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The Remarkable Melissa Leo, Actress

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The Remarkable Melissa Leo, Actress

 

 




Introduction to Melissa Leo.  2:16 min.  Interview:  Raymond Elman + Robert Zuckerman.  Editing & Production: Mayelin Jimenez.  Music: Carmen Cicero.  Recorded via Zoom:  2/10/2021, Miami.

 

Actress MELISSA LEO (b. 1960) is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Critics’ Choice Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award. 

After appearing on several television shows and films in the 1980s, Leo became a regular on the television shows “All My Children,” which won her a Daytime Emmy Award, and “The Young Riders.” Her breakthrough role came in 1993 as detective and later sergeant Kay Howard on the television series “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1993–1997). 

Leo received critical acclaim for her performance as Ray Eddy in the 2008 film “Frozen River,” earning her several nominations and awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 2010, Leo won several awards for her performance as Alice Eklund-Ward in the film “The Fighter,” including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 

In 2013, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role on the television series Louie. She starred in the 2015 Fox event series “Wayward Pines” as Nurse Pam. She then starred in the 2017 Netflix film “The Most Hated Woman in America” as American Atheists founder Madalyn Murray O’Hair.

The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 40 seconds and 5 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

 

 

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES:  2:20 min.




Where did you grow up, and what was your first awareness of art of any discipline?

 

SERENDIPITY:   0:59 sec.




When you saw “Jaws,” were you already spending time in East Hampton near the water?

 

BREAKS THE RULES:  0:38 sec.




How well do you know the multi-faceted East Hampton arts community?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND:  0:53 sec.




Is your father involved in the East Hampton community?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND:  1:22 min.




How does your not being a “people person” square with your career as an actor?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  2:00 min.




When playing a character as intense as Madalyn Murray O’Hair in “The Most Hated Woman in America,” is it exhilarating as an actor or debilitating because you have to live with her personality?

 

DEVELOP A VOICE: 5:38 min.




Describe the evolution of your career as an actor?

 

SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES:   2:49 min.




How did you connect with your manager Bill Tresh?

 

UNDERSTANDS ARTISTS’ NEEDS:  1:05 min.




Was Bill Tresh the right manager for you and your career?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  1:13 min.




Was there a point where you thought “I’m making progress” as an actor — I am going to be successful?

 

BEING PREPARED:  3:00 min.




Talk about working with Denzel Washington in “Flight.”

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  2:08 min.




What roles have you turned down?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  3:42 min.




Talk about “gender age-ism” in the film industry.

 

UNDERSTANDS ARTISTS’ NEEDS:  1:11 min.




Given the way you feel about the film industry, are you still accepting parts?

 

UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART:  1:55 min.




Have you considered screenwriting, directing, or producing?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  0:37 sec.




Who are some of your role models and influencers?

 

DEVELOP A VOICE:  0:54 sec.




What are your experiences in Miami?

 

RESILIENCE:  1:40 min.




What’s on your drawing board?

 

OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED:  0:59 sec.




Describe a challenging situation with a successful outcome.

 

OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED:  3:12 min.




What does it feel like to play characters who are foreign to who you are?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  1:23 min.




What roles gave you the most pleasure?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  2:07 min.




How has public recognition affected you?

 

EMPATHY:  1:44 min.




You are passionate about social justice, how has that impacted your career?