10 QUESTIONS with Beverly D'Angelo

Beverly D’Angelo, accomplished singer, mother, and oh yeah, a frickin' big-time movie star!
Best known for her portrayal of the bewildered mother in the National Lampoons Vacation films with Chevy Chase and a supporting role as Patsy Cline in Coal Miner’s Daughter, Beverly D'Angelo continues to balance her schedule between being a mother and an actress with performances showcasing her talents as a vocalist. She performs every Tuesday at the Lucky Seven Club in Hollywood.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, D'Angelo spent her teens in Florence, Italy, where she studied visual arts at the American School. Returning to the United States, she accepted an animator position with Hanna Barbera in Los Angeles. The fast pace, however, left her yearning for smaller pastures.  She turned to folk music, theatre, and eventually film.  And the long and winding road of her career led her to our door.  Read on to discover how she became involved with the indie film Gamers.
 

1. What was it like working with John Heard?

Perfect as usual. This was the third time we've worked together.  To give an example of the amount of professional respect we have for each other, we tried to make sure  that "our characters" didn't look fat  when  we were  lying on the couch. And we mutually decided that the word "cigarette"  was code for " I want to fuck". See , this is what you get when you put two pros like us together:,  rich character interplay, and deeply meaningful subtext. We also split a bottle of water to cut down on  the budget. Now THAT'S genius.

2. What, in the name of God, were you thinking when you signed on to be in the film Gamers?
 

I forget.

3. You have worked with directors such as Milos Foreman, Woody Allen, Harold Ramis, Amy Heckerling and now the guy from Gamers. Any comparison? He paid us to ask you this question.
 

But he didn't pay me to answer it.

4. You play Gordon's mother in the film.  What kind of character is she?
 

A woman who secretly wonders who this kid is that keeps calling her mom, but loves him anyway.

5. You have done it all…solo singer, rock band, Broadway, theater, and movies.  If you could only do one of these for the rest of your life which one would it be and why?
 

Sing. Everything else involves a cast of thousands. I bet John says Theater.

6. How do you compare the comedy in the Vacation films to Gamers?
 

By watching both films back to back and thinking about it.

7. What's the strangest movie role you were ever offered?  Did you take it?
 

The films I've chosen  are much less strange than the life I've chosen to lead.

8. What is your best advice to indie filmmakers attempting to make a movie?

Be certain you are utterly, inescapably and obsessively passionate about the film you are going to make, because its going to be impossible. And then, relax and just do it.

9. If you weren't an actress or a singer what other field do you think you would have gotten into? Animation?

That's like asking if I weren't a human being, what species would I be. But I  have always been writing books that I never finish.

10. If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead (no relatives or religious figures), who would it be and why?

Rosemary Clooney. I miss her.