Summary: Extracted comments from Martin Landau and Laurie Holden about their other joint venture, The Majestic. Atomic Magazine, Fall/Winter 2001 (Issue 10) pp. 60-64.

The Majestic

Atomic Magazine, Fall/Winter 2001 (Issue 10) pp. 60-64

Transcribed by Deslea. Not a complete transcript - extracted quotes from Laurie Holden and Martin Landau only.


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Laurie Holden and Martin Landau on costuming:

"For the memorable lighthouse dance scene, a stunning two-toned Dupione was chosen for actress Laurie Holden (The X-Files), who plays Adele Stanton. Holden, who worked very closely with [costume designer Karyn] Wagner to outfit her character both in terms of style and comfort, says she "felt like a princess".

"It's amazing how there were certain dresses I wore that had been worn in 1951 by someone who had the exact same frame as me. What are the chances of that? It's kind of spooky in a way, or serendipitous in that you're meant to wear it," says Holden.

"The costume department was very, very careful and diligent in how we were dressed: the shirts, the collars, the shapes of the ties, the lapels - all of those things surrounding you continually create a period, a sense of time," says Academy Award-winner Martin Landau, who plays Luke's father Harry Trimble.

Laurie Holden on preparing for the role:

The set and costume crews were not the only ones who spent months doing research for The Majestic. Holden wrote a thick book of notes for her character, building an imagined life for herself in terms of what Adele's memories would be. [Deslea note: she did the same for Marita].

"I researched from around 1926 to 1951, because 1926 is the year Adele was born. So I knew what was going on socially, economically and politically, what the music was, who my heroes were, who was her favourite movie star. I really got a sense of the war and the homefront. I watched documentaries and listened to tons of jazz, got together with some members of the cast and did some swing dancing, and watched about 50 old movies from the '20s up to 1951."

Martin Landau on nostalgia on the set:

"1951 was the year I became an actor. I had time to notice a lot of things around me, to observe life. I felt very much at home [on the set]. It gave me a feeling of a more civilized time, a time when the world was bigger and communication not as instantaneous," Landau explains.

Martin Landau on the blacklist:

"I had numbers of friends who were blacklisted. I was a little young to be involved personally, but Kurt Conway, the top director at CBS, was blacklisted. One day he walked into work and was told he was no longer needed. He became a teacher in order to make a living."

-- by Joya Balfour.