All language subtitles for War and Remembrance s01ex2 Cast and Characters.eng

The casting of The Winds of War...

...was a murderously difficult problem.

l had absolutely no image
of what Rhoda should be.

l did have an image
of what Natalie should be,

and l had an image
of what Byron should be.

And l did not have an image
of what Pug would be.

And we went through everybody
in this town.

lt was an absolute killer.

The amazing writer,
which is Herman Wouk,

the fact that he was able to string
the history of World War ll

around a family and their respective
spouses and love affairs,

and carry you from very, very major
historical event to event to event

by this sort of soap opera string
of people who,

night after night after night,
you became more familiar with

and more in love with,
was genius.

Well, that's the challenge
of the historical novel,

to create characters that live
through their experiences,

create for the reader a sense
of what it was like in those days.

The Winds of War
and War and Remembrance,

it's a panorama of what happened
in World War ll.

And that's the reason l wrote
those books.

For entertainment.

The story is so gripping.

Because you're so interested
in those average characters

that find themselves caught
in World War ll,

through those characters,

you sort of come in through the back
window to the desk of Churchill

and all of the leaders that fought
this most important war.

And that's why his film,
as well as the book,

resonated in the minds and hearts
of millions of people.

They didn't want to let go
of the characters.

Rhoda, this is Natalie Jastrow.

Well, my dear, how very nice
you do look.

l had a crush on Ali MacGraw.

And in the story, in the film,
l have a dance sequence with her.

l took that excitement
of me having a crush,

and l made that part of my scene,
the excitement of that scene.

l just let that kind of flow
and glow through me.

l don't know what Ali was working on,
but it was great for me.

l was trying to maintain
the relationship of age

between Byron and Natalie
from the book,

where Natalie was older than Byron.

l'd always been in love
with Ali MacGraw.

She was one of those sort of iconic
figures like Audrey Hepburn for me.

She carried with her
some incredible private dignity

and sort of a non-Hollywood quality,
an independent quality,

a very intelligent quality
with a lot of class.

l said, ''But she's too old.''

And Barbara said, ''She looks
unbelievable. Just meet her.''

And l said, ''Fine. Bring her in.''

So in came Ali, and she did look...
She looked fantastic.

And l said to her,
''l don't want you to get nervous.

''l'm going to sit you
right in front of a window,

''and daylight,
harsh, revealing daylight,

''is going to come pouring in
on your face

''because l'm going to do lots
of big close-ups of you,

''and you've got to look right.''

Look, l'm needed here.
You go if you want to. l'm staying.

lf the neutrals leave,
we have to be with them.

Natalie, l hear what you're saying.
The young man is right.

You have to go with your people.

We don't even know if they're going.
lf they do go, he can fetch me.

You can't take that risk.

- That line was much better.
- Much better.

Natalie Jastrow
was a dream part, really.

The whole Winds of War thing, for me,
was a dream work experience.

And, of course, we all know
that she was a Jewish-American girl

caught in Europe
at the beginning of the war,

not quite certain
what was going on,

as was half of the rest of the world,
but definitely not able to escape.

First of all, she's a tremendously
American girl

in Europe the whole time.
There is that essential American-ness.

That ''Never mind, l can do it myself.
l'm independent.

''Everything will be fine.
l'll take care of this.''

Which l think, for a woman,
is a very American quality.

Headstrong,

opinionated. These are things
l can relate to very well.

And a survivor.

And l loved the part.
l just loved her.

l thought she and l

have a certain resilience in common
that worked for me.

Byron!

l remember Jan-Michael Vincent's
screen test

because, for some reason,
they had cast Natalie,

but they hadn't cast Byron.

And there were several
very talented actors

that had to be paired off with me
for a screen test.

And Jan was one of them.

And he arrived at the studio,
and he said, ''l never got the pages.''

Somebody said, ''You didn't?''
He said, ''No, l didn't.''

He picked them up and looked at them
and they yelled,

''Roll them. Roll them. Action.''

And Jan was, like, perfect.

l mean, this is an actor
whom the camera loved. Loved!

And he had learned his lines

just sort of glancing at them
in five minutes,

and he was electrifying.

Jan and his entourage had
a major off-screen party life,

and it didn't matter.
He turned up for work.

He was terrific to work with, for me.

We had great chemistry,
and it was magic.

He had the Byron quality,

and one of the qualities that Byron had
was this footloose young guy

wandering around Europe
right before the war exploded.

Somebody who was self-sufficient,
somebody who had

a rebel streak to him.

And l had heard stories
that Jan was a problem.

And he and l sat down...

...before we started,
and l said to him,

''l want to explain something
to you, Jan.

''We're going to have it
straight down the middle.

''You step out of line on me once
and l'm going to kick your ass.''

And he...

Which l probably
never could have done.

And he said, ''That's what l like.
l like to hear that.''

Go.

- For chrissakes, Natalie...
- OK, that's just wrong.

Larry. You're gonna
have to say your line.

