|
 LEE
PACE
The
Man Behind
The
"Soldier's Girl"
by
terry keefe
photography robin holland
Some people just know how to make an entrance,
not to mention an unforgettable film debut.
As Calpernia Addams in the Showtime original
film "Soldier's Girl," the first thing we see
of actor Lee Pace is his fingers snapping just
outside a curtain to the opening notes of Peggy
Lee's "Fever." Pace then appears on a nightclub
stage belting out a sizzling rendition of the
tune, in a gorgeous evening gown and heels,
with an accompanying voice-over which sets the
stage for what is to come, "I'm going to tell
you a story. It's a simple story. Like all great
stories, it's a love story. And like all great
stories, it's terribly tragic..." Based on actual
events, "Soldier's Girl" is indeed a tragic
love story about a young enlisted man named
Barry Winchell who was murdered in 1999 by some
of his fellow soldiers for being gay. At the
time of Winchell's murder, he was in love with
Calpernia, who was then a preoperative transsexual
and a regular performer at a Nashville
nightclub. The crime made national
headlines, calling into question the logic of
the military's "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy.
In
taking on the role of Calpernia, Lee Pace faced
a number of challenges, the first one being
the most basic- how to pull off portraying a
woman in as realistic a manner as possible,
despite being a 6' 3" man with a deep voice.
Says Pace, "[Director] Frank Pierson sent me
on the right track. He said to just watch real
women- how they talk, how they walk. Observe
all the tiny details." Pace also discovered
that the prosthetic breasts and hips that he
wore in the film contributed to his process
as well. "There were like three hours of make-up
every day and by the end of that I was just
sort of transformed into another person," he
recalls. In addition, conversations with the
real-life Calpernia Addams helped Pace shape
his performance with its many nuances. "We became
really good friends. She's so forthcoming and
articulate about her life, and she gave me a
lot of important details. The way she would
talk about Barry. She just really valued that
time in her life and has a different perspective
now that she can see it in retrospect," Pace
says.
Although
the role was a tough one to nail, Pace didn't
hesitate in accepting the part. "The script
was so good. You read a lot of bad stuff and
this was handled with such care and class. At
the end of the day, I think it's an important
story to tell. It really struck me that telling
the story helped people understand an injustice
in the world. And it was really nice to be a
part of that."
The
Juilliard-trained Pace recently received stellar
notices for the Off-Broadway play "The Credeaux
Canvas" and can be seen onstage in Los
Angeles for a few days
this month (July 17-20) in Gary Lennon's play,
"Blackout," at the Egyptian Arena in Hollywood
. Please call 323-960-4441 for ticket
information. |
