Earlier this month, we reported about a new mini-series from Ryan Murphy, Feud, which will expose famous fights. The first is about the dynamic between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford during the making of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane and stars Oscar-winning actresses Susan Sarandon, as Bette, and his regular collaborator Jessica Lange, as Joan.
At the Cannes Film Festival, Sarandon said that she is nervous for the task of playing Davis,
“I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. I’m doing Bette Davis next, with Jessica Lange playing Joan Crawford… I’m kinda scared.
We’re doing a miniseries with Ryan Murphy about Hollywood and whether or not it has changed since those gals were trying to find their way through. So that’ll be a stretch and scary.
For me it’s always important to be [in] some kind of a love story. I find anything that encourages people to make contact is probably the bravest thing you could do, so everything I do is framed as some kind of love story, no matter whether it is sexual or not.”
OK. That’s an odd summation of her own career choices, but whatever. Speaking of WHATEVER, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, earned five Oscars and a best-actress Oscar nomination for Davis. Alfred Molina plays the film’s director Robert Aldrich, Stanley Tucci is studio titan Jack Warner, and Judy Davis will become gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. Filming isn’t scheduled to begin until this fall.
Bette Davis was 54 when she made Baby Jane, Sarandon just turned 70, although by all accounts, Davis never had any “work” done, so she looked older. Guess they’ll have to age Sarandon for the role. Hollywood.
(via Vanity Fair)