For long-time admirers of that special school of acting that seems to spring from Chicago like a grumpy winter storm, Amy Morton is something of a modern legend, having been a part of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble since 1997. She earned two Tony nominations for Broadway productions of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” and “August: Osage County,” both of which originated at Steppenwolf. Last year at Steppenwolf, she directed the play “The Way West,” which tops the list of her word as director at somewhere around 15 productions.
As far as film work, the Oak Park, Illinois native has been sporadically seen in supporting roles in such films as FALLING DOWN, 8MM, ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, THE GREATEST, THE DILEMMA, and perhaps most memorably as George Clooney’s sister in UP IN THE AIR. She’s perhaps most recognizable as the abrasive and funny desk sergeant Trudy Platt in “Chicago P.D.,” and she’s appeared in other series including “Blue Bloods,” “Boss,” “Girls,” and even a couple episodes of the great Chicago gangster series “Crime Story.”
In a long overdue and welcome turn, Morton’s latest movie puts her squarely as the lead, in the indie BLUEBIRD from first-time writer-director Lance Edmands, co-starring John Slattery, Louisa Krause, Emily Meade, Margo Martindale, and Adam Driver. It’s a low-key, but highly emotional story of a elementary school bus driver who makes a single, small mistake with crushing consequences that end up sending shockwaves through their small Maine logging community. The atmosphere of the film borders on oppressive, but the acting from Morton in particular is so strong, it piercing through everything. I always get such a charge talking to anyone in the Chicago theater scene, and Morton was a great subject, and you should seek out BLUEBIRD in your neck of the woods. Please enjoy my talk with the great Amy Morton…
Amy Morton: Hi, Steve. How are you?
Capone: Good. I know you’re from Chicago, but you’re not in Chicago right now, are you?
AM: No, I flew to New York Saturday to do press for this, and I’m coming back tonight.
Capone: When we were trying to set this up, I asked, “Is there any way we can do this in Chicago, because we both live there?” Ah well. When you decide to take on a film role from a new director, what does that person have to show you to get you to trust his vision enough for you to say yes.
AM: In this case, it was pretty much the script which Lance wrote. So, reading the script, I really liked it and I figured he had good taste. And I loved the role so much that I thought, absolutely I want to take a chance on this.
Capone: Just in talking to Lance about it, did he give you any indication of what you’d be doing? Was there something impressive about the way he spoke about the material?
AM: I think it was the fact that, he had a sit down with both John Slattery and myself when we were first talking about it. It was just his knowledge of the area, because this is where he grew up was in Maine. And he understood the people—the stoicism and internal life that these people have, and how much they keep things internally—that really helped and made me feel absolutely that I could do this, because it’s also not that dissimilar from the Midwest sensibility.
Capone: That’s true. I think that I read somewhere that he said when he was writing your character that he thought about how his mother might react to situations like this. Did he convey that to you at all?
AM: Interesting. No, I didn’t know that.
Capone: That might have been pretty daunting. Specifically, what was it about Lesley when you read the script that you responded to and latched on to?
AM: Her internal landscapes felt very familiar, and I thought, this is terrane that I’ve absolutely done on stage, but I haven’t done on screen. So I really wanted to explore that and see what that would be like, and I really had a— well, a great time isn’t quite the word, but it was a really wonderful experience.
Capone: I don’t think Lance has done the tourism board of Maine any favors with this movie. I don’t know if you remember the beginning, but before we even get picture, there’s just that sound of wind, and I knew the first thing I was going to see was snow blowing across an empty field, and sure enough.
AM: There you go. Again, not that dissimilar to the Midwest [laughs].
Capone: Not right now, for sure. It’s such a quiet and intimate film. Is it different when you’re acting for the people just in the room, as opposed to the back rows? Is there an adjustment you have to make?
AM: Sure, huge. Big adjustment. There were a couple of films I did coming off of having done stage work, particularly like AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY or VIRGINIA WOOLF, where they’re very large performances. Directors would have to tell me to just calm the hell down because I was playing for the back rows. So yeah, it is a big adjustment. Luckily, in many ways, film is easier, physically easier. You really have to internalize because that camera picks up everything, so pretty much, you just have to be in the frame of mind and think it, and the camera will pick it up.
Capone: Even the act of having your face in closeup must be somewhat unnerving and unnatural.
AM: It is in the beginning, but then you deal with it. It’s weird. Doing film is weird. But then again, doing stage is weird. It’s a weird business. But you learn to ignore the camera as much as you can.
Capone: Obviously, you’ve been doing a lot of television lately. Has that eased that transition a bit, because it is also a close-up medium in a way.
AM: Sure. And the TV work, it’s different too. It’s TV. There’s very little rehearsal; it’s so fast. Television is so fast. It’s an enormous learning experience. You’ve got to really be prepared, because you’re not going to get much time.
Capone: The scene in this film where you breakdown in the kitchen is such a key moment. It’s almost hard to watch. What do you have to do to prepare for a moment like that, where it’s almost an intrusion when people come into the frame with you? What do you have to go through in your head to get ready for that scene?
AM: Not a lot, really. It was a bleak winter where we were, and the subject matter is so sad that it really didn’t require a whole lot of prep. You just had to be open to the circumstances, you know what I mean?
Capone: Just look out the window.
AM: Yeah, pretty much [laughs].
