No Doubt about Streep's talents - page 2

31 January 2009

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"I fell in love with the character," says Amy. "She's someone who really operates from her heart, from her soul and her faith. She believes in goodness."

Dutifully following Sister Aloysius' orders to come to her with any issues or problems she may have, Sister James decided to speak to her elder when she becomes concerned about the relationship between Donald and Father Flynn. Although she is keen to point out she is not accusing Father Flynn of anything sordid, once the seed is planted in Sister Aloysius' mind it grows at a rapid rate. The rest of the movie sees the nuns attempting to get to the bottom of the priest's relationship with Donald, with much of it detailing the harrowing effect such allegations can have on the accused, their alleged victim and also the accuser.

"The events that occur with Father Flynn shake Sister James' whole sense of reality and her sense of self," claims Amy. "They make her question things in a new way, and reveal how just one little seed of doubt can change everything. It's not that she loses her faith, but the way she sees things - her teaching, her sense of self, the way she understands God - is forever altered. She comes to see that what is true for one person is not necessarily true for another."

Philip agrees, adding: "At heart the story is not really about the church at all but about human beings in general. Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius could be anyone in any setting."

Part of the reason the film is such a success is the stars' obvious determination to get under the skin of their characters. Meryl spent time with nuns in order to prepare herself for the role - she even needed to learn the correct way to wear the habit - which Amy and Philip were equally as keen to really get to know their characters.

"I wanted to look beyond the habit at the question of who is she?" Meryl explains. "Where did she come from? Why did she spend her life in service in this way? What are her secrets? What is wonderful in her background? What is terrible. That was my job."

Philip added: "A lot of what I wanted to know was about the physical, logistical movements of a priest, and also knowing about the history of the church and the transformation it was going through at the time was important."

Both Meryl and Amy found the costumes and make-up - bare-faced chic was the order of the day - liberating, and especially helpful when trying to connect with their characters.

"It was very, very liberating and sort of spiritual if I dare use the word," Meryl said. "The really freeing thing about playing these kinds of characters is that you throw away everything that women normally waste a great number of hours of the day on. You throw away what you're going to wear, how your hair looks, how your face is. Everything is gone and all you have is what you do. It's probably the way we should be instead of wasting a lot of time on the things that get you ahead in the world because as we know, they do. " Amy found the experience equally as enjoyable, not least as the lack of make-up meant she could have extra time in bed.

"It's a really interesting universe when you're in a bonnet," she revealed. "You don't have a lot of peripheral vision so it gets you focused. It removes all sense of vanity - and Sister James has no vanity. It's all truly about the soul with her, and that was so refreshing."

A film about how far a person should go to pursue their beliefs, 'Doubt' proves the choices of one can impact another just as fully. Meryl's poignant portrayal of Sister Aloysius, coupled with the equally moving performances of both Amy and Philip catapult this movie into the realm of a classic. Will Meryl win her third Oscar for her part in it? If there is any justice, she surely will. Doubt is released in UK cinemas on February 6.

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