Photo by Joan Marcus





Cherry Jones, one of the most prolific and prestigious actresses currently working in American Theatre, films and television, recently appeared at New York City's LGBT Community Center. On Monday, January 13, 2003, she was interviewed in a series sponsored by The New York Times Speaker Series, entitled " A Conversation With Cherry Jones." Cherry Jones is currently performing on Broadway in Nora Ephron's play "Imaginary Friends," in the role of the writer Mary McCarthy opposite Swoozie Kurtz as Lillian Hellman.  Patricia Cohen, Ideas Editor at The New York Times moderated the discussion.

The premise of the play revolves around the dislike for each other of the two central characters – Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. Cherry Jones considers Swoozie Kurtz a good friend but in their respective roles they are at each other for the entire performance. Jones was asked "How do you get along under these circumstances with Swoosie - an actress that you like?" Jones replied, "Its funny because the better you get to know someone and get to love them that's when it is easier, it's when you don't know someone that you can't trust, that is when it is more difficult. The more we sort of fell in love with each other as actors, the more we can look into each other's eyes and hate each other."

Although Cherry has had an extensive and varied acting career, she did not think she would ever get a job as an actress. Cherry said, " I was convinced that I would never get an acting job until I was thirty five years old because I was this huge girl. I really wasn't right for ingenues and I was far too young for anything else. So for a year I scooped ice cream and chicken salad at a restaurant called The National Source. I also worked for three weeks at a restaurant on theatre row and was fired. I remember going to an audition class not because I didn't know how to audition – I just needed to pay someone to let me stand up in front of twelve people and let me act."

One of the plays that Cherry did both in New York and Los Angeles was "The Heiress" for which she won a Tony Award. In the play she had to descend from the top of staircase. At the bottom of the staircase was Frances Sternhagen. As Cherry began to descend from the staircase, the hem of her skirt apparently got caught under her foot and she fell down the flight of stairs landing on top of Frances Sternhagen. After landing on Sternhagen both actresses were on the floor with their feet up in the air. Cherry was terrified. "I thought I had killed Frances Sternhagen," she said. I guess that life in the theatre has its ups and downs.

Cherry was asked, " What roles do you look to play twenty years from now?" She answered. "I am not sure. I have always depended on the kindness of artistic directors because I am not as well read as I would like to be. I often think I can't do things and either I do or I don't."

Cherry has had an extensive and varied life in the entertainment world. Some of her credits are the recent television film she did with Brooke Shields called "What Makes a Family," "Erin Brockovich," "The Perfect Storm," "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," "Signs," with Mel Gibson and PBS Masterpiece Theatre's production of  "Cora Unashamed."

Cherry is like a good wine – she gets better as she ages.        



Imaginary Friends, Ethel Barrymore Theater,243 West 47 STreet 239-6200