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Bryce Dallas Howard takes on a southern belle in The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond

By Anne Brodie Oct 5, 2010, 16:54 GMT

The story of Fisher Willow, a Memphis débutante daughter of a plantation owner with a distaste for narrow-minded people and a penchant for shocking and insulting those around her. After returning from studies overseas, Fisher falls in love with Jimmy, the down-and-out son of an alcoholic father and an insane mother who works at a store on her family\'s plantation. She tries to pass him off as an upper-class suitor ...more

Bryce Dallas Howard stars as a wilful 20’s southern belle in The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, based on Tennessee Williams’ 1957 play.  Fisher Willow feels smothered by the conventions of her time and place, as there is no room for her considerable imagination and curiosity.

She and a young man (Chris Evans) become the focal figures in a local melodrama which has the potential to “ruin” her. 

Monsters and Critics met with Howard to talk about making William’s intense period piece.

Fisher Willow is bigger than life and you play her with such glee.

She is a very fiery character, passionate, angry, excitable and really, for me, this very modern girl, an eccentric woman who just doesn’t fit in provincial southern society. 

She was educated, ahead of her time and this is the story of what happens when two people who are ahead of their times are destroyed by society.  It’s actually funny to watch, because you see these two polar opposite elements, the old, and the new south, come in conflict.

Fisher’s a huge role, so director Jodie Markell, who is a Williams specialist, had to be very careful in casting.

This was a very challenging role and particularly because it’s a Tennessee Williams.  This was challenging heroine and I originated this role, so it was a huge responsibility to honour his work.  I took it very seriously, but I was really fortunate because Jodie was so passionate about bringing to life for so many years, she really knew what she was doing. 

There were so many times when I said “Give me the line reading!” – in character - and she’d read it and I’d do that and those were some of the best moments, the ones she gave to me!

You’ve made some incredibly diverse films from Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter, McG’s Terminator Salvation, Lars Von Trier’s Manderlay and a stint on TV’s Family Guy.  Is it easier to play something that’s more out there instead of something more thoughtful like Earring?

Oh, yeah!  What’s great about Fisher is she is such an extrovert.  In many ways Chris had a much more challenging role because he had to internalise so many things but he had to find a way to show that – to show his internal life.  That’s really hard.  But Fisher just says the dialogue, she just says it!

A huge piece of the puzzle is the director.  I’ve seen wonderful scripts turned into terrible films and mediocre scripts turned into great films.  So at this point in my life, even if a part really rings true or I love the genre or the topic, if the director isn’t capable, I won’t do it. 

Jodie is an actor’s director.  And she knows Tennessee Williams inside out.  If you go there you need someone to hold your hand, as far as the technical aspect, I believe that will work itself out.  The belief is the character development.

There’s incredible sadness in Fisher.

The joy of playing her is that she is very self aware and knew who she and that she didn’t fit in and yet she tried to make it work by reaching out to this other person.  It’s a beautiful love story.

I find it to be, of Williams’ repertoire, his most romantic.

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