Chloë Sevigny Was ‘Overtaken’ by Molly Ringwald on ‘Feud’: ‘I’m a Die-Hard Fan’

FX’s anthology series “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” may boast an illustrious cast that includes the likes of Naomi Watts, Tom Hollander, Demi Moore, Calista Flockhart, Diane Lane, and Treat Williams in his final performance, but for fellow cast member Chloë Sevigny, there was only one who made her feel like a shy kid again. Speaking with Josh Lucas for a conversation published in Vanity Fair, Sevigny praised all of her castmates and how accessible they were, but admitted one did leave her taken aback.

“I had met some of them socially, just out at events and whatnot, but most of them have daughters, which was interesting,” Sevigny said. “They’re a little older than me, a little my senior, but also I’m a die-hard fan of every one of them, especially Molly [Ringwald]. I was overtaken mostly by her, but they were all so warm and everybody was so open.”

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This latest installment of “Feud” covers what many call the “Original Real Housewives,” a group of New York socialites during the ‘60s and ‘70s about whom Stephen Sondheim wrote his famous “Ladies Who Lunch” showstopper. One can imagine the pressure they all felt having to naturally perform as a group that had been “friends” for years, but Sevigny said Watts made everyone pretty relaxed from the jump.

“I was surprised by how nobody had guards up,” she said to Lucas. “Naomi [Watts] really set the tone, and everybody was just like, ‘Okay, this isn’t something that we have to be stressed about. We’re just going to have fun and play all of this with ease and grace,’ and that’s what we did.”

Sevigny added later that she didn’t always have an ability to find comfort around others in her work, but once she gained some authority over her career and artistry, she started enjoying herself again.

“In the early aughts or mid-aughts, I famously was like, ‘I don’t like directors anymore’” Sevigny said. “It was a pre-#MeToo annoyance about the powers that be and feeling out of control in my own career and body. I ventured into doing things where I could be creative and have a sense of ownership and power, and all of those things have been very fulfilling.”

Add “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” to that list.

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