Marcia Gay Harden
A Conversation with Marcia Gay Harden
(Susannah)

Q: How did you feel when you were first approached to do a Western adaptation of a Shakespearean drama?
A: I was incredibly excited to get the part of Susannah in KING OF TEXAS. My acting background is in theatre, so to do a television movie based upon a work of Shakespeare was just an amazing experience for me. Though I moved around a lot growing up, I feel like I am a Texan, actually, so this was the perfect project for me. Egos in Texas are huge, as were those of the American settlers, who were also quite arrogant in their pursuit of land. I think that egos, racism and a lust for life, land and power were all prominent themes in the story of King Lear. Hence, it's actually hard for me to remember now that King Lear was not set in Texas.

Q: Susannah is one of Shakespeare's most famous villains. Do you enjoy playing an "evil" character?
A: When I first learned that I was going to play Susannah, who was actually Goneril in King Lear, I was excited, but I did have some trepidation. I understand violence and cruelty when they come from rage, although I think they're very illogical emotions. But Susannah is sadistic without any rage at all she has nothing to be angry about. Still, at this time, people were much nearer to violence and brutality than we are today. They had a relationship with their land that you and I don't have.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the theme of blindness throughout the story?
A: In this story, the theme of blindness is prevalent because people think they're seeing reality when in fact they are looking at the world with horse blinders on. Their reality is what they want to see and what serves them best. John Lear sees the world one way. Rip, the slave, sees it another way, and he may, in fact, have the most truthful vision of what life is about. Susannah sees it very differently. I think people's needs and frustrations cause them to build a wall around which their vision cannot escape. For John Lear, his walls crumble, like the walls of the Alamo. Only then does he begin to see life as it really is -- he discovers the softness within himself.

Q: Do you have a Texas accent for this role?
A: We're all doing pretty strong Texas accents. We had a great voice and speech coach, Robert Easton. He's famous in the film and theatre world, and he helped us not only learn the Texas accent but helped us to sound like we were family as well.