Glenn Close Has Always Dressed The Part
Presenting The Dispatch, a fresh column by Derek C. Blasberg that offers a blend of interviews and insights from the forefront of culture, art, and fashion.
Let me start by saying how happy I am to return! Back in the early 2000s, I had the honor of being the youngest editor at large for Harper’s Bazaar. However, in 2015, I stepped away to pursue different opportunities. Even though I was away, I always felt connected to the Bazaar family, and it's wonderful to realize that I can come back. I'm really excited to be here once more!
Without wasting any more time, let's dive into this first column.
The writer with Glenn Close during the Ralph Lauren presentation last April.
On a warm spring evening in New York last year, Ralph Lauren hosted his Fall/Holiday 2024 fashion show at his design studio on Madison Avenue. In typical Ralph style, he adorned a modern glass office building with traditional mahogany panels and elegant leather furniture. While I was backstage chatting with the legendary Glenn Close, I mentioned that we were celebrating over fifty years of Ralph Lauren. She responded with a hint of nostalgia, saying, “This September marks my 50 years as a working actress.” With a grin, she made air quotes with her hands and added, “Thank goodness!” Then, channeling her character Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard, she turned to the crew recording our conversation and asked them to adjust the cameras to flatter her better (specifically her right side) and enhance her lighting. “I’m sorry,” she said playfully, but quickly added, “Actually, no, I’m not.” She truly is a legend.
That's Glenn for you. Her career has spanned fifty years on both stage and screen, and she has an impressive collection of awards that includes three Tonys, three Emmys, and three Golden Globes. (Although she has been nominated for eight Oscars, she hasn't won one yet.) When I was a young teenager, I became enchanted by her wicked and fashionable portrayal of Cruella de Vil in the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians. During high school, I often visited Blockbuster to rent her classic films, such as The Big Chill (1983) and Fatal Attraction (1987), which I would watch on our family sofa on Friday nights, admiring her incredible versatility. (The phrase "bunny boiler" remains a part of our culture.) In 2017, I honored my mom's birthday by taking her to see Glenn perform in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway. We even waited at the stage door for her to sign our Playbills—an unforgettable bonding experience for a mother and her son. This woman deserves all the spotlight she can get!
The writer and his mother enjoying the warm atmosphere of Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, 2017.
A few months after Ralph’s event, I met up with Glenn at Sydmonton Court, an impressive estate in Basingstoke and Deane. The place is owned by “The Lloyd Webbers,” she mentions, referring to Andrew Lloyd Webber, the genius behind famous musicals like Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Sunset Boulevard. Glenn is in the U.K. working on Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery for Netflix. In the film, her character plays the church organ, so she and her host have been playing music together. “We tried out all sorts of styles and time signatures, and we got really into it,” Glenn shares (as I marvel at this). “It was hilarious! We were having a great time.”
Similar to the character Cruella de Vil in the 1996 film "101 Dalmatians"
Glenn's cherished dog, Pippy—who goes by the title Sir Pippin of Beanfield on Instagram—snuggles at her feet. (Netflix arranged for Pippy's travel from Glenn’s home in Bozeman, Montana, using Bark Air.) We talk about how many of her performances have raised awareness for significant issues, covering themes like motherhood in 1982's *The World According to Garp*, sexual abuse in 1984's *Something About Amelia*, LGBTQ+ rights in the military in 1995's *Serving in Silence*, and gender dynamics in 2011's *Albert Nobbs*. Her latest Oscar nomination came from *Hillbilly Elegy* (2020), which surged in popularity on Netflix after the author of the 2016 memoir it was based on was named as the Republican vice-presidential candidate. (July was certainly an eventful month for vice-presidential contenders—definitely #TeamKamala over here!) In the film, Glenn portrays a determined grandmother whose anger at the world drives her to champion her grandson.
What motivates her to choose these types of roles? About ten years ago, Glenn shared that after spending her early childhood on her grandfather’s farm in Connecticut, her family became involved with a religious group known as the Moral Re-Armament. This experience was challenging for Glenn and her siblings. Pursuing acting at the College of William & Mary in Virginia became her way out. “I find it easier to imagine and develop characters than to figure out my own identity,” she explains. “That’s part of what makes it so enjoyable for me. Perhaps it’s because I still carry a profound sense of outrage within me. True art stems from that feeling of outrage—it's what makes art powerful and lasting.”
