Screen star returns to grace the Sussex stage
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Screen actress Kathleen Turner yesterday swapped the glamour of America's west coast for England's south coast, when she opened in a new production of Somerset Maugham's play, Our Betters, at the Chichester Festival. It will be her second Chichester theatre stint, following her starring role in Tallulah! at the Chichester Festival Theatre last month.
Ms Turner, who was Hollywood's biggest-grossing female star of the 1980s, said she had been lured from the US by the challenge of the theatre. "I'm putting myself on the line because stage work is more rewarding and has that edge. In films you are given a safety net, but in the theatre no one is there to cover up your mistakes," she said.
Her salary will be far from movie-star standards; she will receive about pounds 500 a week. "This is not about how much money one is paid," she said earlier this year.
Ms Turner is familiar with England, having lived with her family in London as a teenager, while her father was consul at the American Embassy. At the age of 17, she had been about to enrol in a London drama school when he suffered a heart attack and died. The family returned to Springfield, Missouri, and she embarked on an acting career in America.
At the age of 25, she landed the role that was to change her career: the seductive Maddy Walker opposite William Hurt in the 1981 thriller Body Heat. She followed that with box office hits such as Prizzi's Honour, Crimes of Passion, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile.
She lives in New York with her husband of 14 years, Jay Weiss and their six-year-old daughter, Rachel.
Ms Turner has not confined her talents to the stage; she has three films out before Christmas. Her recent work includes a comedy with Matthew Modine, Real Blondes, a singing voice-over for Lion King II and a comic fantasy in which she plays a fairy godmother.
Jojo Moyes
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments