In the HBO original film Bernard and Doris, Susan Sarandon played billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke, while Ralph Fiennes portrayed her dedicated gay butler, Bernard Lafferty. Despite a low budget ( around a half-million dollars ) , Sarandon looked like a billion dollars and snagged an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. Fiennes received an Outstanding Actor nomination, while eight additional noms were lavished upon the production.
Politically outspoken, progressive and a longtime gay ally, Sarandon has starred in numerous iconic, queer favorite films, including Thelma & Louise, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Hunger ( in which she went lesbian for vampire Catherine Deneuve ) . I caught up with Sarandon, who lives in Manhattan with longtime partner Tim Robbins, by phone to discuss Bernard and Doris, MTV's upcoming Rocky Horror remake, California's anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 and just how far she'd go to raise money for a charity or cause.
Lawrence Ferber: Congrats on the Emmy nominations. So how was working with Ralph Fiennes, and did he mince between takes?
Susan Sarandon: I had a blast working with Ralph, and it's so great he also got a nomination. He does this fabulous character that's so dignified and so sweet, so smart and can actually run that house. Doris gives him permission to be who he is which starts to become more over-the-top and a little bit more colorful, growing out his hair and the clothes become a little more flamboyant. Is that mincing? I don't know. I love the way he holds his hands. He has so much integrity and you don't want to be sucked into some goofy cliché that everybody is expecting. I think he did a brilliant job and you really believe Bernard loves Doris.
LF: The film is an "imagined" account of their six-year relationship/friendship—Doris ultimately left Bernard control of her estate when she died—so that gave you, director Bob Balaban and writer Hugh Costello a lot of dramatic and narrative license. How did everyone decide which direction to go in?
SS: We didn't want it to be about his obsession with her, some creepy obsession that was one-sided. I really thought these people have decided they would be the witnesses to each other's lives and he should always be there. Even when she's dealing with her boyfriends she looks to Bernard. They're in on the secret of each other and the kindness they show each other is really moving. So we tried to make it special in that way, and that's something maybe people thought they were getting as a little added bonus.
LF: You have three children: Eva Amurri ( 23 ) , Jack ( 19 ) and Miles ( 16 ) . What do they think of Bernard and Doris or, for that matter, The Hunger? Or have you banned them from seeing some of your catalog?
SS: They're not interested in seeing any of my films. [ Laughs ] They don't watch them. I don't think they're too interested in seeing me suffer or kiss or anything. If they're in [ one of my films ] , like when they were in Stepmom, they would watch the parts they were in. They were interested in Speed Racer—the boys came to Berlin and knew everybody in the film and became friends with some and they liked that one. In a film I just did with Pierce Brosnan [ titled The Greatest ] , Miles auditioned and got a little acting part so he'll probably look at himself in that, and Jack was on the camera crew. But I'm still their mom.
LF: So they're moving into adult film careers?
SS: I don't know they know that for sure. Eva is pretty set on being an actor and writer and producer. She's done five or six films now and she's living in the Village, working. We did a film that's in the Toronto International Film Festival [ Middle of Nowhere ] . She's pretty clear. Miles is very involved in music; he's in a fabulous band. Jack is interested in film [ and attending USC ] , and that's what USC is so good at.
LF: Have you been keeping up with California's Proposition 8, a balloted measure that, if passed during the election, would forbid same-sex marriage in the state?
SS: No, since I'm not from California I'm not up to speed on that. You know, I think so much of [ the controversy over gay marriage ] has to do with language. The word "marriage" does trigger things in a lot of people, and it's a shame we can't find a way to get around that because what it does is really polarize people and make it about something it really doesn't need to be about. But I think separate from the legal aspects of being able to share with your partner and own a house and have rights to your kids and insurance and all that, if you ask most Americans "Does everyone have a right to be happy?" they'll say "Yes." I'm not married so I'm probably the wrong person to talk to about how significant it is to be married. I've created a life that isn't about a traditional marriage, but I understand why some people want that kind of a metaphor, a symbol.
LF: Do you see much of your The Hunger co-star, and lesbian icon, Catherine Deneuve these days?
SS: I don't. We communicate from time to time but I'm not there and she's not here. Every now and then we do run into each other and it's lovely. I saw her in Berlin a few years ago and it's great. I have a lot of people in my life like that, who maybe you don't see all the time—Geena Davis—but when you do it's right back to where you were. People on different coasts or countries. You see them when you can.
LF: You haven't been asked to take part in MTV's Rocky Horror remake as of yet, but what do you think of the project?
SS: I wish them luck. "Don't dream it, be it" is a fabulous message that speaks to a lot of people, and the music's fun and it has a great sense of humor. I just don't know what the angle [ of a remake ] would be. I'd like to have been in that pitch meeting to see how they were doing it. With all guys? Maybe they should do it with all guys in drag and do Tim Curry's part with a woman.
LF: You've done a lot to bring attention and raise money for various causes and charities. So let's see how just far you would go: Hypothetically, would you endure a 72-hour FOX News watch-a-thon to raise money for a charity?
SS: Oh, wow. Can I be vaccinated first? I don't know. It's infuriating to watch sometimes when you hear things that aren't true being presented as if they're more than opinions. As if they're hard news when the slant is so aberrant. But I think it is good to know what other people are being subjected to because then you're more forgiving and compassionate towards people who are completely confused by these mixed messages. My mom's one of them. She watches FOX and loves Bill O'Reilly—even the things he's done to me. She went on O'Reilly. A show dedicated to how horrible I am, and he brought my mother in. She was on for two seconds but he used her in the commercials. He asked things like, "How did she get this way?" and my mom said, "I don't know." I thought that was really underhanded.
The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. Bernard and Doris is currently available on DVD, with extras that include a featurette about the real Bernard & Doris.