Capone: The film is about on many layers isolation. The townspeople become very isolated in the winter months. This marriage is not healthy and the relationship between the mother and the daughter is fractured as well. By the time this accident happens, it’s Lesley almost separates from herself because can’t believe that she has done this. And the sense of guilt is so palpable and oppressive. Talk about sinking that low and just allowing the world to eat you up.
AM: I feel like I’m used to doing that. Over the last five years, I was doing two shows back-to-back that were incredibly, emotionally hard. So it was not something that I was not used to, in that way. It’s just what I do.
Capone: It’s just your job. You mentioned rehearsal earlier. Was there any time for that? What did you get to with that process?
AM: We were able to come out early before filming started and have rehearsal with the director and discussions, and that was really helpful. Then we all went home and then we started again a couple of weeks later. So you got to steep. You got to sort of marinade all those ideas. It was really helpful. But the shooting time itself was pretty short. We did it in 20-some days.
Capone: I was going to ask you if getting to rehearse and spend time with Emily and John was helpful in establishing that family dynamic, but then I realized, there is no family dynamic.
AM: [laughs] Yeah, no. It’s really not about that. Yeah. We didn’t really need to. Luckily we all got along really well, so that was good.
Capone: You shot this movie, if I’m remembering right, more than two years ago. It started playing festivals almost two years ago. Are you happy people are now finally getting to see it?
AM: Oh, sure. Yeah, absolutely. Most definitely. It wasn’t easy. It was really cold, there were a couple of days that were really physically difficult. To be like, “It’s worth it. It’s going to be seen” is great.
Capone: And Lance shot it on film, which is amazing. You mentioned the cold. There’s cold, then there’s that level of cold. What does playing someone who chooses to live under those conditions tell you about them?
AM: Well, you know where we live, Steve [laughs].
Capone: But it’s not always like that.
AM: It’s not that dissimilar. Think back to last winter. Do you know what I mean? It’s not like I was like, “Oh this person is so foreign for me.” Looking out on that really snowy landscape—and by the way, that winter everybody was really worrying because they weren’t getting enough snow. But looking out on that landscape, I was like, “Oh, this is like really, really familiar.” So yeah, it wasn’t like I felt I was a stranger in a strange land at all [laughs].
Capone: Why are you so committed to being a Chicago-based actor? What is special about that for you?
AM: Well, it’s what I’m used to. It’s where I grew up. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to see and do theater in a whole lot of places, and I think the best theater that I’ve seen and done is always still Chicago. Now granted, I’m completely bias.
Capone: We all are.
AM: But I can’t imagine not doing theater there. It’s great to have my career. I’ve been doing shows in Australia and London and other places. But to have an artistic home is really important to me. Steppenwolf is absolutely that, and Chicago is absolutely that.
Capone: I know you directed a show at Steppenwolf last year. Do you have plans to return to directing in the future?
AM: Yeah. I’m going to be directing a show here in New York at the Atlantic Theater in May. It will open in June, and it’s called “Guards at the Taj,” as in Taj Mahal. And it’s written by Rajiv Joseph. He’s the guy that won the Pulitzer last year for “Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo.” He’s a really great writer, so I’m excited.
Capone: It’s a new play?
AM: Yeah.
Capone: Do you have plans to bring that to Chicago?
AM: Seriously, I’m not even thinking that far ahead.
Capone: So that’s your summer break from the TV show.
AM: Pretty much. That’s the hiatus.
Capone: I have to to ask one thing. There’s one thing I noticed on your résumé that I have to ask about. I moved to Chicago from D.C. in 1986 to go to college, and within weeks of moving here, a show called “Crime Story” premiered. I noticed you were in several episodes of that. There are few things more Chicago to me than Michael Mann projects. So i’m just wondering, do you have any recollection about that experience? We were addicted to that show for the short time it was on.
AM: That was so long ago. It’s a blur. I remember I had done some work with Dennis Farina before, so it was great that he was in the show. I felt like I had a friend on the show. When you’re doing stuff, particularly because I was really young and it was only like my second time on TV or something, I was really freaked out. So it was great to have Dennis there. I think I remember having fun [laughs]. But it was so long ago.
Capone: But it was good for you because it was shot in Chicago—at least the first season was.
AM: Yeah the second season was Las Vegas. I do remember going to Vegas in a snow storm and sitting on the tarmac for three hours in Chicago. So there’s that memory. That just came back to me.
Capone: Do you have thoughts about indie film freedoms versus the freedoms that a bigger budget might give you?
AM: I don’t really. I don’t think I have enough experience to really answer that. I certainly felt very listened to on this. And sometimes if it’s a big-budget film and it’s got big fat stars in it, you don’t feel particularly listened to. You feel like you need to keep your head down and shut up. But this was not that at all. This was incredibly collaborative.
Capone: Do you prefer to be a part of that process?
AM: Absolutely. I think it helps all the way around.
Capone: In terms of being a network television regular, what are the pros and cons of that work and that schedule in your life?
AM: It’s great. I’m incredibly grateful to have the job at home. I’m pretty sure every Chicago actor would love to have what I have. It’s amazing. It’s very fast. There’s very little rehearsal.Like I said, you have to come incredibly prepared. But it’s a wonderful group of people. We all get along famously. We have a lot of fun together. But this is something that you’re not in control of. The writers are always aren’t on the set, you get a different director from week to week. So it’s a completely different experience. But I have a great time doing it, and plus, the character is so fun.
Capone: She’s great. Amy, thank you so much for taking the time to talk. I hope we get to meet at some point in this cold-ass city.
