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Given Constance Zimmer’s acting work over the past three decades, you might assume she’s the actress who’s played roles in the HBO series. footnoteNetflix House of cards And for life UnrealisticYou only choose series that you know will be cultural and have high ratings. But that’s not quite how you do it.
“When I did Unrealistic“I never read the script,” Zimmer admits of the drama in which she starred as the unscrupulous boss of Shiri Appleby’s impressionable young reality TV producer. “I was just told what the character was going to be and how we were going to collaborate to create this woman that I never had the opportunity to portray. And I went with that.”
When Anne Messina Freeman comes to play the mother of Caroline Bisset (Sarah Pidgeon) and Lauren Bisset (Sydney Lemon) in FX’s love storyWhen she got there, Zimmer had at least read the script for the character, but it only took one scene — and her admiration for the real-life John F. Kennedy Jr. and his partner, whose romance was at the heart of the series created by Connor Haynes and executive produced by Ryan Murphy — to get on board with the film.
“When I read the wedding speech, I said, ‘If this is all I do on this show, it will be worth it,'” the actress recalls. “I’ve always chosen the shows I’ve been doing based on the characters I’m playing because that’s all I can control.”
Zimmer certainly chose right again this time. love story It captivated audiences with its ’90s nostalgia, and became the most-watched limited series ever on Hulu and Disney+. Although she only appeared in three episodes, her character’s impact lingered, especially when it came to evoking the mother’s devastated reaction to the loss of her daughters and John, played by Paul Anthony Kelly, in the “Search and Recover” finale.
“Which love story “He was able to show more of Bissette’s side, and it was a wonderful thing to be a part of. It was really sad, but it felt very healing for the people who didn’t know them, for the people who knew them, and for everyone who watched their story unfold in real time,” Zimmer says.
After filming for the show wrapped in November, Zimmer lost her mother, adding an unexpected connection to her portrayal of Anne as a viewer.
“When I was watching the show, I had a whole new sadness that I was unpacking and I’m still unpacking every day,” she says. “I cried again over the traumatic loss of my mother. It has become cathartic for me, watching myself and dealing with the grief and being able to allow myself to feel everything.”
One particularly poignant moment in the finale, which focuses on the aftermath of the trio’s deaths, shows the connection between Caroline Kennedy and Grace Gummer’s Anne over their shared loss. Having worked with Gummer on season 2 of Aaron Sorkin’s newsroom In 2013, he helped Zimmer feel comfortable while filming stressful scenes.
“After every take, we would look at each other and just say, ‘Thank God,’ because you need two actors in that scene who are willing to fully live those emotions without any judgment or filter at all,” she says. “I don’t know if I could have done it without someone with Grace Gummer’s grace.”
Looking back at her photography in love storyaged 55, whose screen credits also include Boston Legal, Gray’s Anatomy and shamelesssays her half-century of living experience best prepared her for this role. It’s also why she thinks Hollywood still needs more stories centered around women of a certain age.
“There’s not enough,” Zimmer says. “We need to see more women, especially over 50, finding their strength in the wisdom they’ve learned throughout their lives.” “To be able to put that into a role, it’s not an accident.
“I don’t think I could have given a performance like this five years ago, I’ll be honest, because it’s only been in the last five years that the experience and understanding and growth that I’ve had has really come with age,” she continues. “We need more strong women over 45 – I would say over 50 – to show the empowerment and strength that comes with ageing. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s incredible.”
This story first appeared in the June standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To obtain the magazine, click here to subscribe.
