But the actress had to tell a lie to secure the part.
And so I kept my eye on it.
So it occurred to them to ask me to do the part of Anke.
Jessica Harper in ‘Suspiria’.20th Century Studios
So Luca said, ‘Hang on, let me find out if Jessica can speak German.’
Of course, he had me at ‘Hello.’
And then he said, ‘Now, do you think you could do the part in German?
And I said, ‘Oh,absolutely.’
Can I come over this afternoon, hey?'"
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Who is Anke?
I think she’s outed herself finally, although that was kept secret for a very long time.
He doesn’t know what became of her, all those years before.
It’s this lovely emotional thread that cuts through the center of the movie.
What was it like acting opposite Tilda Swinton, given that she was playing an elderly German man?
Of course it wasweird, because it was Tilda Swinton playing an elderly German man!
What was the shoot like?
The shoot for me was pretty brief.
I was only involved for a few days, because my part was a small part.
And I was there too and I know it was difficult.
It was cold and dark and scary.
It was like a haunted house, which was kind of appropriate, but not ideal shooting circumstances.
But I had a wonderful time.
[Laughs] I sort of had a celebrity moment, which was so sweet.
How did you get involved in the originalSuspiria?
Dario sawPhantom of the Paradise, the De Palma film.
We met in Los Angeles.
I didn’t audition for him, I think, we just met.
What do you remember aboutthatshoot?
Oh, that was fantastic.
That was four months in Rome, basically, which was a great experience in and of itself.
It was kind of a life-changing experience, actually.
The originalSuspiriais regarded as one oftheclassics of the horror genre.
What is that like for you?
Well, again, it feels like I’m on some miraculous ride.
I’m very proud to be a part of it.
Am I right in thinking that you had basically retired prior to appearing in the newSuspiria?
I’d not exactly retired.
I just was doing a lot of other things.
What is the podcast about?
It’s calledWinnetka, which is the name of my hometown.
It’s a memoir of my childhood.
I’ve been working on it for about three years.
Our family kind of unwound at the end of the decade.
So, that’s a thumbnail of what it is, and I’m really excited about it.
How is your German now?
Watch the trailer for the newSuspiria, above.
