In Contention

Tag: The Seagull

  • ‘Seagull’ film going ahead with Mulligan and Scott Thomas

    Carey Mulligan as Nina in the Broadway production of The SeagullIn Carey Mulligan’s entry on Tuesday’s “best actors under 30” list, I mentioned her stunning turn on stage in the recent revival of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” writing that “if/when anyone commits that to film, Mulligan will be unbeatable for Best Supporting Actress.”

    What I didn’t know is that “if” has definitely become a “when” in this case. I wrote when rumors of a “Seagull” movie surfaced in January, but the project was actually confirmed a month ago. (I was in Venice and missed the news; thanks to a helpful but nameless reader for pointing me to the news.)

    Anyway, with news as good as this, better late than never. The production is being brought to the screen with the cast and creative team largely unchanged.

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  • Class act

    Jeff Wells has captured some of last night’s Kristin Scott Thomas Q&A at the Santa Barbara festival, and it’s well worth a look — as I found when I interviewed her back in December, she’s immensely forthright, considered and witty in her discussion of her craft. Truly one of the best in the game.

    Wells also offers some tidbits from an informal chat he enjoyed with Scott Thomas afterwards, the most intriguing of which is that “plans are afoot to shoot a film version of ‘The Seagull’ with the same Broadway cast.”

    If you caught the Royal Court revival of Chekhov’s play in either of its London or New York incarnations, chances are you’re as excited by that news as I am. If you didn’t, you should be excited anyway.

    Scott Thomas’ interpretation of Arkadina was possibly the greatest stage performance I have ever seen, and the prospect of it being immortalised on film, with the likes of Carey Mulligan (who killed as Nina in the same production) and Peter Sarsgaard strutting their stuff too, is tantalising indeed. (The production I saw had Chiwetel Ejiofor in place of Sarsgaard — hardly a bad tradeoff.)

    If it gets done, and done right, on screen, Scott Thomas could just nab the second Oscar nomination that so unfairly eluded her this year for her staggering work in “I’ve Loved You So Long.” Here’s hoping. Check out the interview here.