東海鯨吹浪－解影的部落格

「我希望，我能夠不斷的重新反省我的生活。最困難的事情是盡可能的停留在真實之中。一直讓自己感覺舒服，停止問問題，並讓自己的生命陷入昏昏欲睡， 是個具有誘惑力的陷阱。」
 
蘇珊·薩蘭登：「所有的壞事情我都幹過」。
這位演員和製作人談論她的家庭生活，她的信仰，以及為什麼當一個壞女孩是更有趣的事情。


問：妳終於拿到了「終生成就獎」？
答：我希望這是「中生」 （ mid-life ） 成就獎。

問：你有什麼生活秘訣？
答：所有的壞事情我都做過，所以真的沒有辦法解釋，我為什麼還在這裡。我跟很多的導演合作過，有過半數都不是很優秀，但你不可能預先知道，直到你嘗試過。我投入了曾經有很多人都叫我不要從事的電影工作，我已經花了好幾年去要孩子，我一直直言不諱的談論政治，而我現在還在這裡。所以我應該是你安排最後訪問的一個人。我之所以會在這裡，是因為我所有的計劃都失敗了。

問：你也參與了「傑夫住在家裡 」，內容是關於一對分居的夫婦重新評估他們的生活。這裡有什麼東西，讓你感同身受的嗎？
答：我希望，我能夠不斷的重新反省我的生活。最困難的事情是盡可能的停留在真實之中。一直讓自己感覺舒服，停止問問題，並讓自己的生命陷入昏昏欲睡， 是個具有誘惑力的陷阱。

問：電影內容是關於一個成年男人，他仍然與他媽媽住。跟妳的孩子有類似的地方嗎？

答：我有一個23歲的兒子，在大學畢業後曾經住在家裡一陣子。我最小的剛滿20歲的孩子則和他的朋友們經常在我家中出入。我認為這是一個非常可以理解的現象，因為經濟是如此糟糕，你擁有的權利和可以做的一切事情，仍然不能夠讓你找到一份工作，並因此負擔找個地方住下去的費用。我非常感動，能有這個機會讓他們留在家中，除了當他們離開的時候，把啤酒瓶留在客廳裡面要我收拾。

問：你的手腕上的紋身有什麼重大意義？
答：這是“ANDANð”：“新的曙光，新的一天”。它提醒我，無論發生什麼事你都不能預設立場。對於想要和周圍的人一起過真實的生活，這一點很重要。

問：你對天主教有何想法？ ....。
答：我覺得宗教一旦制度化了就變得很困難，而且其中很大一部分變得很沒有生產性。耶穌的存在是驚奇的，但是他談的很多東西都已經被扭曲，並被很多人用來排擠他人，進行一些沒有愛心的行為。我認為自己是一個靈性的人。

 


So, you're picking up a lifetime achievement award … (1) 
 
I hope it's a mid-life achievement award. 

Do you have any life tips?

I've done everything wrong so there's really no explanation as to why I'm still around. I work with a lot of new directors – half the time they are not that great but you never know until you try. I've taken movies that people told me I shouldn't, I've taken years off to have children, I've been outspoken politically, and here I am. So I'm the last person you should ask. I'm here because all my plans failed.

You're also promoting Jeff Who Lives At Home (2), in which a separating couple re-evaluate their lives. Is that something with which you empathise (3)?

I hope that I'm always re-evaluating my life. The most difficult thing is to try to stay authentic. The trap is that you become comfortable, stop asking questions and start to go through your life hypnotised.

The movie is also about an adult guy who still lives with his mum. Anything like your kids?

I have a son who's 23 who finished college and was at home for a little while and my youngest just turned 20 and is coming in and out with an enormous amount of his friends. I think it's a very understandable phenomenon because the economy is so bad you can do everything right and still end up not being able to afford a place to stay and not being able to find a job. I'm very moved by the opportunity to have them at home, except when they leave all their stuff around or their friends expect me to pick up their beer bottles.

What's the signifcance of that tattoo on your wrist?

It's "A N D A N D": "a new dawn, a new day". It reminds me that whatever happens you can't assume anything. It's important to surround yourself with people who are living authentic lives.

Is that hard in Hollywood?

Maybe that's why I live in New York! There you're not isolated, you're on foot, you're just like everybody else. It's easier to avoid thinking of yourself as someone special behind a gate.

How are you currently feeling about Catholicism? You got into hot water with the Catholic church recently (4), but you were raised as a Catholic.

I find institutionalised religion very difficult, and for the most part non-productive. Jesus was amazing and a lot of what he talked about has been warped and used by many people to exclude others and be unloving. I consider myself a spiritual person.

And the pope?

What I said about this pope was somewhat hostile because as a mother and a Catholic I've been very disappointed at the way that he has harboured paedophiles within the church. The church is so powerful that they have a responsibility and an opportunity to heal so many wrongs and instead they're so exclusive.

You played a nun in Dead Man Walking and a lesbian vampire in The Hunger. Do you prefer bad-girl roles?

Oh, sure. Because you get to say and do things that you never in a million years would do. And very often the bad guys are written just so much better than the good guys. If you look at Sister Helen in Dead Man Walking I just walk around saying constantly "Let us pray" and "I'm sorry" – there's so much more to play when someone is evil.

What's the part you most enjoyed?

Bull Durham was really fun to shoot because my character was so sassy and smart and she got to be sexual, and she didn't have to die at the end because of that.

You have also produced films. Is that harder?

As a woman producing a family I'm used to producing, because you have to plan ahead and manage things. Producing a film is not that difficult; getting it sold and distributed is where there are the most problems. I come from a large family, I'm the oldest of nine children, so it seems totally understandable for me to live in chaos.

Footnotes 
(1) Sarandon, 65, was awarded the Crystal Globe lifetime achievement award for her contribution to cinema at the Karlovy Vary film festival in the Czech Republic in July. Back to article
(2) The Duplass brothers' post-mumblecore movie, in which Sarandon plays the mother of Jason Segel and Ed Helms. Back to article
(3) Sarandon separated from her long-term partner, Tim Robbins, in 2009. Back to article 
(4) At the Hamptons film festival in October 2011, Sarandon referred to the current pope as a 'Nazi'. Back to article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jul/19/susan-sarandon-done-everything-wrong