Air Force One, released in 1997.
Glenn shares that it took her many years to face the shame she experienced in her childhood, an experience she has come to realize was a type of abuse. “You have to have a driving force,” she says. “My family has struggled with everything we've been through in our own ways, and we’ve all managed to get through it. Growing up, I often found myself lost in my imagination and thoughts, so now being able to channel that creativity into my career fills me with immense gratitude.”
Fashion has been a significant influence on Glenn's performances, and we often speculate whether "Jagged Edge" (1985) was the real start of the power suit trend. Since 2017, her impressive collection of costumes has been stored in a climate-controlled, museum-grade facility at Indiana University. “I really admire the artistry involved,” she shares about how costumes enhance her performances. “I began collecting costumes because, during film shoots, you can spend countless hours in the fitting room. Because of that, my connection with a costumier is just as vital as my relationship with a director.”
At the curtain call on opening night for Sunset Boulevard at the Palace Theatre in 2017.
Glenn attributes her understanding of how to dress characters to the iconic costume designer Ann Roth, with whom she collaborated on the film Jagged Edge. Fun tidbit: that was Ann chatting with Margot Robbie at the bus stop in last summer’s Barbie movie! Another interesting note: the elaborate historical costume worn by Glenn’s character, the manipulative Marquise de Merteuil, at the opera in Dangerous Liaisons (1988) was later donned by Madonna during a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1990. “I received it back and we restored it to its original state,” Glenn shares with pride. One last fun fact: for her role as the first female vice president in 1997’s Air Force One—which predates the real-life event by decades—Glenn opted for an Armani suit. Giorgio Armani, who has crafted numerous outfits for her, knows how to create garments that exude strength and authority. “There was a scene where she was supposed to break down and cry,” Glenn remembers. “I said, ‘I won’t do that.’”
"I’m really into corsets," Glenn shares with me. "I enjoy the way they control your movements." She's not talking about the film Dangerous Liaisons. (During a costume design class I took in college, we watched the opening 11 minutes of that movie because it’s an excellent example of historical costuming.) Often, Cruella's striking black and white fur coat steals the spotlight from the rest of her outfit. “Cruella had a tiny 21-inch waist! And those boots! They were so uncomfortable, with five-inch heels!” she goes on. “It made it easy to tap into the character’s wicked intensity.”
Glenn has a unique approach to developing characters: wigs. She enthusiastically mentions Martial Corneville—spelling out his name—who designed the hairstyles for films like 101 Dalmatians, Albert Nobbs, and Hillbilly Elegy. (Corneville was even nominated for an Oscar for his work on Albert Nobbs.) “Hair is everything. A poor-quality wig can ruin a movie for me. I often watch films and can’t help but notice actors sporting truly terrible wigs, and it makes me wonder, ‘How can you look in the mirror and not want to fix that?’”
I ask Glenn if she thinks embodying these types of characters has been helpful for her in any way. She responds, “I hesitate to call my art therapy, as I have a great appreciation for the acting profession.” She adds, “However, in my situation, having been in a cult from the ages of seven to 22, I transitioned directly from college to my career equipped with valuable tools.”
Similar to the character of the Marquise de Merteuil in the 1988 film *Dangerous Liaisons.*
Madonna wore one of Close's outfits from the film during the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.
Seeking out awards has never been her primary motivation. “What annoys me are the people who say, ‘You’re a loser,’” she remarks, referencing a phrase often used by a former president. “In America, we completely misunderstand how we discuss success and failure. What truly matters to me is that I’ve been recognized, and I’ve had that honor eight times—it’s an unmatched experience,” she adds. “But that’s not my main focus. How can anyone grow as a person if they don’t take chances? Everyone in that space is a winner.”
Before we say goodbye, Glenn emphasizes that real icons maintain their legendary status over time. “I still feel just as driven and enthusiastic as I always have,” she says while gazing at the beautifully kept lawn of Andrew Lloyd Webber. “In this line of work, if you manage to endure, you can only improve.”
