Ellen Burstyn, an Oscar, Tony and Emmy winner for projects like “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Same Time, Next Year” and “Political Animals,” marvels that she’s still able to act as a nonagenarian.
“When I was in my 30s and I thought about how long my career would last, I was sure I’d be finished by 40. I didn’t think it would go on much longer than that,” Burstyn said during a press conference for “Place to Be,” a quirky drama that debuts at Venice Film Festival on Wednesday. “The fact that I’m 93 and still working is a miracle of some kind that I’ve attracted into my life. I’m totally amazed, and at the same time, deeply grateful.”
“Place to Be” stars Burstyn and Taika Waititi as a no-nonsense elderly woman and arrogant divorced man who form an unlikely friendship as she ventures from New York to Chicago to return a lost racing pigeon to its owner. Pamela Anderson and Murray Bartlett play Brooke’s concerned children, while Edgar Ramirez and Lena Waithe have cameos. Anderson skipped the press conference, which was attended by Burstyn, Waititi and Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó. Burstyn has been using a walker because she recently took a fall, so Waititi gently helped her to her seat before the presser began.
