Patti LuPone Speaks Her Mind on 'Hollywood' (and Stuff)

In Ryan Murphy's starry Netflix series "Hollywood," Patti LuPone plays Avis Amberg, the unhappy wife of a studio mogul (played by Rob Reiner) who finds some diversion at the Golden Tip, a local filling station. Run by a magnetic, seedy former silent film star (played with a halting cough by Dylan McDermott), the station offers far more than just gas. With the words, "I want to go to Dreamland," one of the station's hunky attendants partakes in some on-the-clock fun, with both men and women. In the first episode, Avis partakes with Jack (David Corenswet), an aspiring actor with a pregnant wife.

The career arc for Avis takes her from frustrated wife to one of Hollywood's most powerful players, with LuPone getting her usual rave reviews. "Patti LuPone is a regal delight as a studio executive's wife who hires Jack as a gigolo. (Lana Turner's discovery story it is not – though Schwab's drugstore is just a short hop away.)," writes James Poniewozik, reviewing the show in the New York Times.

Since first appearing as herself on an episode of "Glee," LuPone has been in three Ryan Murphy series, most recently (and memorably) in "Pose," where she played a super-rich, super-shady real estate mogul with a nasty streak who was out to get Bianca. She was hateful, but you had to love her when she belted "I'm Still Here" in a hospital ward. She recently had hoped to open in a new version of "Company" on Stephen Sondheim's birthday (March 22), repeating her Olivier Award-winning turn as the boozy Joanne (who sings "The Ladies Who Lunch"). But coronavirus put an end to that for the time being. Still, she stays close to her "Company" cast members via Zoom.

EDGE spoke to LuPone recently about Avis, Ryan Murphy, being a LGBTQ icon, and what she's doing while housebound.

Embracing power

EDGE: What does it mean to you to be cast in a Ryan Murphy series?

Patti LuPone: Oh god! It's a lifesaver for an actor. He is loyal to his actors. He always gives us very interesting roles to play. I am incredibly indebted to him.

EDGE: What was it about Avis that got you excited to play this role?

Patti LuPone: The idea that she would eventually run a movie studio.

EDGE: Avis was my favorite character of the show, because she goes through the biggest transition.

Patti LuPone: She starts out as an unhappy privileged woman to one who embraces power and has to do the right thing.

EDGE: And she gets to turn the tables on the men at the studio. What have you learned about how power works for women in Hollywood?

Patti LuPone: I couldn't speak to that because I have never been a powerful woman in Hollywood. All I have to say to any women out there in Hollywood or not: God bless them and hold on to it. I am not sure if it is power or respect that I feel that I am getting in the theatrical community, because of my longevity and not for any other reason because I am still doing it and have done it for close to 50 years. I suppose there is power in that, but I don't know whether you play a power card, or you live as best as you can. I know that people want to know what I have to say because I have experience, so I hope that the advice I do give is objective and helpful.

'Evita' on Halloween

EDGE: Ryan sure knows how to create a great cast. Was there anyone you were excited to work with?

Patti LuPone: Oh everybody! Joe Mantello is a highly respected director on Broadway. I saw him in the original run of "Angels in America." Then I saw him in "The Normal Heart" and went backstage and told him, "Joe, you can't stop acting." He is just so good, so it was exciting to work with him and become friends with him. If you have an ensemble of actors that is easy to work with then it is the biggest blessing. It's just thrilling when we are all on the same page doing what we do without any kind of ego.

EDGE: As an actor, where do you find more empowerment: Stage, film, or television?

Patti LuPone: The actor's medium is the stage. No one is going to edit your performance. That is all done before you get on stage and no one is going to stop it.

EDGE: When was the first time you realized you were a gay icon?

Patti LuPone: I don't know. I will tell you that I have had homosexuality in my life since I was five-years old. Back then we didn't name it, but I remember when I was five, my friend Phil – and he is still my friend. I was standing in his driveway and I knew then that I was going to have to protect him because he was different. I have always been drawn to people in the LGBTQ community. I knew that my friends, who were gay, were going to be targeted and I wanted to protect them just like I always protected Phil. As far as the icon part, I guess it would have been when I saw "Evita" being performed on Halloween.

Being an icon

EDGE: What is it about you that has wide appeal to the LGBTQ+ community?

Patti LuPone: I think that they understand my struggles and they know that I speak my mind. I think that they see power in that. Why I speak my mind and stand up for others, it is just part of my DNA. Even when I was a kid when I saw injustice, or what I perceived as injustice, I spoke up. I like to think of myself as a communal spirit. There were always odd people in our house, not necessarily gay, but people who would have been cruelly targeted. Differences were always celebrated in our house. My mom did not distinguish, she fed us. I really can't answer for anyone, I am just proud to be part of the LGBTQ community and I love them and embrace them with my heart.

EDGE: Any new projects you have coming up?

Patti LuPone: I am definitely hoping that we see another version of "Hollywood." I am really hoping that Broadway opens again, and that "Company" comes back.

EDGE: What have you been binge-watching during this isolation time?

Patti LuPone: My dear friend, playwright Jeffery Lane, sent me a copy of the new translation of "Madame Bovary." It is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it. When I am not reading, I am watching "Babylon Berlin" and "Grace & Frankie."

Netflix's "Hollywood" is streaming on Netflix. For more information on Patti LuPone, visit her website.

Watch Patti LuPone sing "I'm Still Here" on "Pose":