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Karen Allen & Jeff Bridges |
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| "It was one of the best scripts I had read in a long time. The characters are beautifully written and it has a lot of humor and positive feelings about people and about the future, and about the possibilities of life elsewhere," says KAREN ALLEN, who stars with Jeff Bridges in Columbia Pictures’ Starman , directed by John Carpenter. Allen, who plays Jenny Hayden, the young widow whisked away on an incredible three-day journey into adventure and romance in Starman was born in a small southern Illinois town, then spent the next 10 years traveling with her family until they settled in Maryland. At 17, Allen left home and moved to New York to study art and design, then moved to Washington, D.C. While in Washington, Allen’s interest in theatre and acting began after she saw a performance by the Polish Theatre Laboratory under the direction of Jerzy Grotowski. She began studying acting with the Washington Theatre Lab, where she performed in The Innocent Party, The Player Queen and Three Women. She then worked for a year with the Washington Project of the Arts. In 1977 Allen moved to New York to pursue a career in theatre. She studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and made a short film, The Aftermath, that won awards across the country. She was cast by John Landis in her first feature film, The Wanderers, with director Philip Kaufman. A Small Circle of Friends followed, costarring Brad Davis and Jameson Parker. It was her first leading role and it was the one that influenced director Steven Spielberg to cast her as the heroine in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Before starting work for Spielberg, Allen appeared in William Friedkin’s Cruising opposite Al Pacino and portrayed Abra in ABC-TV’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Following the completion of Raiders of the Lost Ark, director Alan Parker chose Allen for a role opposite Albert Finney and Diane Keaton in Shoot the Moon. This was followed by Split Image, costarring Michael O’Keefe, in which Allen played a member of a cult organization determined to save the world from itself. Allen made her Broadway debut in Monday After the Miracle opposite Jane Alexander, for which she was awarded the 1983 Theatre World Award. She also performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Tennessee Williams: A Celebration, in The Glass Menagerie, Camino Real and In a Bar in a Tokyo Hotel. Always choosing to expand her range as an actress, Allen’s next role was that of Marjorie in the highly acclaimed West Side Arts production of Extremities. She returned to films in Until September, which was shot in France by director Richard Marquand. Her co-star was a French actor Thierry Lhermitte. Allen also starred opposite Armand Assante in the film Animal Behavior. |
Two-time Academy Award nominee JEFF BRIDGES, who plays the Alien in Columbia Pictures’ Starman, considers this role one of this most unique challenges. "When I first read the script, I knew I wanted to play a person from outer space. It’s challenging because there’s nothing to base the characterization on. If you were going to play Babe Ruth, you could do research. But for this role, there’s absolutely no frame of reference." His role as the Alien in Starman was quite a departure from his last role in the film, Against All Odds, in which Bridges played a down-and-out football player involved in a dangerous love triangle. Bridges has since shed his tough outer shell and the beard he wore in Against All Odds in favor of a clean-shaven, more innocent look for Starman. Bridges was not only attracted to the script for Starman, but to the opportunity to work with director John Carpenter. "The chance to work with John was a big plus. I felt that the script really needed a director who was compatible with the project, and John was a perfect choice, mainly because I admired his body of work. I’ve loved the films of his I’ve seen. And most importantly, I had a feeling that he would do a wonderful job with this film." In dealing with his character, Bridges relied not only on his own studies and observations, but on the expertise of director Carpenter. "I think one of the most important things between an actor and his director is respect for each other. I’m grateful that that’s what existed between John and myself to the extent that we could take each other’s suggestions. I really relied on his insights into my character and his willingness—and enthusiasm—about my perceptions of the role. He helped me to transcend my own natural character and become someone entirely different." The ability to portray different characters and live life through someone else’s skin is one of the things that Bridges considers most interesting about acting. But then, acting is the family business for Jeff Bridges. Big brother Beau has a long list of credits in motion pictures and television, and Jeff’s first acting experience came at the age of 8 on father Lloyd’s long-running television series Sea Hunt. Bridges actually made his motion picture debut in 1950 when he was 4 months old, in a railroad scene in the arms of Jane Greer. The picture, The Company She Keeps, starred Greer, Lizabeth Scott and Dennis O’Keefe. Born in Los Angeles, Bridges attended University High School, then journeyed east to study acting at the Berghoff Studios in New York City. His Sea Hunt experience stood him a good stead as he fulfilled a military service requirement in the Coast Guard Reserve. In 1969 Jeff made his feature film debut in Halls of Anger. His next film, The Yin and Yang of Mr. Go, written and directed by Burgess Meredith, was shot on location in Hong Kong. Following that, Bridges appeared in Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show, with a role as a small-town Texas tough that earned him an Academy Award nomination. Next, John Huston directed Bridges and Stacy Keach in the 1972 film, Fat City, the story of a washed-up young boxer and his view of the world. In 1974 Bridges received a second Oscar nomination for his role opposite Clint Eastwood in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Michael Cimino’s directorial debut. One year later, Bridges starred as the innocent Iowan at the heart of the action of Hearts of the West. Among his starring roles are the 1976 remake of King Kong, Somebody Killed Her Husband (opposite Farrah Fawcett), Winter Kills, Cutter’s Way and Kiss Me Goodbye. He was also one of the principals in Heaven’s Gate and played a young computer-game jockey in Tron. Bridges also starred with Glenn Close in the courtroom drama The Jagged Edge. An accomplished musician and composer, Bridges has written more than 70 songs, one of which he sang for the Quincy Jones soundtrack of the film John and Mary. In 1980 he hosted a highly rated television special, Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Starman, a romantic-adventure, is a most unique love story. Says Bridges, "There are things in Starman that are totally unusual and probably have never been seen before. I play an alien… so there’s just the beginning of something special. A love affair between an alien and an earthling, now that’s quite rare." |
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