THE AWARDS EDITION 2011-2012

This May Be a Man’s World, But it’sNothing for Nominee McTeer, WhoBrings Humanity to HubertBy DianeHaithmanOn the morning of Oscar ® nominations, most actors wait nervously to hear their ownname announced. But Janet McTeer, best supporting actress nominee for AlbertNobbs, was hoping to hear another name first: Glenn Close, who stars as Nobbs and hasspent 30 years trying to bring this unusual tale to the big screen.28 The Awards Edition 2011-2012 Issue 07The British actress, who plays Hubert, got her wish: Closewas nominated for best actress, so the two can enjoy themoment together.AWARDSLINE: Both you and Glenn Close were nominated for GoldenGlobes ® for portraying women living as men in 19th CenturyScotland. You are also in the cast of Close’s FX series Damages.You must have breathed a sigh of relief when both of youmade the cut for the Oscars ® .JANET McTEER: If she hadn’t been nominated I would havecut my wrists. Oh, yeah. That would have been horrible.I wouldn’t have wanted it either. I was watching theannouncements on the sofa in the green room at theToday Show, and I was just sort of holding my breath tosee whether Glenn was nominated, and she was. ThenI was very excited.A|l: I guess for a film like this, awards mean more than they do for,say, a hit film like The Help. Are the nominations alone enoughto spur box office for Albert Nobbs?McTEER: Absolutely. All it needs is for people to be madeaware of it. They’ll say, ‘Ooh, gosh, if it’s got nominations,it must be really good.’ We’ve already won.A|l: We talked to Close before the Oscar ® nominations, and shespoke about the challenge of promoting the film but still maintainingsome elements of surprise, particularly in the case of your character.mcteer, left, with closeMcTEER: These days we’re on the Internet – you can’tkeep things secret in a film anymore. Once you realizethe secret’s out, you might as well go with it and notpretend that it’s not there.A|l: Glenn described the scene where you reveal yourself as a womanto Nobbs as the surprise appearance of your “incredible breasts.” It’sa very bold move, so opposite of the way the timid Mr. Nobbs wouldbehave. Did you have any hesitation in doing that scene?McTEER: No, not at all. I pushed for it to be as funny aswe could make it, like smoking the cigarette, so thatthe whole thing was funny instead of, ‘Oh, my God!’ –hitting you over the head with a hammer. And it wasn’tfor cheap thrills. The audience has to understandAlbert, the idea that Albert might be exposed bysomebody, and how scary that was for him.A|l: You have said that in creating the character of Hubert youtried to appear as large as possible, to take up as much space aspossible. Were there any costuming or camera tricks employed toplay up the contrast of your stature and Glenn Close’s Albert?McTEER: The thing is, she actually is just really little, andI’m really tall. I’m 6 foot and a half-inch and she’s4-foot-1 – no, but she’s 5-foot-4 if she’s lucky. And shewas wearing flat shoes, which she normally never does.But because she’s so powerful, you think of her as beingMcTEERbigger than she actually is. I also bought quite big boots,with quite big heels. And I used quite a lot of padding.A|l: In interviews, Glenn always seems to refer to Albert Nobbs as“he.” Do you refer to your character, Hubert, as he or she?McTEER: He. Really. Yeah. I think Hubert just thinksof Hubert as Hubert. I mean, if she had a choice shewould still live as a man, so I think Hubert thinks ofherself as more male than female. What I wantedto create was somebody who was a little bit the bestof both worlds, who had all the great qualities ofmanliness, you know, that freedom and the confidenceand the Alpha maleness, but also the great qualities offemaleness, the nurturing and kindness.A|l: Your character is so much less tragic than poor Mr. Nobbs.McTEER: My character isn’t tragic at all. He suffers atragedy, but isn’t a tragic character by definition. Ithink Hubert is upbeat.A|l: Even though now we’ve seen you at the Golden Globes ® andother awards shows, people will surely be more curious to see youin your evening gown than they will the other actresses. The “whoare you wearing” thing will be elevated to a whole new level.McTEER: Yeah, because the difference will be extraordinary.A|l: Have you written a speech?McTEER: I haven’t even found a dress. Just let me get overthis week. •