Laura Dern and Bruce Dern in Los Angeles, California in December 2015.Photo:Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
ForLaura Dern, working with her fatherBruce Dernfor the first time onPalm Royaleproved to be a very special experience.
The opportunity to work together on the show, something she had never done before, stemmed from back-and-forth conversations Laura had withPalm Royale’sproduction team.
“I’ve had the great good fortune of working with my mom several times, but I’d actually never worked with my dad,” Laura, 57, toldEntertainment Weekly. “So that was such a dream come true. [The production team and I] talked a lot about how I’d never worked with my dad and wouldn’t that be incredible, but it was sort of filed away. And then, it occurred to everyone at the same time.”
Laura admitted she was nervous about producers inviting Bruce to join the cast.
“I became like a kid not wanting to bother my dad,” she jokes. “He was busy. And so it was also like, ‘Would you want to come play for these amount of days?’ And juggling his schedule. But he did, and he and I together had one of the great experiences of our life.”
Striking the balance of playing her father’s child onscreen as his real-life daughter was also a difficult task, Laura said.
“You hope that it always is hard,” she toldEW. “You hope that you found a place that is so relatable for you emotionally, that the lines are blurred and that you connect to it and the themes that you’re exploring.”
“So it was hard in the best way,” she added. “I was there with him exploring deep themes in family, and that was really exciting.”
WhilePalm Royaleis Laura’s first onscreen collaboration with her father, the actress has worked with motherDiane Laddseveral times over the years, including Laura’s uncredited appearances in her mother’s films, including the 1973 action filmWhite Lightningand the 1974 romanceAlice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. They later costarred in the ‘90s moviesRambling RoseandCitizen Ruthand played mother and daughter in the 1990 crime thrillerWild at Heart, as well as the HBO showEnlightened.
From left: Diane Ladd, Laura Dern and Bruce Dern in Los Angeles, California in November 2014.Barry King/FilmMagic
Barry King/FilmMagic
Their work inRambling Roseearned them Oscar nominations in 1992, with Laura receiving a nod for Best Actress and Diane earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actress — a moment that marked the first time in the award show’s history that a mother and daughter were nominated in the same year.
When Laura won an Oscar in 2019 for Best Supporting Actress for her work inMarriage Story,she dedicated her award to her parents.
“Some say, ‘Never meet your heroes.’ But I say, if you’re really blessed, you get them as your parents,” she said during heracceptance speech. “I share this with my acting heroes, my legends, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. You got game. I love you.”
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source: people.com