- Yeah. ''Natalie, for God's sake...''
- No, wait a minute.

l say, ''For God's sake, Natalie...''

''Where the hell do you leave
him off down below?''

One of the biggest problems
l had was,

he never came prepared.

But by the time we would
get through the first rehearsal...

When he'd get me madder than hell...

But by the time we would
get through that first rehearsal,

he'd had it down pat.

The guy...

...was an absolute...

...natural.

Mom, don't you remember
what it was like to be in love?

Me? Of course not!
What a silly thing to say.

l'm a million years old.

The casting of Rhoda,
another huge problem.

l did not have my mental image
of Rhoda,

but the one thing
l knew about Rhoda

was that she shouldn't be strong.

She should have some kind of a...

...flighty quality to her.

And a meeting was set up
for me to meet Polly.

l met her and loved her instantly,

but l knew she was totally wrong
for Rhoda.

The truth is, really,
no one wanted me.

lt was that simple, first of all.
And l understand.

l had not worked as an actress,
basically, in a little over ten years.

l'm a ferocious reader,

so l had read both Winds of War
and War and Remembrance,

and decided that Rhoda was the part
that l had to play.

Dinner at the White House?

But what is it, Pug?
ls it a state banquet or something?

- Or one of those huge affairs?
- No, no, no, just a quiet dinner.

Our family, the president
and Mrs. Roosevelt.

Pug.

Oh, Pug. Just us and the Roosevelts?

- What have you been up to?
- Nothing, a little errand-running.

This is just a carrot for the donkey.

''A carrot for the donkey''?
lt's magnificent!

l had a lot of arguments
about Rhoda's character.

Both Dan and Mitch felt that she was...
They called her ''round-heeled''.

They felt that she played around.

l never thought of Rhoda that way.
l never saw her that way.

l always felt that Rhoda was a victim.

l thought she was a victim of her time.

She was a military wife,

and the life of a military wife
in the '20s and '30s,

and probably even today as well,

is to really be the helpmate
to your husband,

to be prepared to pick up and leave

and go somewhere totally foreign
and different and strange and new

whenever they decide
to send him somewhere else.

Your success and recognition
as a woman

is based on the success
and recognition of your husband.

How about this?

ls this the reward
for the conquering hero?

Exactly.

We had a very tough time
casting Pamela Tudsbury.

l think we saw every actress
in England.

l mean, we were at the end of our rope
when Victoria Tennant walked in.

l knew the moment that she walked
through the door that...

...Dan was going to use her.

l was really getting desperate.
The door opened up

and in walked this vision.

Victoria Tennant,
this beautiful blond,

great legs, great body
and absolutely incredible-looking.

And l said a silent prayer, ''Dear God,
please let her be able to act.''

l've asked for a special pass.

l think l'll come up
to London tonight.

Would you buy me dinner?

l loved my part with all my heart.

l've completely believed
in my character, in Pam Tudsbury.

l believed in her relationship
with Robert Mitchum's character.

l thought it was romantic and historic,

and it was such a big endeavor.

The scenes were so huge

that it wasn't hard to convince myself
that l was in the real situation.

l love you.

No, don't. Don't say anything.

l just wanted you to hear me say it.

You've never heard me say it before,
but it's been true for such a long time.

l think Mitchum
was the toughest one.

l didn't know
what Pug Henry should be.

ln terms of a physical look,
l didn't know what Pug should be.

But it was a very tough part to cast,

because you really needed a star.

Someone who was in their early 60s
probably, maybe late 40s.

And there wasn't anybody.

lt was very difficult

to think of a man
who would not be ludicrous historically,

that you can see in a personal
relationship with his wife and family,

and at the same time,
in a relationship with Churchill,

with Hitler, with Roosevelt,
all these historical figures,

where he has to have power
and authority.

l don't think anybody could carry that
other than Mitchum,

because he had this...

He has this stubborn intelligence.

The best thing about having
Mitchum in that role

is that he really represented that era.

l was taken in to see Mr. Mitchum,
who l was terrified of,

who l had never met before,

and we were supposed
to start filming for 1 4 months,

and l hadn't met him before.
No one had introduced us.

And there was this icon.
This incredible, huge, famous,

amazing-faced man,

and l thought, ''Oh, please let him
like me. Please let it be all right.''

He was very generous and...

...very real.

He taught me not to be nervous.

There wasn't a nervous bone
in his body.

And he always said, ''The day
they catch me acting, l'll quit.''

lt was the best job l ever had.

lt was 1 4 months of employment

with people
who were very good to me.

Victor.

l don't remember ever doing anything
that l so looked forward

to going to work to do.

And people have asked me
many, many times

what is the work
that l am proudest of.

They think l'll say The HeIen Morgan
Story, which l won an Emmy for,

or they expect me to say Cape Fear
or, you know, one of those things.

And the work that l am proudest of

is Winds of War
and War and Remembrance.

l think that it's the best work
l ever did.

lt was a great joy. Sure,
with lots of trouble, lots of grief.

And it was...

...the experience of my life.

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