alone in her kitchen with Bruna and Ferruccio. And who that person was and allowed that human to come forward and her loneliness. And I think it’s also quite sad, because when she passed, the last experience she had, she went out and she tried, and the critics were so cruel. She wasn’t not Maria, but she was older and she wasn’t as good, and they were mean. And I don’t know if she passed knowing that she did her best and she was appreciated and loved. I think she may have died with a lot of loneliness and pain.
24
In this film it seems that Maria Callas herself becomes one of the characters in an Opera, the way the film opens, It’s the ending of an Opera. How did that play in your thinking about her? I listened to her, she actually taught. And so there are audio recordings of her teaching. So I got very lucky, because I got to be taught by Maria, who said when she approaches her work the first thing you do - and she calls it straight-jacketing - so the first thing you do is you don’t think about how you feel or what you want, you just try to understand the music and the intention of the composer. And you are disciplined and you do the work exactly as intended, you practice and practice. And so I did that, and I think in approaching that way then she said, ‘And then the final thing, you let your personal emotion come in - only then and only when you’re ready.’ And then I was so fortunate to be with Pablo, where he protected me. So when I was able, I would let that emotion in and I could try to do something I’d never done before. So really, the music led me, and the pieces of the music that were so thoughtfully put through by Stephen [Knight] and Pablo. And this was talked about a lot, which pieces and when and why? Yes, if you re-watch it, and I hope you do [laughs], you will see that the pieces themselves really speak more than you realise about the moments in her life. And it’s not accidental, and it’s not a distance. I think she became these characters, and she let these characters transform her. And I think in the end, it’s like the total sum of these pieces of work, that then become who she was. So yes, this film is opera. I kept asking Pablo halfway through, I kept saying, ‘Are we doing a musical or are we doing…?’ [laughs] I’m still not sure, by the way.
In your research for the role and then filming the scenes, what were some of the things that resonated with you as a woman and an artist? There’s so many. I think Alba [Rohrwacher] and I both had many emotional days on this. I think the thing that stood out to me most…. So once I passed the music and many things, I think it was getting past the Maria that we all think we know. I sat with her glasses on and her Greek hair and her robe and thought of her
Maria Callas was known in some quarters as the great diva. What does the word diva mean to you, particularly in the context of an independent women and in your own life? I think it often come with a lot of negative connotations. I think I’ve relearned that word through Maria and ‘Casta Diva’ [laughs]. And I have a new relationship with it. I think it is often other people’s perception of a woman that defines sometimes too much who she is and who she was or what she intended. And I actually think she was one of the hardest working people, who didn’t hurt anybody, it’s hard to think of something she’s done that was really, you know? So yes, I suppose it’s everybody in this room that makes that definition, sometimes, but the true definition may be the composer, the great composers define it differently.
In your journey as Maria can you talk about how much you related to her? Well, there’s a lot I won’t say [laughs] that you probably know or assume. I think in the way I related to her may be a surprise, that probably the part of her that’s extremely soft and doesn’t have room in the world to be as soft as she truly was, and as emotionally open as she truly was. I think in that vulnerability, I share her vulnerability more than anything.
Finally Angelina, now we know you can sing, what is your go to Karaoke song? I didn’t sing before this, so I haven’t done karaoke. But now, maybe, I’ve got a few - I’m ready!
And your favourite Opera? Ooh a favourite opera. I don’t know. I love ‘Anna Bolena’, because I love the mad scene in ‘Anna Bolena’.
Thank you and good luck with the Oscar.
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