Academy award winning actor Kevin Kline has hailed Meryl Streep’s ability – as a singer!
Movie fans will remember that Kline starred opposite Streep in the award-winning Sophie’s Choice (1982), for which Streep won the Oscar for Best Actress. Now, he plays the ex-husband of Streep’s ‘rock chick’ singer in the upcoming Ricki and the Flash, directed by Jonathan Demme, who has pedigree in the music arena having made acclaimed Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense.
“Before I began shooting I slipped in to watch them film one of the bar scenes where the band is playing,” Kline reveals. “It was Meryl and some of the best rock musicians in the business, so naturally I was curious.”
And did he like what he saw? You bet...
“It was simply amazing,” he recounts. “Meryl is so completely musically and vocally gifted she can do anything she wants. And if it is something new, she will do whatever arduous work is necessary to master whatever it is. Well, I saw pretty quickly that the band had certainly found its groove, playing as if they’d all been together for years and still loving it.
“It was all there: the relish, the camaraderie, the genuine love of the music and each other. As the actor playing her ex-husband I got to see, that day, what my character is not privileged to see in any of his scenes in the movie, except perhaps the last – Ricki has found her new family and she loves them, and is loved by them.
”There is a scene in the movie where Streep – or Ricki rather – plays the guitar and sings to her ex-husband...
“Well,” Kline explains, “being stoned on grass renders this usually tightly- wound and guarded guy vulnerable and disinhibited on several levels, and he begins experiencing everything in a more sensual way, like Ricki’s music, the dog, and, ultimately, Ricki. Jonathan allowed the scene to extend a little beyond what was scripted.”
The music for the film was written by Rick Springfield, who also stars as a member of the band.
“As her ex-husband, I was very jealous of Rick Springfield,” Kline says, “for a number of reasons, not the least of which was his talent. No one that good-looking should be able to play the guitar that well, as well as sing. And act.”
To what extent, for Kevin, was the decision to do the movie about wanting to work again with Meryl?
“I’ve always loved working with Meryl, both on stage and on film. Most recently we played Romeo and Juliet opposite each other in a staged reading for the NY Shakespeare Festival. We had previously done The Seagull and Mother Courage. That was definitely a highlight for me in our long working relationship.
“In addition, with this movie, I have always wanted to work with Jonathan Demme. I am a fan of Stop Making Sense as well as Jonathan’s other music films, his documentaries – and his early features like Melvin and Howard. Pretty much the whole gamut.
“And, of course, I liked the script. It was an original, unusual story, told with honesty and humour.”
Kline – who went on to win an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in A Fish Called Wanda – still looks back on Sophie’s Choice, directed by Alan Pakula,
as one of his ultimate screen experiences.
“It was tremendous fun,” he recalls, “thanks to Meryl, Peter MacNicol, Alan... and the extraordinary story. Alan’s process on that film spoiled me for life. There was such love, such respect for the actors’ needs, such trust and collaboration. We all cared for each other and wanted to bring out the best from one another.”
They did just that – and the rest is cinematic history.