Kevin Kline and Maggie Smith match wits in My Old Lady
'There was an immediate chemistry' says the Oscar-award winning American actor
Powerhouse actors Kevin Kline and Maggie Smith face-off in My Old Lady, a set-in-Paris dramedy that had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Kline stars as a hard-pressed American playboy who inherits a Parisian apartment from his father. But the flat comes with a stubborn old catch — a feisty nonagenarian played by British acting heavyweight Maggie Smith.
Kristin Scott Thomas co-stars as Smith's daughter and Kline's complicated love interest.
"We're all theatre actors," Kline told CBC Arts. "So, there's an immediate chemistry and easy intimacy. And with both the actresses being English, there was a 'Let's get on with it' sort of thing."
From stage to screen
The formidable trio was a dream-come-true for first-time director Israel Horovitz.
But Horovitz is no newbie when it comes to story. The veteran playwright and screenwriter has more than 70 titles under his belt, including the classic The Indian Wants the Bronx.
Horovitz says his film directing style is inspired by a master of the cinema.
"Sidney Lumet once said to me, 'Get the greatest actors in the world and then stay out of their way.' "
Horowitz adapted My Old Lady from his own 2002 play. In the video above, he and Kline discuss the challenges of bringing a story from the stage to silver screen.
My Old Lady opens in theatres Oct. 3.