Juanita Moore on race, 'realism' and Lana Turner in Imitation of Life

This is a great interview. Juanita Moore is asked by interviewer about Douglas Sirk's famously exaggerated melodramatic style. To the comment, "Life wasn't really like that..." Moore replies:

"Life was just like that...even more so."

She goes on to recount the story of running lines with a neighbor, Blanche, who would break into tears while reading the script with Moore because she could identify so strongly with the character of Annie. Apparently this woman, Blanche, was a black Puerto Rican who had a blonde daughter who lived with an aunt and "passed" for white. When Blanche went to visit her daughter, she had to go in through the back door. This highlights something I've always felt regarding the patronizing dismissal of the Sirk and melodrama...that the stylized approach and overwrought emotions get at real truths in the human spyche and the nature of human relationships. The recent film, Far From Heaven, interestingly revived this medium to tell a similar story about race, gender and identity in 1950s America. I'm glad director Tod Haynes, like Juanita Moore, see the value in this art form. There's a lot of insight and realism under the glossy surface.

Moore also reveals in the interview that she and Lana Turner had a very warm and friendly working relationship, not unlike that of Annie and Lora in the film...though perhaps on more equal terms as two working actresses. Lana apparently encouraged Moore, and had no problem with Moore be the center of focus in their scenes together. Moore describes Lana as the very kindest and warmest that a person could be, absolutely beautiful inside and out, and an absolute joy, though Lana was fragile and going through a traumatic time. She also says that they remained friends until Lana Turner's death, and though Moore wanted to go see her when she was sick, Lana said, "No, don't come...I don't want you to see me this way." It seems many of the tears shed in their scenes together were real...resulting from their involvement as the characters, their real life warmness toward each other, and Lana's personal tragedies off stage.