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Holding back the years >> Jennifer Jason Leigh says the hardest part of Washington Square was the corsets by MATTHEW HAYS
Leigh said she was enthralled with James's story after seeing the first cinematic interpretation The Heiress (1949), which starred Montgomery Clift and Olivia de Havilland (who won an Oscar for her role). The film was based on a popular stage adaptation of the book, which took great liberties with James's original. "That film had such a profound effect on me," said Leigh at the fest, curling up on a couch. "I was really blown away and inspired by it. I wondered about a modern version of it. Then I found out they were doing Washington Square, and I read the book and it's actually quite different from The Heiress. The vengeful end of The Heiress is like, yeah, go sister! Get him! But I think this is more true to life." In the story, Leigh plays a frumpy, unattractive spinster with a fortune who is hotly pursued by a young, handsome, penniless suitor (Ben Chaplin). Leigh's distant father (Albert Finney), who appears to have no real love for Leigh, decides Chaplin is out for his daughter's money and nothing else. Finney declares that if the two marry, Leigh will receive none of his fortune upon his death. Leigh is left to face the truth about her suitor's love and intentions. Leigh claims she didn't give a second thought to taking on James's unflattering spinster role. "Yeah, she's not the most physically beautiful character, but in some ways she's the most beautiful character of all. There's nothing false or manipulative about her. There are no airs." For Leigh, the greatest challenge came in the form of perfecting the period mannerisms. An actor trained in the Method, Leigh spent hours pouring over books of turn-of-the-century etiquette and the fiction of Edith Wharton ("She wrote about it all in a very expressive way, which was extremely helpful"). The stumbling block for the meticulous actor? "Wearing a corset was really, really hard. The first time I wore it was for rehearsal and I was wearing it way, way too tight. I started throwing up. Everything's compressed and it pushes all your organs down. Once I lowered the waist down to where my natural waist is, even though everything is compressed, I could at least breath. It was quite traumatic." Leigh ended up phoning the star of the other James adaptation for advice. "I called Helena Bonham Carter and she told me how to do it, which was to start out wearing it for 15 minutes a day, and then you'd work up to getting used to it." Washington Square is now playing. See film listings for showtimes
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If last year was the season of Shakespeare, this year is shaping up as an ode to Henry James. Two elegant period features graced the Toronto International Film Festival last month, including Iain Softley's The Wings of the Dove and Agnieszka Holland's Washington Square. Dove stars costume drama veteran Helena Bonham Carter; Square's casting is less likely, but every bit as effective--Jennifer Jason Leigh tackles the lead.