Three-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening visited the fifth period Film/Comp Lit class on Monday, Nov. 14. Bening, whose most recent Academy Award nomination was for her role in the film Being Julia, gave a brief summary of her life to the packed room before answering questions from students. Bening has acted in numerous plays and films including the critically acclaimed American Beauty.
Since senior Jake Martin’s mother, Beth, is Bening’s first cousin, the Martins, along with Film/Comp Lit teacher Kaye Paugh, were able to persuade Bening to speak to Martin’s class.
Paugh gave Martin information to give Bening about the material the class covered. The class also wrote questions to ask Bening that Martin gave her in advance.
Bening spoke of her education in theater at Mesa Community College, San Francisco State University and the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She always wanted to be a classically trained actor. As a child she “fell in love with the theater, with the language, the immediacy of the experience” she said.
She began working in plays before moving to New York and auditioning for movies. Though she did not originally want to act in movies, she felt that she had to give it a shot.
“When I say great movies, I wanted to put myself in that world,” she said.
Bening answered questions including how she approaches acting. She believes that an actor needs to transform into the role but the camera also captures an actor’s essence, so it is important to be as open and honest as possible.
“You have to find the conscious way to get to the unconscious,” she said. “Within the context of the camera you want to find spontaneity.”
She stressed the importance of students doing what they enjoy. “What matters is what you love,” she said.
Rotem Ben-Schachar is an editor-in-chief for Verde magazine.