Relationship with Opera
The guest discusses their current and past relationship with opera, particularly in the context of making the movie.
- Current Love for Opera: The guest expresses a strong love for opera now, listening to it frequently as a grounding and settling practice.
- Pre-Movie Relationship: The host anticipates being asked about the guest's relationship with opera before the movie, implying a different connection then.
Portrayal of Maria Callas's Stoicism
The discussion focuses on the specific characteristic of stoicism that the guest brought to their portrayal of Maria Callas.
- Source of Stoicism: The guest explains that their portrayal of Callas's stoicism stemmed from recognizing her resilience in the face of rude questions and difficult situations, and that it was both something she had to do and somewhat innate.
- Admiration for Resilience: The guest is moved by people who "do their best to hold their head up and to get on," a quality they recognized in Callas.
The Benefits of Opera Classes for Everyone
The guest strongly advocates for the idea that most people, not just singers, should take opera classes.
- Physical and Emotional Release: The guest emphasizes that opera training helps people understand how much they hold in their bodies and how releasing breath can affect their natural sound and voice.
- Discovering True Voice: The guest shares a personal experience of discovering their natural soprano voice after realizing they had been suppressing it, possibly due to feeling unheard or unsafe in their softer self.
- Recommendation: The guest explicitly states that "everybody" should go to opera class, and jokes about skipping therapy for opera class.
Maria Callas's Aim to Reconnect Opera with the People
The conversation touches upon Maria Callas's historical desire to bring opera back to a more accessible, "back to the people" format, mirroring its origins.
- Movie's Aspiration: The host suggests that the movie aims to achieve the same goal as Callas: to make opera more widely accessible and reconnect it with the public.
- Guest's Role: The guest acknowledges that their public profile can help in this process and expresses a desire for this to be a dream come true, as they deeply value opera.
- Overcoming Perceived Sophistication: The guest shares their personal experience of initially feeling opera was for a more sophisticated audience but finding it deeply connected to the human experience and for everyone.
The Guest's Identity as a "Worker" and Discipline
The interview explores the guest's strong work ethic and dedication to their craft, drawing parallels with Maria Callas.
- Discipline Over Innate Talent: The host emphasizes that great artists like Callas, despite their talent, were dedicated workers who trained daily, contrasting this with the idea that talent and taste are simply born with.
- Guest's Self-Perception: The guest takes pride in being a worker and appreciates that this was recognized in their performance, highlighting their commitment.
- Growth Through Discomfort: The guest actively seeks out challenging situations to foster creativity and growth, even if it means being uncomfortable.
- Difficulty Relaxing: The guest admits to having a problem with not knowing how to relax, drawing a parallel with Callas, and jokes that it's a "whole other therapy session."
- Early Work Ethic: The guest's work ethic is rooted in needing to help their mother with bills at a young age, leading to a sense of identity being tied to working.
Maria Callas's Myopia and its Impact
A less-discussed aspect of Maria Callas's life, her severe nearsightedness, is explored for its potential influence on her character and performance.
- Guest's Personal Connection: The guest reveals they are also nearsighted, giving them a personal understanding of how it can lead to isolation and uncertainty about the surrounding world.
- Impact on Callas: The guest speculates that Callas's myopia likely contributed to her isolation, privacy, and being misunderstood.
- Childhood Pressure: The guest expresses sadness that Callas might not have felt able to mention her vision issues as a child, fearing it would be seen as a limitation by her demanding mother.
- Necessity for Memorization: The guest highlights that Callas's condition meant she had to memorize music perfectly, as she couldn't rely on seeing the conductor, leading to harder work and increased respect for her.
Visual Imagery and Memories of Callas
The discussion shifts to the visual elements that stayed with the guest during their preparation for the role and their overall memories of Callas.
- Juxtaposition of Life Aspects: The guest emphasizes the complexity of Callas, seeing her public and private life as all being "Maria," not separate personas.
- Key Visuals:
- On Stage Stillness: The guest recalls the extraordinary stillness of Callas on stage, particularly in "Traviata," highlighting her stoicism.
- With Aristotle Onassis: Images of Callas with Onassis where she appeared free, like a girl, enjoying moments of lightness and love.
- Eccentric Public Figure: Visuals of Callas walking the streets of Paris in her later years with fur coats, hats, glasses, and poodles, evoking a sense of a wonderfully eccentric artist.
Surprising Similarities and Differences with Callas
The guest reflects on surprising aspects discovered during research and their perceived commonalities and differences with Maria Callas.
- Fortunate for Children: The guest feels fortunate to have children, suggesting that without them, they and Callas would be "very very similar."
- Wanting to Be a Girl: The guest relates to Callas's desire to simply "be Maria," just as the guest wants to "be Angie," possibly stemming from a sense of early responsibility.
- Lack of Genuine Love: The guest expresses sadness that Callas may not have experienced true, unconditional love, given the financial exploitation and manipulation by family and romantic partners.
- Reverential Portrayal: The guest defends the movie's reverential portrayal of Callas, arguing that focusing on gossip or judgment would cheapen her legacy, contrasting with the media's tendency to seek "dirt."
An Imaginary Conversation with Maria Callas
The interview concludes with an exercise imagining Maria Callas herself entering the room, and what the guest would say to her.
- Expressing Personal Connection: The guest would tell Callas that they've come to really like and care about her as a person.
- Invitation to Relax: The guest would invite Callas to "hang out," be silly, relax, and be "girls" for a night, suggesting a desire for a genuine, uncomplicated connection.
- Mutual Benefit: The guest believes they would have been good for each other, implying a sense of understanding and support.