Review: Oscar Exposure Helps Miranda
Oscar Exposure Helps Miranda
By Louis B. Hobson, Express Writer
August 19, 1996
NEW YORK -- A little Hollywood guy named Oscar has tried twice to get a date with British actress Miranda Richardson only to stand her up at the last minute.
In 1992, Richardson was nominated for a best-supporting actress Oscar for her shattering performance opposite Jeremy Irons in Damage.
She lost.
In 1995, she was nominated as best actress for her portrayal of the wife of T. S. Eliot in Tom And Viv.
She lost again.
"It sounds cliched but it's true that being nominated is a great enough honor," says Richardson, whose films also include Enchanted April, The Crying Game and Dance With a Stranger.
"What happens when you get nominated is that producers and directors are suddenly aware of you again, so you get a few more offers than you normally would.
"On a personal level it means that with each new picture after the nomination you have to keep trying to top yourself."
In Robert Altman's Kansas City, Richardson plays the drug-addicted wife of politician.
She's kidnapped by a young hood's girlfriend (Jennifer Jason Leigh).
Altman originally wrote the role for Kim Basinger.
"Kim got pregnant and I had to replace her quickly because we were scheduled to begin filming," Altman says.
"I couldn't find an American actress who wasn't already committed.
"An agent put me on to Miranda. She promised me she could do the American accent so I hired her.
"It was one of those wonderful acts of fate."
Richardson was confident she could pull off the trick of appearing American because she'd "done it several times on stage. It's been my dream to play an American woman in an American movie, so this was an offer I couldn't refuse."
There was also the prospect of working with Altman, whom Richardson calls "an absolute maverick. He does what he wants to do and he loves a fight. This appeals to me as an actress because working with him becomes the best part of being a student again. Every day on the set was a learning experience."
In the film, Richardson's socialite and her kidnapper become great friends.
"It's what happened off camera as well. Jennifer and I are now practically inseparable.
"I'm appalled that the industry doesn't recognize what an incredible talent Jennifer is. She is a power they can't seen to reckon with."
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