An Actress And A Library

I just read a fascinating interview entitled "The Passion of Estelle Parsons" which was conducted by her daughter, journalist A. G. Britton. Published in the March, 2007 issue of THRIVE, a magazine directed at senior citizens, the venerable actress talked about her preparation for the role of Blanche Barrow, in a now-classic motion picture: Arthur [Penn] gave me this script for Bonnie and Clyde. I had turned down a lot of movies and TV because I was interested in the theater. But I kept reading, and I realized it was an extraordinary role, the emotional journey of Blanche Barrow, Clyde's sister-in-law, was fascinating. I spent the fall in the library researching this character. I never do that_because usually with good material you have everything you need to work on a role. But this was a real life character. I went to the public library on 42nd Street and I would sit in the locked room they have, pouring over a book about Bonnie and my character, Blanche Barrow. I went through all the newspapers."