Lorraine Bracco
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They talked of their early years, their current and future projects, the process of acting, the Actorʼs Studio and, since this talk was sponsored by the Palisades Library, their pleasure in reading. They both possess a wonderful sense of humor that was apparent throughout the afternoon. They also have a house in common; when Ellen sold her house in Snedens Landing about 18 years ago Lorraine purchased it.

Ellen started out as a showgirl on the Jackie Gleason Show. “We always knew when he arrived in the theatre; oxygen tanks would be brought in to get him sober.” Lorraine became a model in Paris for designer Jean Paul Gautier. “I met Harvey Keitel in Paris then came back to New York with him.”

When asked who influenced her, Ellen replied “Betty Grable. I wanted to wear sequins and dance around a stage but I had to fall back on dramatic acting.” Lorraine found her inspiration in Bette Davis in the movie, Now Voyager. “I was a tall skinny girl and related to the ugly woman who turned into a swan. I wanted to be her.”

The Actors Studio played a role in both their lives. For Ellen, “It was the most transformative experience in my life. I was an emotional mess when I got there.” She failed her first audition but made it on her second try, continuing to study with Lee Strasberg until his death. “I learned how to focus my will. Strasberg could really see; it gives you confidence to be recognized for who you are.” Ellen was named co-president of the Actors Studio in 2000 and continues to teach there. Lorraine came into the Actors Studio from the side door, first accompanying Harvey to his classes then studying with Stella Adler.

Ellen takes great pleasure in acting. “I find doing research fascinating – how by my behavior I can tell who a character is. There is a moment, especially on stage, where the play plays us, where you get totally carried away; itʼs one of the most exhilarating feelings. With the dark parts like the role in The Exorcist, I take an elevator ride down into my psyche to find the character within me. I feel like Iʼm flying at the end.”

Lorraine on the other hand finds acting painful. “I love the set and the activity. I come prepared but I am still terrified. Acting is soul searching. The rape scene in the Sopranos took a lot out of me. It was so physical. I carried it around for months.” Lorraine spent ten years working on the series, winning a Screen Actors Guild award for her performance. “It allowed me to stay in one place and lead a normal life.” There were some fun times. “Jimmy (Gandolfini) who played Tony Soprano had long speeches in our scenes together. When he finished and the camera was on me he would do all sorts of things like mooning me and dancing around to crack me up.”

Ellen related that one of her best work experiences was Same Time Next Year where she played the role on stage, winning a Tony for best actress in a play, and in the movie version. Lorraine said her most enjoyable experience was working with Penny Marshall on a recently completed comedy pilot called, Women Without Men. “I am looking for things to produce myself; at the moment Iʼm interested in The Connie Francis Story.”

Ellen who has no interest in producing is on the lookout for interesting scripts, not, she said, “should we put mama into a nursing home. I have found many of the projects for myself. I put Alice Doesn’t Live Here Any More together and found Marty Scorsese, who was still an unknown, to direct.” Ellen won an Oscar for her performance in it. She has just completed Main Street, a movie written by Horton Foote shortly before his death and is trying to get a play called Vengeance is Mine on Broadway. She is also working on a book incorporating her favorite poems and her own photographs.

Both women have published books. Lorraine wrote On the Couch in 2007 about conquering clinical depression. Ellenʼs book, Lessons in Becoming Myself, was released in 2006.