Julia Ormond: From Stalin's Wife to An American Girl's Mom

Before her breakout role as Robert Duvall’s wife (Mrs. Stalin) in the HBO biopic “Stalin,” British actress Julia Ormond had several solid years of stage work to her credit, as well as the starring role in the made-for-cable biography “Young Catherine.” During the mid-90s, she played Guinevere to Sean Connery’s King Arthur in “First Knight,” then had the title role in the remake of “Sabrina.”

A well-known social activist on issues related to HIV/AIDS, anti-trafficking and poverty alleviation in Africa, she co-founded FilmAid International, a non-governmental organization that uses the power of film to alleviate suffering in third-world countries.

This film has some rather heavy themes for a kids’ movie; the Great Depression, families experiencing foreclosure, children separated from their parents. Did any of that play into your decision to be involved with it?

Julia:  No. I actually liked that side of it as well. I think that’s part of the function of story, to show us that you can come up against great challenges, face adversity, and get through it. Look at the Disney movies. Bambi’s mother dies, Cinderella’s father dies. Something tragic happens, kids start bawling over it. But then you show that child how they come through it.

Ultimately they learn that lesson in life, rather than living in fear because no one’s ever dealt with the dark stuff. And that is a great thing because I think there’s a lot of self-empowerment that happens.

Yes, something bad happens, but bad things happen to everyone. Not knowing how you’re going to get through it, I think, creates more fear than knowing you’re going to experience it and then get to the other side.

You are a social activist and have done a lot of international social work. Seeing America go through the Great Depression, did that do anything for you as an activist, to think about helping the needy here?

Julia:  Yes. There are a lot of kids in poverty, recession or no recession. I think one in 10 kids lives below the poverty line, and New Orleans made that very clear. I think when you look at America in those times, when you look at what people came through, the Dust Storms, the Great Depression, you realize that’s just two generations away.

What I loved about this story was we do live in a culture that does tend to get your identity somehow very wrapped up with the house you have, the car you have, the this you wear. We’re all vulnerable in that way. What I loved about the movie is it says you can take all those things, throw them up in the air. What actually gives you your identity, your strength, is how you relate to people and how you connect with your family. Can you be compassionate to those who may be socially different.

I believe you see the story deliver for her, because she brings the compassion and the different perspective, how she gets her family out of trouble. I love that about it. It was interesting to see how recent it all was.

I remember hearing my grandfather talk about the Great Depression in England. My parents were born during World War II, into similar kind of stuff, and it created a different generation, a different sort of personality. It created the “stiff upper lip” that said, “Yes, we’re being bombed, but we’re fine.”

My mother talks about exploring the rubble and things as kids. She still insists that you finish everything on your plate, because her formative years were during rationing. As women and girls, there is so much pressure to be younger that we forget the survival lessons that can get handed on from generations past.

You mentioned the disaster in New Orleans. What kind of character do you see emerging from the events of our time? How are recent events shaping this generation?

Julia:  I recently spoke to a youth model United Nations program where they represent all different countries. I think young people are becoming more and more aware of their environment. My own kid, who is less than four, tells me to turn the tap off while I’m brushing my teeth. She’s all over it. We recycle.

I think they’ll be the first generation really experiencing true globalization. It’s a different world with the internet and everything moving faster. If we’re lucky, we got on planes nowadays as if they’re trains. I can remember flying with my grandmother and it’s the second flight she’s ever taken.

She looked out the window and said, “I can’t believe how the clouds look. They look like wool.” It’s a different world.

I have a lot of hope that the children today will look not just outside of them, their village, state or country, but a child today will grow up conscious that they’re connected to a child in China or in Africa. I think we’re moving in that direction. I think we have a better understanding of how we’re really connected.

When you travel to a place like Marrakesh and see a satellite dish in the middle of all of this poverty, you think we’re getting all of these images in. We’re mixing it up culturally across the world. It’s a confusing time, but it’s also a time when people are really connecting.

It was really surprising to see these kids caring about their community and their neighbors who are losing their homes. It’s really very timely considering the rate of foreclosures now.

Julia:  I hope the kids that go to it will also be very entertained. I think it’s entertainment without escapism, and I think that’s what distinguishes it from a lot of other summer or kids’ fare that’s out there. I hope it’s not preachy in tone.

There’s one scene where you’re working in the garden and stand up, and we see that you’re in pumps. Was that intentional?

Julia:  The character ends up doing everything in the house, and has to jump from one job to the other. She’s thinking, “I need to do this now, and I don’t really have time to change my shoes before I do that.”

What was it like to have Abigail playing your daughter?

Julia:  She’s so sweet. I really admire her. I don’t think I could have dealt with what she’s dealt with in terms of success, notoriety, and all those things she has, at her age. Yet she maintains this excitement, enthusiasm, positivism, energy, and curiosity.

She’s so balanced and professional, but not pretentious or entitled, or rushing toward something too quickly. She’s really delicious to work with. She gave so much, and dealt with an awful lot. There were a lot of changes, a lot was thrown at her that she dealt with. She can really access that emotion. A couple of times, she’d be right there before us, and we’re going, “Can we have a couple of takes to warm up?” Not her.

I’ve done a number of movies that have had children in them. It can be a distorting experience, because everyone wants to keep the kid happy in what can be an unhealthy way. Being in this movie with lots of kids was a blast. They were all mixed from completely different worlds, some of them.

You’ve got Willow (Smith, Will Smith’s daughter) with her background, Abigail, and then these two girls who totally parted the crowd and came from an open casting call. There was no hierarchy with the kids, and it kind of changed the vibe for us in a really nice way.

Someone has said that the greatest challenge can be to work with children and dogs. Did you ever think to yourself, “I could be upstaged in a second?”

Julia:  You know that going into it. They were just there. It’s so easy for them to just lift the boundaries and go. It’s play. They are completely there. So anything that you’re doing that’s klutzy isn’t going to zing. Like I said, I’ve done a bunch of films that had kids in them, and some of my favorite films had children in them.

I think there’s something that a child can deliver in a story that is very special.

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