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The look on her face is judgmental, severe, and scary.
Her aesthetic is elegant.
But the vibe she gives off screams, Head for the freakin hills.
Note: This interview, which has been condensed and edited, contains spoilers aboutReady or Not.
Anyway, I loved the role.
A few days later, I got a call saying the directors wanted to meet me.
Honestly, I was so nervous about talking to the director on the phone.
Does that sound crazy?
I had only read Aunt Helenes scenes.
So thats why I was nervous.
I just needed to remind myself Im sure you do that.
I think everybody does.
You sit with a friend who goes, Remember youre this.
Remember youre that.And you go, Yes, yes, yes!
Yeah, we all have imposter syndrome.Yes, I think we do.
Then how did the conversation go?Matt and I got on really well on the phone.
We started talking about dogs.
We talked so easily and had an easy rapport, and that happened all during the film.
Its fascinating to me.
What kinds of things did you pick up on?Well, the concentration.
I always thought he was brilliant even from that awful TV show he did as a kid.
I shouldnt say its an awful TV show.
He would probably say it was awful too.Yeah, probably.
It requires an immense amount of concentration and composure and belief in yourself.
Every time he spoke the script, it sounded like he was thinking of it right then and there.
I asked Henry afterward, How long did you practice that?
How long did you work on it?
And he said, oh, three weeks, every day in my hotel room.
I wanted to ask about developing the look for Aunt Helene and what that process was like.
She is elegant and scary at the same time.I mean, I have nothing to do with that.
This is not a situation where the actor is allowed any input.
With this makeup and hair and wardrobe: expensive.
Because she just teased up my hair.
This is who I am.
Since she didnt kill him herself, she lost status to her brother.
So that was a really interesting idea for me.
Then you start pulling.
Definitely Cruella De Vil and Ursula fromThe Little Mermaidwere my muses.
And also Madame Defarge fromA Tale of Two Cities.
You know that shot of me at the wedding looking quite grotesque?
I had no idea how grotesque I looked until I saw the trailer.
It was so much fun.
I dont know if they had changed the ending before it got to you guys.
This is the first Im hearing of there being any alternate.
Thats all I know.
I mean, its not like they had to blow me up.
All they had to do was have a shot of me with a battle-ax.
And then Im not in the scene, and they splattered blood on everybody else.
Thats kind of how it works, you know?
You never see where the crossbow is shot into the maids mouth.
Its so amazing what they can do relatively easily.
Im wondering whether you thought about the implications of the ending.
Thats how the Le Domas family feels.
In their case, their lives are at stake.
Its also tradition, which, of course, Aunt Helene is going on about all the time.
Does that make sense?
Does that answer your question?
Theres no wrong answer here; I was just curious as to what you thought.
The response to the movie has been very positive.
It has gotten a lot of great reviews.
How have you reacted to all that?Ive been ecstatic.
But in this case … it was successful.
I think thats very, very rare.
Ever since I turned 40, I noticed the work has gotten fewer and farther between.Im now 66.
And my daughter thinks,Im the one who should get this role.
So its a completely different attitude, and partly its a difference in our ages.
I had to psych myself up.
I might go as Aunt Helene for Halloween.Oh really?
Maybe.Oh man, that would be so cool.
Youve got to send me a photograph if you do.
Oh, I love that!
