“There’s an extreme sensitivity,” says Tom Hollander of Truman Capote. The actor played the infamous writer in the acclaimed FX series “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.” Hollander picked up on the sensitive underbelly of Capote by returning to the author’s written works. “You can see it in the writing, in the subtlety of his perceptions, the sort of level of detail that there is in the poetry of his sentences,” explains the actor, “He’s reactive, so he’s a very feeling person.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
The series follows Capote during the release of his short story “La Cote Basque 1965,” in which he reveals salacious dirt on his close circle of high society female friends, and the disastrous aftermath. For Hollander, part of the tragedy during this period of the author’s life is that the essay resulted in the loss of many great friends, and it wasn’t even his best writing. “The sort of gossipy socialite Truman was, in a way, not the greatest Truman,” admits the actor, “He was sort of letting himself down a bit. He was taking the easy road.”
WATCH our exclusive video interview with Jason McCormick, ‘Feud: Capote vs. The Swans’ cinematographer
Luckily, the telling of Capote’s downfall provided plenty for Hollander to sink his teeth into, most notably the many lunch scenes with his iconic costars. Naomi Watts leads the group of “swans” as Babe Paley, and the group also features Diane Lane, Chole Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, and Demi Moore. “Every time we all sat down together, it was amazing to be part of it, but it was actually quite nerve wracking,” reveals Hollander. Rather than shoot those scenes over and over to capture each character’s reactions, director Gus Van Sant opted to swirl the camera around the table. The actors would play the scene without knowing who was being captured on camera at any given moment. “We were all nervous that we’d been rubbish and that because of the swooping, we were the weak link in a particular take,” explains Hollander. “So the group was very sweet, well behaved. Everyone was very kind to each other, and everyone was full of admiration for each other.”
WATCH our exclusive video interview with Naomi Watts (‘Feud: Capote vs. The Swans’)
Hollander and Watts share two emotionally charged scenes towards the conclusion of the series, as Capote and Paley envision each other on their deathbeds. The scenes take place in imagines spaces, where Hollander is able to tap into the sensitive and caring side of Capote. “There was no limit to the sentimentality of that because you knew it was not true. They were dying on their own,” describes the actor of those touching, imagined moments. The scenes felt extra special because the pair had formed such intense bonds over the course of the shoot. “By the time we got to play them after six months of doing the show, they were a natural way of expressing our sort of fondness for each other,” says Hollander. “She’s a wonderful person and she became a good friend. I hope our friendship, I hope it lasts.”
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