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What happened
Over a period of several months, the members of our message board compiled a letter and a set of questions to send to Rachael. When it was ready the organiser of the letter, board member Lucy, emailed me to ask if I could send it off, as I live in the UK. I was very happy to oblige and took the opportunity to write an additional letter, explaining that I run a website dedicated to her and her work. (I was unaware of Rachael having any knowledge whatsoever of the site.)
On 6 May 2006, just a week or so after having posted the letter to Rachael, I received a reply from her in the form of a seven-page, hand-written letter, answering all of the questions the board members had asked her in their letter, and also praising the site in response to my letter. It was definitely a shock to the system to everyone receive such a speedy, personal, and lengthy reply from Rachael herself! It was also a relief to me, as creator of the site, to discover that she has been aware of it for some time and appreciates it a great deal. I had worried that she wasn't keen on the idea of a website about her, so the knowledge that she likes it is very reassuring.
I have scanned all seven pages of the letter, which you can view below, and also added some photos of it. In addition to this, I have transcribed the letter so that it's easier to read, and also so that people can see the questions that relate to each of Rachael's answers!
Photos
Here are some photos of the letter and the envelope. You can enlarge each image by clicking on the small image.
Scans
These are scans of the pages of the letter itself. Again, you can enlarge each page by clicking on the small image.
Transcript
This is a transcript of the entire letter, along with the original questions asked by the board members. As some words were a little difficult to read, there may be some errors in this transcript. If anyone spots any, please let me know! It has been transcribed exactly as it was written, so any mistakes in spelling or grammar have been retained.
Dear Bonnie,
Thankyou for your kind letter. I have been aware of the web site for some time now. My manager in LA alerted me to it, and I was gob-smacked by the depth and attention to detail contained therein. It is amazing, and I am so grateful to you all for it. (Being a techno-retard myself.) I have chosen a slightly awkward path in this profession, and sometimes feel that my work might not live up to your expectations since Tipping. But I've always trodden the path less travelled, if you know what I mean, and celebrity as an end in itself has never interested me. Partly, because I know its pitfalls, and partly because, more than anything, I wish only to continue to work, and the more one is recognised as a personality, the less possible it becomes to morph into someone else.
Anyway, thankyou for your continued support, and I hope I never disappoint.
So to the questions —
1. In what way has your degree in the History of Art influenced your acting?
History of Art at university was a course I chose not because of its particular relevance to acting, but because through the study of it I was able to learn how to research different periods of history — the politics, the literature etc. Sometimes a painting conjures up a more immediate picture of a time + place than literature. I am able, therefore, to visually conjure up the 1880's in Victorian London according to the research I did into it during my university years. Bear in mind also, that when I walk into auditions, I know I have a certain confidence that stems from the fact that I have an MA, so if this acting lark falls to the sharks — fuck 'em, I'm qualified to do anything I put my mind to. So maybe I walk into auditions with my head held that little bit higher. Mind you, sometimes being too informed scares the pants off directors…..
2. Are there any actors that you would really like to work with, and why?
I would like to work with my Ma. And we will, one of these days. But it has to be the right thing. Mothers + daughters are testing at the best of times, so I think it would be rather an astonishing adventure for both of us. Anyway, we are working on plots + plans, so watch this space…
3. Given your fluency in the Russian language, have you ever thought of doing theatre in Russia or a play in Russian?
My 'fluency' in Russian is debatable…. But sadly I just had to turn down David Hare's 'Enemies' at the Almeida due to the series I went to LA to film. I studied Russian simply to be able to read Checkhov in the original. Which I have done, and bares almost no resemblance to the English adaptation bandied about on the West End stage.
4. After all your research and care into interpreting a character, has a director ever had you toss it all out to do it his way, and how have you felt about that? If not, if a director asked you to, would you?
I am open to anything. Once I accept a job — and the audition is as much the audition of the director as the other way around — I have established that I trust them, and within that compact, I would swing from the chandeliers if they asked me.
5. How do you feel so far about how your career has progressed? When you look back at things, what would you say about how you've grown in your work and what you've learned?
I maybe answered this a bit at the beginning of this letter. But I'm always learning, always curious, and I hope, always growing.
6. Did you ever spend any time at Keir House? If so, do you know anything about some of the family heirlooms it contained before it was sold, and/or any juicy stories about family history? There was a story about one of your male relatives murdering a king! Is that really true?
No, I never lived at Keir. But my brothers did for a time, and it is they who are knowledgable about family history. Pathetically, I am not.
7. Where can one see that Lucian Freud painting you referenced in one of your interviews?
Sadly the painting in question is in a private collection. I have just looked through my pictures to see if I have a print of it, but I don't. It's called 'girl in a blue dressing gown' and is from the 1990's, I think. Have a look on the net.
8. What school of painting and which medium do you prefer? Which section of an art museum do you usually hit first?
Figurative art is my favourite, and it's the section that deals with portraits or the human body that I always hit first.
9. One of our members read in an interview that you were thinking about going back to school and doing a Ph.D in Victorian lesbian fiction (which we think is VERY cool). Are you still considering taking time off to return to academia? And, if so, does that area still interest you?
Yes, I always have a leaning towards going back to school. But sadly, having dedicated myself to the theatre for the past few years, I am utterly broke so that is not an option. Yet. Shame.
10. Do you still use that dildo from Tipping the Velvet to hang your Afghan coat? *grin*
No — it's in my toolbox next to the drill, going a bit green actually. If ever I am in desperate straits, I have considered selling it on e-bay.
11. We know you like the 'f' word a lot. What's your favourite expression in that same genre?
'The only reason I'd kick him/her out of bed is to fuck 'em on the floor.'
12. We've surely enjoyed your various characterizations and wonder, of all the roles you've inhabited thus far, which is your fave? Who is most like you? Is Griselda as funny as you are?
I'm far funnier than Griselda! There's a bit of me in all of them. One never entirely 'becomes' another person — it is my, Rachael's, understanding of who that person is, so there's some of me in all.
13. What's the most fun type character to portray, evil or comic? How did you feel about playing a homicidal woman in Freeze Frame?
I loved Freeze Frame, and a grand old bag playing evil spinsters would be my idea of heaven, eventually. But for now, the more human parts interest me, and for women those roles are to be found most often in the theatre — Ibsen, Shakespeare, Checkhov etc. The balance of the tragic + comic in a well crafted female role is a rare thing.
14. Many of us here are film buffs and wondering about your fave recent films? Are you mostly an indie fan who watches an occasional blockbuster? What would you rather see: King Kong, Crash or Transamerica? Or something else altogether?
I like rather obscure foreign movies. Blockbusters depress me — but Transamerica I adored, and also I Walk the Line. Ooooh Joa that Mr Phoenix. The only reason I'd kick him out of…. (see q11.)
15. If you had to choose another career, what would you do?
Direct, probably.
16. Let's say you have your own radio program. Who might you really have fun interviewing?
All the people I have ever worked with. I hate listening to interviewers pussy-foot around their subjects, so I'd get the juicy bits from Jim B, Greg Hicks etc. Mostly because they trust me, so we'd have a giggle. I recently did 'Loose Ends' with Ned Sherin whom I've known for some years, and he brazenly described me as 'Audrey Hepburn with a bit of the building site thrown in'. We did laugh. One would never be able to do that with someone you'd never met before.
17. If you had to quit smoking, what vice would you take up instead?
Class A drugs, I expect.
I'm exhausted + my hand has gone into spasm. Hope I answered to your satisfaction.
With love + huge appreciation for what you all do,
