Stage: Screen Idol

Andrew Kay talks to Greta Scacchi about playing screen legend Bette Davis

How did you go about putting together your version of Bette?
“Well that was pretty easy in that there’s so much material. I watched film after film, which was hugely informative. I wish I’d done that when I was a student, now I will advise any aspiring actress to look at all of Bette’s films, because there is such a strong muscular thread of integrity, of total belief in the character, immersion, a kind of ethic that has become so clear when you see film after film. It is the rigour of her attitude that comes through very clearly and is just as relevant today for actors, I’d say particularly on screen. Bette didn’t mind making enemies or being a ratbag. If she needed something for the character she would fight to the end.”

Will you do the same from now on?
“Yeah, I think I’m going to be monstrous!”

Tougher?
“Yeah I think, it’s not for nothing that Meryl Streep says that Bette is her mentor, because you know, we know that Meryl Streep is amazingly, consistently, 100 per cent brilliant in everything she does.”

Even if the film doesn’t live up to her performance…
“Well yes, and I think, hang on, how can it be? How come the rest of us, we win some, we lose some, some directors, some situations are just going to be conducive to doing a good performance, but she must have encountered situations where it wasn’t such a great working situation and yet she makes it work.”

In the era of the glamorous icon, Davis had no fear of looking unattractive on screen, prepared to play the spinster, the wicked older sister…
“That’s right, and for that time that was really radical. When she did the spinster when eyebrows had to be pencil thin, and she put these great thick, black caterpillars on her face. I think it’s wonderful.”

You’re playing this with Anita Dobson, on stage there’s career rivalry between the two ladies, so what’s it like offstage for the two of you?
“What would you like me to tell you?”

[Laughs] I’d like you to tell me if you’re having fun, or if you have the same sort of envy of each other’s roles. Are there moments when you’d like to be playing Joan Crawford?
“I can’t think how to answer this question, you’ve really got me gobsmacked.”

I suppose you’ve invested so much time in creating your version of Miss Davis that that’s all you’re focused on, yes?
“I’m not busy thinking, ‘I wouldn’t do it like that,’ of her Joan. But we work together very well; we’re very different as women and as actresses, but we work together exceedingly well I think.”

In Brighton we are very aware of the beautiful Rankin nude photograph of you with the huge fish. Did you enjoy doing it? It must have been slippery…
“Yeah, that happened in a few seconds, because I promise you, I wasn’t expecting to get naked, really, really believe me. You don’t believe me? I’ll tell you in my defence, they were going to photograph personalities with fish, and I was to get my friends in. They wanted to get me photographed and I said; ‘No I’m not famous enough, let’s get some other people.’ We got Richard E Grant, and Lenny Henry and Emilia Fox and on the day I said, ‘OK, but I’m going to bag the biggest fish so that it covers me up.’ I thought the less of my middle aged body that’s seen, the better, so when it came to me I’m trying to hold this heavy, freezing cold, slippery thing and its tail is dangling down one side and it’s head it flopping the other side and its’ guts are splitting open in the middle.

Rankin said; ‘It’s just no good, I can’t get you both in, just hold it vertically will you.’ And I just whipped it round and held it that way, it was freezing and I was shrieking and the fin just about covered up one nipple, and then he said; ‘Well that’s great, just like that, I can get the whole thing,’ and I said; ‘You can’t get my trousers. And he said; ‘Well we’ll edit those out.’ And I said, ‘No, no, no, quick pull my trousers off, and my knickers.’ So down they came, all within one minute, honestly, the picture was me, barely managing to keep the fish from slipping through my grasp. And I’m laughing because of the cold wet slime running down my thigh.”

Do you think people like the pressure of being laid bare? Is that not unlike being an actress on stage, putting yourself in front of an audience and asking them to look at you in a different way?
“It’s weird, I cannot explain why we do it, and I’ve asked myself many a time, ‘Why the hell am I up here, what is going on?’ I still get these little thoughts creeping into my mind when I’m up there of ‘what if I just walked off right now?’ It’s odd, it’s an odd thing. It’s not always what you feel like doing, but it’s your job, and your job is such a strange thing, something very detailed and challenging.”

Have you found it challenging?
“Very challenging.”

Bette & Joan, Theatre Royal Brighton, until Sat 2 June,
Box office 08448 717 650