Citizen Dern

Laura Dern has tackled abortion, prejudice, and all sorts of Lynchian wonders on camera. This week, the Academy Award-nominated actress returns with HBO's Recount, a corrosive look at the 2000 Presidential Election. Tally-ho!

Audiences might not remember who won the 2000 election, but they must recall Katherine Harris, the obviously partisan Florida Secretary of State whose penchant for makeup and eccentric behavior garnered as much press as the recount that anointed the new president. Laura Dern isn’t an obvious choice to play the much-maligned butt of late night jokes, and yet, in Recount, her natural, luminous beauty is unrecognizable underneath the cosmetic mask that served as Harris’s armor.

('’)

Dern’s interest in politically charged roles makes sense. Her parents, Oscar-nominated actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, came from a ‘70s culture of creative types who, post-Vietnam, wanted to make movies about “voice.” Dern grew up on these Hollywood sets and was influenced by films like Network, Dr. Strangelove, All the President’s Men, and Three Days of the Condor. “I thought, Oh, that’s what you do. You make movies that tell stories about corruption and about finding voice,” she says. “I’ve been particularly interested in playing characters that misuse voice, don’t know they have one, or are seeking one out. And not intentionally, either. But, as I look back on my career, I realize that I’ve definitely chosen very political films.”

In a career that has spanned three decades—and has garnered the actress Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award nominations—Dern has always sought out roles that challenge and provoke the viewer and herself: A pregnant drug-user who is thrust center stage into a pro-life/pro-choice debate (Citizen Ruth); the object of Ellen Degeneres’s affection in the infamous coming-out episode ("Ellen"); a woman who sues the U.S. government for the wrongful death of her F16 fighter jet pilot husband (Afterburn); HMO whistleblower Linda Peeno (Damaged Care). Dern’s collaborations with unconventional directors have yielded countless fearless performances, particularly her partnership with David Lynch, with whom Dern shared a 2007 Independent Spirit Special Distinction Award. Her performance in Recount has garnered rave reviews, outshining a stellar cast of Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Ed Begley, Jr., and John Hurt.

Dern as Katherine Harris in Recount.

“Laura Dern’s performance as Katherine Harris is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen,” says Danny Strong, Recount screenwriter and onetime fixture on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gilmore Girls.” “She is absolutely amazing. Laura is able to nail the eccentricities and dramatic flair of Katherine Harris while at the same time conveying the inner turmoil and pressure that she was under. It’s a tremendous performance.”

If we hadn’t seen the movie, we might have thought Strong was biased. Dern captures both Harris’s grandiosity and frailty in her speech and body, the careful ways in which Harris tried to present herself as the spokesperson of the recount controversy and its saving grace. Dern hopes that the film, which comes during a critical election year, will convince people that every vote counts and can make a difference come November.

“It kind of reminds me of when you’ve spent time with a friend at dinner and she’s just broken up with someone who’s totally destroyed her heart. She’s telling you the story of the break-up and laughing,” says Dern. “And you realize this person is in agony, but they’re laughing because it’s just so awful, they have to laugh. I feel like that’s the way the country is about the 2000 recount. We’re all suffering such post-traumatic stress.” Below, Dern recounts the experience.

BLACKBOOK: What attracted you to the Katherine Harris role? Did you have to audition?

LAURA DERN: I didn’t. I was asked, which, now that you bring it up, is that a compliment? [Laughs.] “Laura Dern, you are the only person we can imagine playing Katherine Harris.” But I actually took it as a very high compliment and was completely thrilled because I couldn’t have thought of a more challenging opportunity. I mean, it’s already a challenge to play a real-life character, but even more challenging when they’ve already been sent-up on “Saturday Night Live.”

BB: It’s been eight years since the events depicted in the film, and President Bush will still be in office when this film airs. Do you think it might influence how people look at the upcoming election?

LD: I hope so. You know, I know a lot of people say movies don’t influence. But I know that Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which I saw as a teenager, has deeply affected how I feel in this primary. I remember that film making me believe at 14 that if someone is a wild innocent, they may see corruption easier than those who’ve just settled. I’ve always fantasized about getting to vote for people who come into Washington with that ideology. And I’m hopeful that this movie will have deep impact about your vote counting. Make your vote count by being there, and if you feel any funny business, call a journalist immediately because they’ll show up. They may not have in 2000, but after all we’ve been through, if somebody says, “I’m an African American who’s been told that I can’t vote because I’m a felon and I’m not,” you’re going to make sure somebody shows up at that polling place.

BB: You have a very beautiful natural look while Katherine Harris is very famously heavily made up. How did you feel about all the paint?

LD: It was fun because it certainly feels like a transformation. You try to do that as an actor within the character you were creating, but I’ve never had the luxury of putting on the character in a way too. Eyebrows, eyelashes, hair, eye color, redrawn lips. During this moment in time, it was almost like she was putting on armor.

BB: Did you find her to be an unsympathetic character?

LD: Some people have said that when they play bad guys, they need to find empathy for them. And I haven’t necessarily found that to be the case. More than even seeking empathy, I seek to understand the choices that she made. She was selling real estate in Florida only a few years shy of this experience. And, suddenly, the BBC and CNN trucks are pulling up. It must have been an insane, radical experience.

Dern in Inland Empire.

BB: With comparisons to Queen Esther, I was struck by her delusions of grandeur.

LD: That is, I think, perfectly put. And, you know, delusions of the narcissist. Her autobiography is remarkable. It’s just incredible speaking to that issue. It’s called Center of the Storm and like the Queen Esther parallel, there are many people in history that she reflects on and draws parallels to, including Mother Teresa. And one thing that probably made me appreciate her is that she does say it. I’m sure there are a lot of people in politics who do liken their experience, in delusions of grandeur, to great people in history, but they’d never tell us that. So it sort of makes her quite delicious as a character.

BB: Has your interest in specific types of characters changed over time?

LD: Um, not necessarily. I think I’ve softened. When I was a teenager, I was like a vigilante. I was so passionate and I wanted everything to have meaning. I wanted to play serious women. I was, like, obsessed. But my idol was Lucille Ball, so I wanted it to be funny, too. I was really fascinated by satire and thought it was a great place to tell the truth because you could laugh at the same time. And so I sought out and got lucky enough to be hired by filmmakers who have very strong, passionate voices, but in very different kinds of ways.

BB: What’s next on your radar?

LD: I’m just hopeful to do something radically different yet again. I did this film for David Lynch that we worked on for three years called Inland Empire. I played all three of the main characters in the movie. And when I did press for the film, everyone was like, “What are you going to do next? How can you top this? You’re playing all three leads and you worked for three years with one of your best friends—what are you going to do next?” I wish I had known about this movie back then, because it would have been the perfect answer: “Katherine Harris.”