Carol Kane probably deserves her own closet filled with classic films she’s been a part of, from “Dog Day Afternoon” to “The Princess Bride,” but for now, the Criterion Closet will have to do. In Criterion’s latest closet video, Kane reflects on influences like Bette Davis, as well as past collaborators like John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands, who she describes as a “queen and a goddess.”
“I’m Carol Kane, I’m an ac-tor, and I am so moved to be in this room — this closet — with all these extraordinary films, movies — I don’t know what you’re supposed to call them — but all the creativity. It’s breaking my heart in a good way,” said Kane at the beginning of the video.
As her first pick off the shelf, Kane grabbed “All About Eve” and discussed the effect the lead of the film, Bette Davis, had on her ever since she was a child.
“Since I was a little girl and I had insomnia, I used to watch ‘Million Dollar Movie’ all night long in New York City,” said Kane. “And I fell in love with Bette Davis, the first real character actor/actress/star. She didn’t care what she looked like, if somebody had to look beat-up, she really wanted to look beat-up. In those days, that didn’t happen. If you were a star and had to look beat-up, you had a little bit of dirt there, but not Miss Davis.”
Kane went on to take hold of a five-film set of Cassavetes films, an actor and filmmaker she’d collaborated with early in her career in the theater. She said, “I had the great privilege to work with John and Gena in the theater and he made everybody that worked with him much better than we were because he believed in people so much.”
The Academy Award nominated actress also singled out the Bill Forsyth film “Local Hero,” starring “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” co-star Peter Riegert, as well as Burt Lancaster. Set in Scotland, the dramedy follows an American oil company representative sent there to purchase a town, but who gets wrapped up in the magic of the area.
“It’s the kind of movie I like because I like a little story about people,” Kane said. “I don’t much like action. I guess I could get punished for saying that and I shouldn’t say that because I’d like to be in an action movie so I could actually earn a living at what I do.”
Kane can be seen in the upcoming season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” as well as Nathan Silver’s “Between the Temples,” co-starring Jason Schwartzman and in theaters this weekend. Watch her full closet visit below.
