An in-depth conversation with legendary character actress DALE DICKEY who finally gets top bill as a romantic lead in A LOVE SONG. A quietly reflective and introspective film and performance, Dickey has never been better and is a leading awards contender with this performance.
Written by writer/director Max Walker-Silverman with Dale in mind as Faye, a late-in-life widow who has faced life with all of its joys and sorrow but still holds out hope for one more bit of joy, Dale admits that Faye was “just the kind of role I’ve been dying to do.” Joining Dale in this journey is Wes Studi, a member of the Cherokee Nation and himself a legend in his own right and the recipient of an Honorary Academy Award.
DALE DICKEY has one of the most eclectic careers as a character actress. She is to this generation what Esther Dale, Jessie Royce Landis, Gladys Cooper, Jane Darwell, Mary Wickes, Mary Boland, May Whitty, and so many other ladies are to the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Dale appeared on my radar early in her career with a recurring role as “Opal McHone” on the acclaimed television series Christy which thereafter gave birth to a telemovie and a mini-series after the series proper ended. Then, Dale popped up in television one-offs in everything from The X-Files to ER to Ugly Betty to Bones with a few more series roles tossed in for good measure while moving onto the big screen in films like The Guilt Trip, Manic, Being Flynn, a Film Independent Spirit Award-winning turn in Winter’s Bone, and The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez in which she co-starred with Ernest Borgnine in what proved to be his final film.
But entirely new audiences discovered Dale when she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Iron Man 3, as well as her acclaimed performance as “Spooge’s Woman” in Breaking Bad, recurring roles in Justified, True Blood, and yes, Dale even became an early entry into the world of Taylor Sheridan with her role in Hell or High Water.
And now with A LOVE SONG, not only does she share the lead spotlight with Wes Studi, a first for him as well, but both are romantic leads.
This is a quiet role, a contemplative and introspective role, a role with deliberate simplicity, and a vulnerability that we have rarely if ever, seen from Dale. The result is magical.
Set and shot in Colorado where a lake and flatlands of brush meet a mountain that extends 12,000 feet into the sky, the outdoors nature of the film and Faye’s oneness with nature isn’t far from Dale’s own roots growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, something that we see play out and come in mighty handy on Faye’s own journey as she hikes up that 12,000 feet. As you will hear in my companion interview with writer/director Max Walker-Silverman, cinematography and sound meld to complete the picture and frame Dickey and Studi as Faye and Lito.
Speaking with Dale, you not only hear the joy in her voice and her laughter as she talks about A LOVE SONG (as well as other films), but you feel it. Open, honest, and reflective, DALE DICKEY discusses the experience of making A LOVE SONG and bringing Faye to life through emotional preparation, a working and enjoyable collaboration with writer/director Max Walker-Silverman, her own understanding and lengthy experience in production, the importance of this location and its beauty, the immersion into the details of character, being her first film back during Covid and how that benefitted the character and the film, and so much more. And while much of the conversation has a serious tone, there is plenty of laughter and fun as we talk about cracking crawdads, ice cream and warm beer, auto mechanics, and oxygen tanks. Above all, you will know that Dale Dickey appreciates this moment in time, this moment in her life, and will cherish it forever. And she’s not done yet.
A treasured conversation.
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 07/28/2022
