Broadway, TV and theatrical films. He’s also been open about his life, he tells Altschul. Cumming is now married to Grant Shaffer, a graphic artist.
He says when people think of him they associate an easiness and openness, someone unafraid to talk frankly about his life. “I think that people connect to that and I think they like me for that,” he says. “It’s been a good thing for me to be as open as I have been – and to be out in that way.”
Altschul's interview with Cumming will be broadcast Dec. 2, 2012 on CBS SUNDAY MORNING (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Rand Morrison is the executive producer.
Source:
BroadwayWorld
