Who does Sarah Polley think she is?

June 26, 2022 3:30 PM

Director/writer/actor Sarah Polley, who you likely know if you're Canadian, and maybe know if you're not, has published a book, "Run towards the danger." "If there's a through line in Polley’s career, it’s the notion that truth can be a multivalent, contradictory thing, that sometimes you need to fumble toward something even if it will always remain just beyond your grasp."
posted by goofyfoot (18 comments total)

See also her piece in the NYT about Harvey Weinstein, written in the very early days of the #MeToo movement.
posted by intermod at 6:11 PM on June 26, 2022 [3 favorites]

This sounds like an amazing book.

I know almost none of Polley's work as a child actor - I've only seen Munchhausen, but now I'd love to see the Ramona stuff, especially knowing that she was treated well on that project.

I found her Stories We Tell fascinating, and loved her in Slings and Arrows.

I would like to read this book, and I'm not sure I would have known about it without this post.

Thank you so much for sharing this great profile, goofyfoot!
posted by kristi at 7:26 PM on June 26, 2022

I also was only familiar with Polley from Munchhausen. I watched and enjoyed that movie and found out years later what a disaster it was to be on the set during production of the film when I read a memoir by Eric Idle in which (among a variety of other things) he described how awful it was behind the scenes. I seem to recall her saying Idle was the only person who was nice to her during the making of that particular film.
posted by Whale Oil at 9:07 PM on June 26, 2022

I’ve admired her for most of my life, and it just grows deeper. I’m saddened to learn that Her experiences as a child actor were so bad, because they brought joy to so many of us. The book sounds amazing.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:29 PM on June 26, 2022

Such a joy to see the little girl in Munchausen blossom into a formidable talent. She co-wrote and directed the movie Away From Her starring Julie Christie. Recommended.

(Also, accounts of Terry Gilliam's behavior by her and Ellen Barkin totally changed my view of him as an employer and a person.)
posted by zaixfeep at 10:00 PM on June 26, 2022 [2 favorites]

Extract from the book published in The Guardian. It covers her experiences on Baron Munchausen and the aftermath. It’s beautifully written and well worth reading.
posted by riddley at 11:16 PM on June 26, 2022 [6 favorites]

“The Sweet Hereafter” was an extraordinary film that I think of surprisingly often. Sarah was young and showed such talent.
posted by argonauta at 4:37 AM on June 27, 2022 [7 favorites]

kristi: "but now I'd love to see the Ramona stuff, especially knowing that she was treated well on that project."

looks like all 10 episodes are on youtube, here's a playlist
posted by namewithoutwords at 4:43 AM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

The Sweet Hereafter has her sing a cover of Courage by the Tragically Hip, I remember hearing it during the movie and when it dawned on me what she was covering I thought, "wow, the Hip don't have to suck". If you can make the Hip not suck then you have to be pretty amazing.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:07 AM on June 27, 2022 [6 favorites]

She was in one of my favorite movies twenty years ago, Go. I should watch that again.
posted by JenMarie at 6:50 AM on June 27, 2022 [13 favorites]

Here is an extract from Polley's book in which she goes into detail about the horrors of working with Terry Gilliam. I don't want to get into an artist/art fight here, so I'm just going to leave it for folks to read. CW: child endangerment, gaslighting, dreadful men.
posted by The Bellman at 7:01 AM on June 27, 2022 [4 favorites]

Americans of a certain age might know her from Go, an underrated ensemble-cast movie where hers is the best performance in it.
posted by box at 7:25 AM on June 27, 2022 [10 favorites]

^ Go was a fun little romp, nothing wrong with the movie. And you're right, it was a good little role for Polley
posted by elkevelvet at 8:57 AM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

Thanks for this post, and for the links in comments (especially the book extract). She writes about childhood and trauma in a way that reassures me that, me, my memory, is correct, and some of that shit was bad and shouldn't have happened.
posted by winesong at 1:03 PM on June 27, 2022

Her most emblematic role for me was her starring in Road to Avonlea which I suspect is the case for many Canadians of a certain age. I look forward to reading her book!
posted by signsofrain at 2:07 PM on June 27, 2022 [4 favorites]

Sarah Polley is so cool.
posted by Dr. Wu at 2:43 PM on June 27, 2022 [2 favorites]

Her most emblematic role for me was her starring in Road to Avonlea which I suspect is the case for many Canadians of a certain age. I look forward to reading her book!

...and kids with the Disney Channel growing up. I had a big crush on her when I was a kid.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:23 PM on June 27, 2022

I went to the same high school as her in the same grade and I knew who Sarah Polley was and I knew she nominally went to my school but I never even saw her once, it's like she was Polkaroo or Mr. Snuffaluffagus. Everyone thought that it was cool that she was an actual actor and was in Road to Avonlea, but at the same time I don't think any of my friends ever watched it. It was high school and we were too involved in our own lives to spend much time thinking about other people's lives.

Despite the lack of any actual connection to her I did make a point to see her movies to support her, local kid made good and all. When I was living in Japan and saw that My Life Without Me was playing in a theatre I had to see it because how cool is it to see someone from your school in a cinema across the world?

It's been tough to read the more recent articles about her where she's opened up about the difficulties in her life and career. Even if she's now in a better place, this is a friend of a friend who was going through some really heavy stuff and to the extent we even thought of her it was that it was so neat that she was on Road to Avonlea and how her life must be so great.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:23 PM on June 27, 2022 [4 favorites]