'I always had the dream of playing it again, and so this was a dream come true,' the actress says of working on her new film adaptation of the classic play.
- May 11, 2018
AceShowbiz - Working on the new film adaptation of classic play "The Seagull" was a "dream come true" for actress Annette Bening after tackling the production onstage decades ago. "The Kids Are All Right" star portrays ageing actress Irina Arkadina in the big screen take on Anton Chekov's 1895 drama, and it's a role Annette has been waiting for her whole life because she has wanted to return to the part since completing a graduate school theatre production of "The Seagull" in her early 20s.
"It was a wonderful thing to have played it [once], and then I always had the dream of playing it again, and so this was a dream come true," the 59-year-old gushed on breakfast show "Today", admitting she had a blast portraying her "complex" character on film.
"It's a great role," she smiled.
Director Michael Mayer shot the new project in just 21 days on location by a lake in New York, where Bening really got to know her co-stars Saoirse Ronan, Corey Stoll, Billy Howle, and Elisabeth Moss, among others, because most of the film took place in and around the lakehouse.
"It was like summer camp," she shared. "We all loved the material and our enthusiasm [for the project]; we hope it comes across [on camera]."
The period piece opens in the U.S. on Friday, May 11, and Annette already has another big movie lined up after signing on to star in "Captain Marvel", alongside Brie Larson as the titular superhero.
Reports suggest Annette will be playing Brie's movie mum, but as is typical for Marvel films, she has been sworn to secrecy over her role.
"I can't tell you!" she exclaimed, when quizzed about her character for the March, 2019 blockbuster. "Everything's very secret, [but] I'm really, really excited."
