PIctured From The Fanily Stone: Diane Keaton, Ty Giordano, Claire Danes, Craig T. Nelson, and Dermot Mulroney. Below: Ty Giordano.
I thought out writer-director Thomas Bezucha's The Family Stone was one of last year's best movies. Diane Keaton brilliantly heads a cast that includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes, Amy Adams and Craig T. Nelson. They enact what, at first, appears to be a shopworn Hollywood romantic-comedy formula: Everett ( Mulroney ) brings home uptight girlfriend Meredith ( Parker ) to meet his quickly disapproving family ( headed by Keaton and Nelson ) for the holidays. But as the film plays out, Bezucha adds a lot of interesting twists and turns.
One of the most prominent twists is the role of the Stone's deaf, gay son Thad, played by Ty Giordano. Thad has an African-American partner, Patrick ( Brian J. White ) , who is lovingly accepted by the ultra-liberal Stone family. In a particularly memorable scene, Keaton declares her wish that all her sons—not just Thad—had been born gay and when hesitantly confronted about that by Parker, defends him in such no-nonsense terms that it's like a call to arms. Take that, homophobes!
The Family Stone has just been released on DVD ( from Fox Home Video ) with the usual assortment of commentaries, deleted scenes and making-of featurettes, as well as an interesting Q&A session done with most of the cast. Giordano spoke with Windy City Times about making The Family Stone, his first movie.
WCT: How did you come to be a part of The Family Stone?
TG: I was doing the national tour of Big River, and it just so happened that Fox was casting for the movie while we were in Los Angeles for our two-week run at the Ahmanson. I auditioned for the part, and met with Mr. Bezucha, and then learned I was to be cast.
WCT: Was it daunting working with such major talents as Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker and the rest of the stellar cast on your first film? Any specific examples you recall?
TG: It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once to learn that I was going to be running with the big dogs. My first thought upon learning the news: 'How am I going to keep up with these people?!'Then it came time for rehearsals ( which I hear are rare in the film world—too costly ) , and we broke the ice, taking a step towards feeling at ease with each other, like a real family. I was now able to be star-struck and feel at ease knowing that the rest of the cast, like me, was human, too. I was in awe of how each of them worked—Ms. Keaton was a real pro, and every take she would pull something different out of her bag of tricks. I learned about giving the director as many choices as possible for the final edits from her. From Ms. Parker, I learned about an unbeatable work ethic, and she's such a joy to be around, so genuine and sweet, and so damn smart. Mr. Mulroney was like the big brother on the set, always kidding around with everyone, and Mr. Wilson would crack us all up with his stream-of-consciousness.
WCT: You played a character with a lot of societal challenges. In addition to being deaf, Thad is gay and has an African-American boyfriend. How did you prepare for the part? Did you have discussions with Thomas Bezucha? Did you rehearse with Brian J. White, who plays your partner?
TG: Thad Stone's being gay and in an interracial relationship is simply a different experience of being human. I borrowed from my own experience of being deaf and marginalized and applied that to the film, plus I found attractive qualities in Mr. White—he's very easy on the eyes—and focused on those in showing my love for him on the screen. Love is love is love.
WCT: Can you talk about the filming of that amazing dinner table scene where Diane Keaton so passionately declares her preference for gay children and her love for your character in particular?
TG: The dinner table scene was my favorite to work on. It took three days to get all the footage for it. It was also the one scene that felt the most theatrical, because the cameras were rolling for over a full minute for each take. That was the best part for me—allowing the theatrical actor in me to sink into and live in a scene in continuous time, as opposed to in segments.
WCT: Were there any scenes between Patrick and Thad that were shot but didn't make the film?
TG: I could have sworn there was a kissing scene in the script between Thad and Patrick—wishful thinking on my part. Maybe it was cut from the script. It was never made because it probably would have wound up on a 'Too Hot for TV' reel somewhere. Quit!
WCT: What's up next for you, Ty?
TG: As for my future: I know it sounds contrived, but I'm working on developing some work of my own, both inside and outside of entertainment. Because I am deaf, roles are few and far in between, and hopefully I will find people who, like Mr. Bezucha, have the chutzpah to cast an actor who is deaf in their work.
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Joan Plowright is nothing if not a late bloomer, and in Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont ( opening this Friday for an exclusive run at the Landmark Renaissance in Evanston ) she is at her genteel best. The widowed Mrs. Palfrey moves into The Claremont hotel in London in order to be closer to her grandson Desmond, who doesn't bother to return her repeated phone calls. The Claremont has seen better days and has only a few regular elderly tenants, who down the not-very-good meals in the mostly empty dining room. The setting is so close to Terence Ratigan's Separate Tables that even the characters comment on it.
Through an accident, Mrs. Palfrey becomes acquainted with Ludovic ( Rupert Friend in his screen debut ) , a struggling writer with exceptional manners, and he becomes a surrogate grandson. Both are estranged from their families ( Ludo's mother is introduced in one scene as distant and disapproving and Plowright's daughter and real grandson don't even reveal that much emotion when they finally show up ) . Though one might expect Friend's character to be gay, he's written as straight ( and later on given a girlfriend ) . The source material, a 1950s-era novel, has been updated with references to Sex and the City, etc., and I'd have loved Friend's sexuality to have been switched ( and his girlfriend turned into a lover ) as well.
Both Plowright and Friend deliver beautiful, nuanced performances within the confines of this delicate little story that is much more Mrs. Dalloway than Harold & Maude. If you appreciate small-scale, gentle stories, this will be your cup of tea. See www.landmarktheatres.com .
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