The 78-year-old Britsh actor, whose 1957 film Woman in a Dressing Gown is being re-released, talks about her rebellious past, why she's not dame material – and what she'd love to do next
Sylvia Syms sits in her lovely flat in west London explaining how she avoided being treated as a piece of meat in the 1950s. There was an "assumption that because you were blond and an actress, you were available," she says. Determined not to be "pretty, available and treated like shit", she took inspiration from Dame Sybil Thorndike.
"I thought, that's what I want," says Syms, who seems to have worked with every British screen legend – from Dirk Bogarde to Michael Caine – during her seven decades in film, TV and theatre. "I want to go on working when I'm an old lady and have that kind of jolliness and respect, which she had. She was just incredible."
Syms turns on me like a hawk.
Sylvia Syms sits in her lovely flat in west London explaining how she avoided being treated as a piece of meat in the 1950s. There was an "assumption that because you were blond and an actress, you were available," she says. Determined not to be "pretty, available and treated like shit", she took inspiration from Dame Sybil Thorndike.
"I thought, that's what I want," says Syms, who seems to have worked with every British screen legend – from Dirk Bogarde to Michael Caine – during her seven decades in film, TV and theatre. "I want to go on working when I'm an old lady and have that kind of jolliness and respect, which she had. She was just incredible."
Syms turns on me like a hawk.
- 7/20/2012
- by Patrick Barkham
- The Guardian - Film News
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Early in his career, Kenneth Branagh says he drew comparisons to Sir Laurence Olivier.
“Specifically, it all kicked off when I directed a film of ‘Henry V,’ which of course he had done spectacularly,” Branagh tells me. “The comparisons were always tough because, in my view, he’s an unsurpassable master. I never had any mind or intention of trying to compete with him. But I was inspired by him. That’s probably what gave me the courage to even try directing a film as an actor.”
Now, in Simon Curtis’ nostalgic “My Week With Marilyn,” Branagh can be seen playing Olivier during the production of the 1957 comedy “The Prince and the Showgirl,” which Olivier directed and starred in opposite Marilyn Monroe. It was a difficult shoot, one marked by creative compromise. But Olivier (through Branagh’s brilliant portrayal) understands that to capture a star as bright as Marilyn,...
Hollywoodnews.com: Early in his career, Kenneth Branagh says he drew comparisons to Sir Laurence Olivier.
“Specifically, it all kicked off when I directed a film of ‘Henry V,’ which of course he had done spectacularly,” Branagh tells me. “The comparisons were always tough because, in my view, he’s an unsurpassable master. I never had any mind or intention of trying to compete with him. But I was inspired by him. That’s probably what gave me the courage to even try directing a film as an actor.”
Now, in Simon Curtis’ nostalgic “My Week With Marilyn,” Branagh can be seen playing Olivier during the production of the 1957 comedy “The Prince and the Showgirl,” which Olivier directed and starred in opposite Marilyn Monroe. It was a difficult shoot, one marked by creative compromise. But Olivier (through Branagh’s brilliant portrayal) understands that to capture a star as bright as Marilyn,...
- 12/19/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
Working with Marilyn Monroe must have been quite a special experience for third assistant director Colin Clark, whose brief time with the star has turned into two memoirs, and now a film, titled My Week with Marilyn. Similarly, the experience of working with Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams portraying Monroe must have been something magical for first-time director Simon Curtis.
I sat down with Curtis in a roundtable interview to discuss working with Williams on her inevitably Oscar-nominated performance, his feelings about Monroe, and what film set he wishes he could witness just as Colin Clark did back in 1956.
My Week with Marilyn is now playing in select theaters.
What fascinates you most about the movie star and production system of the 1950s, and which you wanted to communicate that in the film?
My way into this film was reading Colin Clark’s diaries, and Clark seeing the details as to...
I sat down with Curtis in a roundtable interview to discuss working with Williams on her inevitably Oscar-nominated performance, his feelings about Monroe, and what film set he wishes he could witness just as Colin Clark did back in 1956.
My Week with Marilyn is now playing in select theaters.
What fascinates you most about the movie star and production system of the 1950s, and which you wanted to communicate that in the film?
My way into this film was reading Colin Clark’s diaries, and Clark seeing the details as to...
- 12/1/2011
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
'The worst thing anyone's ever said? I remember one review began: "Jane Asher, whose charm has always escaped me"'
What got you started?
Being spotted in the street by a film producer when I was five. I had very long, vividly bright red hair, and it must have caught somebody's eye – though the hair was a bit irrelevant, as films were black and white in those days.
What was your big breakthrough?
When I was about 20 or 21, I came to a fork in the road: I had to choose between doing a film in the Us, and staying in England to do a revival of Look Back in Anger at the Royal Court. I chose the latter, and it was really my breakthrough into serious theatre.
Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?
I'd like to think very little, firstly because describing it as "art" makes me embarrassed.
What got you started?
Being spotted in the street by a film producer when I was five. I had very long, vividly bright red hair, and it must have caught somebody's eye – though the hair was a bit irrelevant, as films were black and white in those days.
What was your big breakthrough?
When I was about 20 or 21, I came to a fork in the road: I had to choose between doing a film in the Us, and staying in England to do a revival of Look Back in Anger at the Royal Court. I chose the latter, and it was really my breakthrough into serious theatre.
Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?
I'd like to think very little, firstly because describing it as "art" makes me embarrassed.
- 9/19/2011
- by Laura Barnett
- The Guardian - Film News
An Aardman Production For Sony Pictures Animation Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, Brian Blessed, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen Also On Board
Culver City, Calif. – Hugh Grant will voice the lead role alongside an all-star cast in The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, the new stop-motion, 3D, animated film produced by Aardman Animations for Sony Pictures Animation. The film, which will be distributed by Columbia Pictures, will be released March 30, 2012 in North America.
Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to...
Culver City, Calif. – Hugh Grant will voice the lead role alongside an all-star cast in The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, the new stop-motion, 3D, animated film produced by Aardman Animations for Sony Pictures Animation. The film, which will be distributed by Columbia Pictures, will be released March 30, 2012 in North America.
Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to...
- 5/17/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.