Hugh Laurie & Catherine Keener Video Interview On ‘The Oranges’

 
The Oranges features stellar lead performances by Hugh Laurie and Catherine Keener. Laurie and Keener play David and Paige Walling, a married couple whose relationship suffers a serious setback when Laurie is caught sleeping with the neighbor’s daughter, Nina (Leighton Meester). Oliver Platt, Allison Janney, Adam Brody and Alia Shawkat round out the talented cast.

“To me I think ‘don’t be afraid’ is the message,” Laurie told Uinterview exclusively about The Oranges. “Don’t be afraid of change, don’t be afraid of honesty. Because ultimately, however, painful things are as they happen at the moment, subsequently good things will come of it, and one should not fear change.”

Both Laurie and Keener have had wildly successful careers marked by big marquee breaks. Laurie, 53, was born and raised in Oxford, England. He attended Selwyn College, Cambridge where he rowed competitively (his father won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1948) and served as the president of the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, whose alumni include John Cleese, John Oliver and classmates Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry. Upon graduation, Laurie had a successful comedy career alongside Fry and also established himself in television and film. Laurie skyrocketed to global fame after he landed the role of Dr. Gregory House in the Fox drama House, which ran from 2004-2012. On September 15, 2011, the Guinness Book of World Records named him the “Most Watched Man on Television,” as well as the highest-paid actor in a television drama. Laurie is also a versatile entertainer, having written a best-selling novel in 1996 (The Gun Seller) and recording a popular blues album in 2011 (Let Them Talk).

Keener, 53, was born in Miami and attended Wheaton College. After graduation, she had a number of bit parts in television and film, including a memorable appearance in the Seinfeld episode, “The Letter” in which she played Nina, Jerry’s girlfriend who paints the portrait of Kramer. Keener gained widespread attention after being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in 1999’s Being John Malkovich. Keener was again nominated for her portrayal of Harper Lee in 2005’s Capote. That year she also showed her comedic side in the popular Steve Carell flick, The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Transcript:

Q: How do you feel about a relationship between generations, as in the movie. Is it true love or is it more of an infatuation?

A:

KEENER:
It happens. I don’t know if it happens frequently, but I think it happens.

LAURIE:
And sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I think there are no particular rules about it. Maybe there is a mathematical formula written down in a big book somewhere. I haven’t read it.

Q: What is your favorite scene in this movie?

A:

LAURIE: Any time that you point a camera at Oliver Platt and you say, ‘Look, we don’t have any dialogue for this scene, just talk generally about anything you want to talk about,’ that’s going to be a pretty good day.

KEENER: Just kick back and enjoy the ride.

LAURIE: That’s a pretty good day because Oliver Platt has, to put it mildly, a fertile mind.

Q: What do you think is the best message that viewers can take away from the film?

A:

LAURIE: I think – though I’m not entrusted to speak for the movie and deliver the message, but, to me, I think, ‘Don’t be afraid,’ is the message. Don’t be afraid of change, don’t be afraid of honesty. Because ultimately, however, painful things are as they happen at the moment, subsequently good things will come of it, and one should not fear change. That’s what I think it is, but that’s a bit dull isn’t it?

KEENER: No, I don’t think it’s dull. I think it’s what we tell our children. We tell them, Don’t worry, it’s going to be ok. I know it feels overwhelming right now.’ And then, ironically, we’re all kind of frozen in that – everything we kind of espouse our whole lives and we’re just, ‘I take it all back. For the moment.’