EPISODE SUMMARY:
Known for her iconic roles in Poltergiest, The Big Chill, and many more films and television shows, JoBeth Williams is an actress whose decades-long career has made her a staple in the entertainment industry. In today’s episode, we sat down with JoBeth to discuss Chantilly Bridge, working with the SAG-AFTRA foundation, the benefit of working with ensemble casts, and JoBeth’s perspective on upcoming young actors.
First, we asked JoBeth about her experience filming Chantilly Bridge, the sequel to the classic film Chantilly Lace. She explained that the ideas for both films stemmed from conversations with director Linda Yellen. For Chantilly lace, JoBeth and Linda were discussing how hard it is to find roles for women over 40 in Hollywood and came up with the idea for a film showcasing midlife talent. 30 years later, JoBeth and Linda found themselves having a similar conversation about the lack of opportunities for women in their 70s in the film and television industry. From their concerns spurned the idea for Chantilly Bridge, and JoBeth, along with a ton of the former Chantilly Lace cast, was brought back for the film. Like the first movie, Chantilly Bridge’s scenes are improvised. The movie starts streaming on April 14th and can be found on multiple different streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime. With Chantilly Bridge showcasing not only female talent but women in midlife and beyond, JoBeth also told us that she thinks the industry has changed for the better in terms of roles offered to women. More opportunities are being given for midlife actresses to work, and women like Reese Witherspoon, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and more are paving the way for the midlife demographic to be seen and heard on screens.
JoBeth’s involvement in the entertainment industry includes more than her onscreen credits. For over twelve years, she was the president of the SAG-AFTRA foundation, a charity that provides help to union actors in need. While the public often assumes all actors are constantly working and making money, in truth, only a small percentage are wealthy. Most actors either take time off or go long periods of time without work. SAG-AFTRA offers a plethora of services, including casting lessons, tips for auditioning, and even in-person recording studios that actors can use to film auditions and learn how to handle film equipment. JoBeth has also been a producer on the SAG awards for years, and she said that while it’s fun, the experience can get pretty intense a month or so before the award show. The producers have to look over approve every single detail that goes into the show, from whose directing it to set design to what food is served to the attendees. We also spoke to JoBeth about what it was like working with such iconic ensemble casts on her films. She spoke about how she loves working with ensembles and enjoys how the actors can easily play off of each other, especially in live theater casts. When working on The Big Chill, all the actors stayed in the same condo complex in South Carolina, which allowed them to spend more time together and really bond throughout the filming process.
When filming movies like Poltergeist or The Big Chill, JoBeth had no idea they would turn into such classics. She shared with us that when on the set of Poltergeist, the role was both emotionally and physically demanding of her. She’d even read in the script a scene where she fell into a muddy pit full of skeletons, and years after filming had finished, she found out the skeletons were real. The movie Adam was a hard one for her to do, not only because of the heartbreaking story but because she and the cast were portraying real people who had experienced a real trauma. She felt an obligation to be as truthful to the woman she was playing as she could be, and felt a similar sense of duty on another film Baby M. Filming Baby M was also an interesting experience for Jobeth because at the time, she was trying to get pregnant in real life while portraying a surrogate on screen.
Having worked with both younger and older actors, JoBeth has found that the younger actors have more of an attachment to their phones and social media than older generations. She recalled filming a scene where when the director yelled cut, all of the young actors immediately went on their phones and didn’t get off until filming started again. JoBeth isn’t personally a fan of social media and finds the balance of fame amongst influencers versus actors to be confusing, but also understands how a lot of actors use their social media to help their careers. Finally, we asked JoBeth about the future of her career. She told us she’s lucky to be in a position where she doesn’t need to work to support herself, so she’s able to be picky about the projects she takes. She’s currently slated to start filming a movie in June with Zachary Levi called Not Without Hope and will also be in the play Mad Women of the West.
JoBeth Williams
JoBeth Williams has starred in some of the most provocative and cult films throughout her career, including Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist I and II, Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill, Blake Edward’s comedy Switch, American Dreamer, Wyatt Earp, the Farrelly brothers’ Fever Pitch, The Big Year, and Kramer vs. Kramer, to name just a few. She has appeared in well over thirty feature films.
