Patricia Clarkson Talks BP Oil Spills, And Dumpster Diving [Exclusive]


Patricia Clarkson is an actress that has always managed to live in the moment of her character. Whether she’s playing a zany middle-aged mother in a raunchy romcom (Friends With Benefits) or a tiny yet significant role in the grand scheme of a spiraling thriller (Shutter Island), Clarkson effortlessly hinges herself onto a situation.

Clarkson has stretched this ability to quality television from arcs on Six Feet Under to stints on Parks And Recreation and Frasier. The New Orleans-native disappears into each character, yet she somehow always remains to be a warm eccentricity, with an earthy youthful quality, in the midst of many ensembles. Perhaps her energy is so vivacious because Clarkson exudes these natural abilities in person. When talking to the actress, one gets the impression that she would love nothing more than to sit down and talk about nothing and everything for hours.

During a recent stop in New York, Clarkson was on hand to discuss her role in The East. In the film Clarkson plays Sharon, a determined, independent woman, who has earned her role as the head of a private intelligence firm that protects big corporations from eco-terrorist groups. From the first frame on, one can easily get that Sharon had to pave the way for her own plight as a woman in power. Simply put, she’s the Hillary Clinton of all bosses.

Clarkson expanded on her role in The East with The Inquisitr’sNiki Cruz.

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THE INQUISITR: Do you think Sharon was like Sarah [Brit Marling] many years before and she just made a conscious decision to go right or left?

PATRICIA CLARKSON: What a way to begin. What time is it? Is it too early for cocktails? [LAUGHS] I think she’s actually always been who she is. I think she has been a woman on a journey, and that journey was to reach the top. I think she was willing to do whatever she had to do to get there. It was a conscious decision.

THE INQUISITR: Most of the characters came from privileged backgrounds.

CLARKSON: Yes. At a certain point we all reach the same high water mark. We all kind of merge to our surroundings. Our surroundings will ultimately dictate our actions.

THE INQUISITR: Where do you think Sharon’s moral compass lies?

CLARKSON: I think our moral compass can be reset at any moment. All of us think we have a very set moral compass. I like to believe that I do but tomorrow I can wake up and be on the front page of the New York Post, so I don’t know.

THE INQUISITR: The film covers the controversy with BP. What’s your opinion on the oil spills and everything that’s going on?

CLARKSON: My dream is for the really big guys to go down. Somebody has to. The lawsuits are still continuing and Texas just filled their big lawsuit. No one is backing down. Louisiana has so many lawsuits against that damn company. Look at what just happened in Bangladesh! Everything we’re wearing, we all have blood on our hands in every moment of our lives. How do we stop that?

THE INQUISTR: How about the stance the film takes on pharmaceuticals?

CLARKSON: I do think there’s a difference in the pharmaceutical companies. I think these are companies that claim to have tested a lot of things that ultimately, you know, you’re watching television and you’re seeing all of these disclaimers.

THE INQUISITR: Could you live the way Brit did for that summer, doing the whole dumpster diving thing for food and living off the land?

CLARKSON: I never did the dumpster diving. Could I live like that? No. I’m too spoiled. I’m 53 years old. Probably the only thing I could do is go camping [LAUGHS].

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