'Reel Pieces with Annette Insdorf: An Evening with Glenda Jackson' @ the 92Y

In "Reel Pieces with Annette Insdorf: An Evening with Glenda Jackson" at 92Y, the 82 year-old actress and former member of Parliament was incisive, gracious and whip-smart. She looks terrific in her androgynous hairstyle for her current role as "King Lear" on Broadway.

The interview was interspersed with film clips from all phases of her sprawling stage, film and television career, including "Marat/Sade," "Women in Love" (Best Actress Oscar), "Morecombe and Wise," "A Touch of Class" (Best Actress Oscar), "Hopscotch," "Mary, Queen of Scots," "Stevie" and many more. The clips were a reminder of the astonishing range of her talent, veering from farce to gripping drama, from commercial comedies to historical epics. She agrees with many actors that comedy is more difficult than drama – also that if other actors laugh at a line or a scene in rehearsal, it's a guarantee that the audience won't. Unlike many accomplished actors, Jackson doesn't "disappear" into a role. An identifiable conviction and steeliness informs all of her work, even the two charming, lightweight films she made with Walter Matthau, whom she adored. "What a joy he was!"

Jackson also had kind words for many directors – specifically, Peter Brook, Robert Altman and Ken Russell. According to Jackson, "Bad directors always know what they want. Good directors know what they don't want, and tell you." Having given countess interviews over the years which have covered similar territory, she sometimes speaks in epigrams or one-liners. "If a woman is a success, she's an exception that proves the rule." And regarding Liv Ullman, "She had Ingmar Bergman – in more ways than one."

When asked why she decided to go into politics, her response was blunt: "To stop Margaret Thatcher. I would have done anything that was legal to get her out of office." The most heated moment occurred during a talkback with the audience at the end of the interview. A man rose to ask a question, proclaiming himself a supporter of Margaret Thatcher. Jackson interrupted him: "You're not serious! There'll be no meeting of the minds here, sir!" He went on to ask her opinion of Theresa May's handling of Brexit. Jackson is incensed about the behaviour of her former colleagues, and sees May as "the only adult in the room." She demurred from commenting on American politics: "After all, I am a guest in your country."

Her thoughts on Lear revealed Jackson's octogenarian perspective: "He never really loved anyone, and when he discovers love, it's too late for him. His heart actually breaks, which is what kills him." When asked about playing Lear as a man (she's not "Queen Lear" in the current production), she remarked that when she was in Parliament, she frequently visited old-age homes and noticed that "as we age, the gender barriers begin to crack. Men cry, and women raise their voices."

In various interviews in the past year since her Tony-winning performance in Edward Albee's "Three Tall Women," Jackson was fiery – speaking out against certain directors, even challenging the interviewers themselves. None of that testiness was on display at 92Y, although a few times, she responded to an observation from Insdorf with a brusque, "Oh, no, I don't agree with that at all!"

Jackson went out of her way to praise American audiences, comparing their more vocal responses to the British reaction: "You like us to know you're there!" She even interrupted the ovation at the end of the evening to offer more kind words about audiences in New York. In "Reel Pieces with Annette Insdorf: An Evening with Glenda Jackson," the legendary actress was effortlessly insightful and genuinely inspiring.

Glenda Jackson appears in "King Lear" through July 7 at the Cort Theatre, 138 West 48th Street, New York, NY. For more information about "King Lear,"visit the production's website.