Upham films August: Osage County

Here's another interview I conducted with actress Misty Upham:

Misty Upham Co-Stars with Meryl Streep in August: Osage County

By Rob SchmidtAugust: Osage County, a darkly comedic play by Tracy Letts, premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2007. It went on to Broadway, where it had 648 performances and won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Since then it’s toured across the U.S. and around the world.

One of the play’s key roles is Johnna Monevata, a Cheyenne woman whom the Weston family hires as a live-in housekeeper. Johnna is the witness as the sharp-tongued matriarch lashes out at family members, in-laws and hangers-on. Actress Kimberly Guerrero originated the role and went on to play it in New York and London.

Now Harvey Weinstein and George Clooney are producing a movie version. It’s directed by John Wells (ER) and its all-star cast includes Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Ewan McGregor. It’s scheduled to be released in 2013.

Other than Johnny Depp as Tonto, Johnna may be the highest-profile Native role of 2013. The plum assignment went to Blackfeet actress Misty Upham (Frozen River), fresh off filming another high-profile picture, Jimmy Picard, with Benicio Del Toro. We chatted with Upham via e-mail as she was finishing the August: Osage County shoot in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.Comment:  For more on Misty Upham, see Upham Joins August: Osage County and My Interview with Misty Upham.