From Venice:
The crown is under contention in mid-12th century England, a time known as The Anarchy. King Stephen is in power but the forces of Empress Maud are closing in. Fierce and ruthless, Maud is determined to reclaim the throne as the only legitimate royal heir now that her brother, William Adelin, has been lost with the sinking of the White Ship. As the last in the paternal bloodline of William the Conquerer, Maud is primally irked at the usurper king who sent her into exile — and she’s out for blood. When Starz set out to cast the role of the lionhearted queen for their epic, 8-hour miniseries, “The Pillars of the Earth” — based on the novel by Ken Follett about the battle-ridden construction of a cathedral in a small market town — the network was tasked with finding a young actor skilled and seasoned beyond her years. A 20-something who could believably garner the loyalty of a nation and humble the likes of “Deadwood”’s Ian McShane. Alison Pill was their pick and she does not disappoint.

An early bloomer, Toronto-raised Pill cut her teeth as a teenager in the late ’90s with roles on Canadian-filmed television shows like “The New Ghostwriter Mysteries” and “Psi Factor,” and moved on to play a young Lorna Luft in the TV movie, “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.” She then made her way to New York and shot Pieces of April (2003) with Katie Holmes and Oliver Platt, and wound up moving to the East Village and taking on a series of film roles, which led to her stint in the cast of the short-lived and controversial “The Book of Daniel” in 2006. Meanwhile, Pill was gaining ground on stage in projects like Neil LaBute’s “The Distance From Here” (2004) and Christopher Shinn’s “On the Mountain” (2005), and earned a Tony nomination for “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” (2006), her Broadway debut. She offered a searing performance opposite Jeff Daniels at the Manhattan Theater Club in “Blackbird” and worked alongside F. Murray Abraham in Broadway’s “Mauritius,” both in 2007 — the same year she shared the screen with Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, John Mahoney, Dianne Wiest, and Dane Cook in Dan in Real Life. Up next for Pill is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a big-budget, fantastical, sci-fi comedy about a shy guy in a rock band who must defeat his crush’s seven evil exboyfriends before he can be with her. Billed as “an epic of epic epicness,” the film based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley is directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), stars Michael Cera (Superbad, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist), and features Pill as Scott’s sarcastic drummer. Having caught the eye of the auteur, Pill is currently on location shooting Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris with Rachel McAdams, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Kathy Bates.

When last we spoke with Pill, she was gearing up for the premiere of the 2009, Sean Penn-starring biopic, Milk, and was about to start work on season two of “In Treatment.” With Milk an Oscar-winning success and her time on Gabriel Byrne’s couch a heartwrenching and masterful audience favorite, we were looking forward to a second visit with the rising screen star and one of New York’s finest young stage talents. On a recent visit to Manhattan, Venice took in a night at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater and saw Pill perform alongside Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie,” “The Sopranos”) in “This Wide Night,” a stellar off-Broadway production about two former prison cellmates. As Pill’s Marie sits idly in her South London apartment, she’s roused by a sudden, persistent knock at the door and the cloying voice of Falco’s Lorraine, who can’t wait to see her. Marie hadn’t planned on keeping their promise to reunite on the outside, and now she’s stuck with a needy, overbearing nuisance invading her life — or so it seems. We watch as Pill’s insular grouch slowly cracks a smile and opens up to the familiar comfort of Falco’s unguarded, maternal enthusiasm. The Chloë Moss-written, Anne Kauffman-directed piece goes on to explore the question of whether an intimate friendship forged in forced solitude can survive in the free world. The performances are simply awesome, and we’re especially struck by Pill’s deft restraint in playing conflicting emotions and percolating energy until they boil over and all hell breaks loose.

Pill’s controlled intensity is admired by her peers. “It was her first day of work playing this English monarch,” recalls “Pillars” co-star Eddie Redmayne, “and the poise with which Alison came in, and then having to lose her temper — it was volcanic. I was completely blown away by her talent.” The sweeping historical drama premieres on July 23rd. We meet with the gifted performer at a diner on the Upper West Side, and find her sharp, playfully cynical, down to earth, and serious about her work. Spend some time with Alison Pill — shortly before her 7:30 curtain.

Venice: How did you get involved with “Pillars of the Earth”?

Alison Pill:

I got a call through my Canadian agent. It’s such an international community that they needed some Canadian cast members — and the producer, Rola Bauer, had thought of me for Queen Maud.

Had you known anything about this time period beforehand?

I had known about the time period and my mom is a huge Oprah’s Book Club fan from way back and loved the book.

Did your mom fill you in on the story?

I went right ahead and read the book, which was so fun. It’s such a fun book.

Did you do dialect work to prepare for the role?

I didn’t have a dialect coach on that so it’s just me — and our sound guy, who’s British, trying to help me out. It was hard because in historical fact, they would have been speaking French in the court. An Old English accent would be impossible to understand so we just went as basic as possible and hoped for the best. (more…)