Glenn Close knows all too well how toxic certain trends in religious fundamentalism can be. When Ms. Close was seven years old, her parents joined a spiritual movement called “Moral Rearmament” led by an American pastor named Frank Bachman, which she likens to a cult.
“When I was little, I would be led into the room of a little man named Uncle Frank and I would think I was meeting God,” Close says. “I don’t think anyone who is happy or sane as a person would join a cult like that. There’s something missing in their life.”
Close used that experience to play Martha Delacroix, the right-hand woman to passionate preacher Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), in “Wake Up Dead Man: Knives Out Mystery.” In the film, Martha wields her devotion like a club, trying to keep Wicks’ followers on the same page.
“I relate to the side of Martha that has always strived to be a good soldier from a young age,” Close says. “She missed out on so much in life by caring for Wicks.”
As Martha, Close wears an all-black outfit and a grim scowl. But filming Wake Up Dead Man was a fun experience as she bonded with Daniel Craig and the rest of the A-list ensemble on the London set. Instead of retreating to their trailers between scenes, the cast retreated to a large tent to relax.
“There was tea, coffee and the odd British candy on the table,” Close says. “Jeremy Renner had a special chair because he was recovering from a[snowplow]accident. Andrew Scott, who was tired from filming another movie at the time, was taking a nap. And I was playing backgammon with Mila Kunis and Josh O’Connor. We had a lot of laughs.”
At 78, Close is busier than ever. She’s filming “The Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reaper” on Zoom from Germany.
“It’s big,” she teases. “There’s a lot of extras, helicopters, tanks and horses.”
And she recently joined Ryan Murphy’s production, playing a wily divorce lawyer in Hulu’s difficult drama “All’s Fair.” “I was being intimidated,” she admits. “I had never acted in any of Ryan’s movies or shows. … I didn’t understand his tone for a while. It was difficult.”
It was his first time sharing the screen with Kim Kardashian, and Close came away impressed with the reality TV icon. The two spent time together during filming, with Kris Jenner hosting a boozy viewing party for the cast and Kardashian finally getting to see Close boil a rabbit in Fatal Attraction.
“What struck me was the seriousness of Kim’s intentions,” Close said. “She always knew her lines. She was never late. She was always ready. She didn’t pretend that she was a great actress, but she was smart enough to have people around her that she could learn from. I would have been unhappy if she had a big ego, or what I would call a ‘life is too short person,’ but she is not.”
But critics were relentless, calling the show loud, silly, and boring. Close believes the reviewers were unable to evaluate the series as a whole.
“Personally, I think the first three episodes were the weakest,” she says. “It was a rough start. I watched all nine episodes and I think it really built up to something.”
It may be no surprise that many people have strong opinions about the first family of Calabasas. “Not everyone likes the Kardashians, even though they would say so themselves,” Close says. “They have an image.”
