Jacqueline Bisset had “mixed feelings” when she was presented with the Turin Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award for the simple reason that “I’m not done with my career yet!”
Still, she gladly accepted Turin’s invitation to champion the films closest to her heart, many small independent titles that were never distributed in Italy. “It may not be well-known, but it’s a great display of my acting skills,” Bisset said, noting that “I’ve been judged to some extent on my previous work, where the movie roles weren’t very good.”
She brought the same candor and enthusiasm to Sunday’s press conference, happily sharing anecdotes about her iconic film partners but also lavishing praise on her lesser-known collaborators.
She fondly said of Paul Newman, “He was a really sweet guy who was shy, couldn’t keep a straight face, had trouble telling jokes, and would start laughing before he got to the punch line.” Of Mickey Rourke, she admitted, “I used to have a little fear of him because he kind of creates a frenzy, and it just gets louder and louder around him. He’s there, talking quietly, and it’s chaos all around.”
And she beamed at her 2022 Lauren & Rose co-star Kelly Blatz. “He gave me so much life because he patiently listened to all my long monologues and lines. That’s a real gift, because acting is all about interaction. If you pay special attention, you can make the other actor seem more real. Just listen.”
“Silence is necessary and men love to talk about themselves,” she says with a wry smile, noting that this advice from her parents has helped her “in life and in movies.”
Bisset also offered a more practical tip: ditch the salt shaker. “If you don’t want to look old and bloated like an alcoholic, don’t use salt,” she said. “You will discover the real subtleties of food taste. It’s great and it took time to learn this, but in Italy it’s hopeless. No one listens.”
Food can also be political, a lesson that became clear during the filming of 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express.
“The production team asked if we were willing to shorten the lunch break from an hour to 30 minutes in defiance of the union. I didn’t accept it, because the lunch break was the highlight of the day, the time when you could sit and listen to Lauren Bacall. And they wanted us to break the rules. Vanessa Redgrave, who was wonderful and wonderful and a natural fighter, said, ‘Don’t accept it, don’t give in.’
When it came time to vote, Vanessa took the lead. “I raised my hand and voted, and I realized that no one else did. We lost completely. But Vanessa, who is really passionate as a woman and an actress, said, ‘That was the only moment I had courage in that movie.'”
Meanwhile, the kitchen serves as an outlet for Bisset’s self-admitted autocratic instincts.
“I would make a great director because I have a great visual sense and I’m very efficient,” she explained. “I’m also very methodical and don’t like having anyone help me, I prefer having my own kingdom completely. That’s why I prefer to do it at home instead of on set.”
“I wouldn’t be so well behaved,” she continued. “I would definitely have problems with personal interactions, loving the wrong people or wanting to please one person and not another. I could become a monster. So I limit myself to being in front of the camera and doing my job as an actress. And people don’t come into my kitchen.”