JoBeth is currently co-starring in the feature film CHANTILLY BRIDGE alongside Talia Shire, Jill Eikenberry and Patricia Richardson and directed by Linda Yellen which premieres April 7th. CHANTILLY BRIDGE is the beautiful story of a lifelong group of friends that reunite in the era of #MeToo. https://youtu.be/Qjy6O569YSQ
She has received three Emmy nominations — for the television films Adam, and Baby M, as well for Frasier, and two Golden Globe nominations. She starred as the lead in the series John Grisham’s The Client, and opposite John Larroquette in the comedy series Payne.” She has had recurring roles in the series Private Practice, Dexter, Marry Me, and Hart of Dixie, to name a few. Williams has lent her talent to many other hit television series, including, 24, Criminal Minds, and She has starred in four Linda Yellen films: Chantilly Lace, Parallel Lives (with Liza Minelli, Dudley Moore, Gena Rowlands, among other great actors), The Last Film Festival (Dennis Hopper’s last movie, also starring Jacqueline Bisset), and Chantilly Bridge.
Behind the camera, Williams received an Oscar nomination for her directing debut on the short film, On Hope starring Mercedes Ruehl, for which she was also a producer. Following her nomination, Williams directed the Showtime original movie Frankie and Hazel, starring Joan Plowright, as well as the Warner Brothers Television production Night Visions, starring Stephen Baldwin and Jane Adams.
Beyond her acclaim for on camera performances, Williams also has extensive theatre credits both in New York and regional productions. Her theatre work in New York includes Annie Baker’s Body Awareness, Last Dance by Marsha Norman, Moonchildren, Ladyhouse Blues, A Couple of White Chicks, John Guare’s Gardenia, and The Vagina Monologues. In regional theatre she is credited for her leads in Antony and Cleopatra at the Old Globe, Idiot’s Delight opposite Stacy Keach at the Kennedy Center, Threepenny Opera in Williamstown, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the McCarter theatre, Uncle Vanya, Tartuffe, School for Wives, and two seasons at Trinity Repertory Company.
In Los Angeles, Williams has appeared on stage at the Geffen Playhouse in Jane Anderson’s The Quality of Life, for which she received a Backstage West Garland award, and Halley Feiffer’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Memorial Sloan Kettering; at the Taper in John Robin Baitz’s play Other Desert Cities; at Pasadena Playhouse in The Night is a Child; and at the Odyssey in The Fall to Earth.
She is the president emeritus of the Screen Actors’ Guild Foundation, a charity that provides extensive programs both for working actors and for actors in times of need, as well as national children’s literacy programs. She currently serves as chairman of the SAG Awards Committee, and produces the SAG Awards Show each year. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she is a graduate of Brown University. She is married to director John Pasquin and is the proud mother of two sons.
In this episode, we discuss…
- [0:01] Introduction
- [0:28] Guest Introduction
- [2:42] Start of Interview
- [3:10] Chantilly Bridge
- [10:27] How Acting Roles for Women Have Evolved in the Industry
- [12:03] Working with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation
- [15:30] Working with an Ensemble Cast
- [18:08] Making Hit Films
- [20:14] The Poltergeist Set
- [21:31] Working on Adam and Baby M
- [25:29] Advice for Up-and-Coming Actors
- [29:14] The Future of JoBeth’s Career
- [32:22] Closing Thoughts
- [33:32] Outro
Useful Resources:
JoBeth’s IMDb I [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001851/]
JoBeth’s Twitter I [https://twitter.com/jbwilliams8?lang=en[
Can’t Get Enough? Find Us Here!
Website I [http://hotflashescooltopics.com/]
Mail I [[email protected]]
Instagram I [https://www.instagram.com/hotflashesandcooltopics/]
Facebook I [https://www.facebook.com/hotflashescooltopics]
Twitter I [https://twitter.com/CoolFlashes]
YouTube I [https://www.youtube.com/@HotFlashesCoolTopics]
Pinterest I [https://www.pinterest.com/hcooltopics/]
Want to Leave a Review for Hot Flashes and Cool Topics? Here’s How:
For Apple Podcasts on an iPhone or iOS device:
- Open the Apple Podcast App on your device.
- Click on the “search” icon
- Type into the search bar “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” and click on the show
- Towards the bottom, look for “Ratings and Reviews”
- Click on “Write a Review” and leave us your thoughts and comments!
For Apple Podcasts on a computer:
- On the Apple Podcasts website, go to the search bar and type “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics”
- After clicking on the show, find the “Listen on Apple Podcasts” button and click on it
- The “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” podcast should open on the Apple Podcasts application
- Keep scrolling on the page until you see “Ratings and Reviews”
- Click on “See All”
- If you want to give us a five-star rating, hover over the empty stars!
- If you want to leave your thoughts and comments, click on “Write a Review”!