美国国家公共电台 NPR We Are All Martha: Alison Wright On How Her 'Americans' Character Became A Hit

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Spoiler alert for fans of "The Americans" - was that woman in a babushka going over dented¹ cans in a nearly empty shelf at a Moscow food store that doesn't seem to sell much food Martha? Martha, who had to be smuggled² out of America because she married a man who was no good for her - it turned out to be a Russian spy and a married one, at that - poor, loving, trusting Martha? Well, I guess we'll see. Alison Wright, who created a sensation with her portrayal³ of Martha in "The Americans" on Fox FX, also makes her Broadway debut⁴ this weekend in Lynn Nottage's play "Sweat." Alison Wright joins us from our studios in New York. Thanks so much for being with us.

ALISON WRIGHT: Good morning. Thanks for having me. What an introduction.

SIMON: I don't want to put you on the spot about Martha because there's lots that I guess can't be talked about, but, boy, I like that character. What appealed to you about her?

WRIGHT: You know, I really like that she's the everyday woman. She's who we would all most likely be in this situation if we were dropped into the real-life world - story - of "The Americans," you know? She's open and trusting and loving, and up until this point, I think hadn't really been burned in life too badly. I mean, I have a great deal of thanks for me playing Martha and ending up where I am, really, today, thanks to my manager, Laurie Smith, who pulled the audition⁵ for Martha out of the ether, but, you know, I sure am grateful that she did.

SIMON: What do you make of the way people began to latch⁶ on to her story and your portrayal?

WRIGHT: I love it. I think that means that we're doing a good job and affecting people and creating sympathy and empathy in the viewers that - maybe in the beginning, they really didn't have that much. You know, when we first started out in season one, I remember seeing, you know, the typical - let's blame the woman. How could she be so stupid? How could she not realize? She didn't figure out this, this and this? You know, that's very much akin⁷ to, you know, what was she wearing? How short was her skirt? Was she really asking for it? Did she deserve it? It's a similar sort of blatant⁸, like, underlying⁹ sexism that we have in our culture and across cultures. So there was a little bit of that at the beginning, and it's been tremendous to see that wiped out, to see that replaced with understanding and empathy.

SIMON: Tell us about "Sweat." It's been running off-Broadway since November. I guess it debuted¹⁰ a couple of years ago at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This is a play that has a lot to say for our times, doesn't it?

WRIGHT: It does. It's remarkably¹¹ timely. It's - I feel very privileged at the moment in all of these projects that I'm involved in - if we're talking about "The Americans" or "Sweat" - that I'm a part of a cultural conversation at the moment. In terms of "Sweat," it's about deindustrialization in America and the working class people who put decades of their lives working in these plants, these American institutions that weren't supposed to go anywhere, where their parents worked and their grandparents worked - generations of families, loyalty¹² and dedication¹³ to companies that all of a sudden disappeared and went overseas and took the jobs elsewhere. So it's really - I really feel like I'm really part of the cultural conversation of America at the moment, and it's a privilege.

SIMON: Yeah. What do you think made you an actor?

WRIGHT: It may well be the performance of Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan in "Annie."

SIMON: Carol Burnett in the film "Annie" - yeah.

WRIGHT: Yes, of course. You know, she's untouchable. She's a phenomenal comedienne, and that performance is beyond perfect, in my opinion. And I think I wanted to be Miss Hannigan. I also want it to be one of the orphans¹⁴. I was also adopted myself, so it was - there was lots of things tied in there in that story. But I definitely wanted to be Miss Hannigan in those silk drawers and drunk on gin most days long.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: Now, I must say, you know, I read some biographical information on you. And I guess I just missed the part, if it appeared, that you were adopted.

WRIGHT: You didn't miss it. I didn't talk about it yet.

SIMON: Oh. I, for whatever it means - my wife and I have adopted two children.

WRIGHT: I do know this, and I have read what you wrote about it. Yeah.

SIMON: What do we need to learn from life about the miracle and blessing¹⁵ of adoption¹⁶?

WRIGHT: That - I suppose, you know, in a good - that's a good way to think of it - how you just described it - the miracle and blessing of it. It does not have to be doom¹⁷ and gloom. Sometimes it's wonderful. It's life-making. There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be sitting here today had I not been adopted. I would not have the career that I have, be in this country, be sitting here at NPR. No way. So if that's not a miracle, I don't know what it is.

SIMON: Well, I'm glad.

WRIGHT: You know, I did make contact with many members of my birth family, and we have a great relationship now. It was something that was always a dark cloud hanging over me my whole life, and it turned out that it didn't need to be. I did come to get the closure and learn that it was indeed a miracle in my situation.

SIMON: Alison Wright - she's in "The Americans." She's in "Sneaky Pete." I missed one, too, right? You're in...

WRIGHT: "Feud¹⁸" - yeah - "Feud."

SIMON: "Feud," of course.

WRIGHT: It's just this little, tiny thing that Ryan Murphy did, just about Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. No big deal.

SIMON: Yes. Yes, of course. I know. I know.

WRIGHT: (Laughter).

SIMON: And she debuts¹⁹ this weekend on Broadway in "Sweat." Thanks so much for being with us.

WRIGHT: That's right. Thank you.

1 dented   

v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等）

参考例句：

• The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
• I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

3 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

4 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

5 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

6 latch   

n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁

参考例句：

• She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
• The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。

7 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

8 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

9 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

10 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

11 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

12 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

13 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

14 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

15 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

16 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

17 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

18 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

19 debuts   

演员首次演出( debut的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He never really debuts the idea of taking money from his parents any longer. 他从此就再也没有认真起过向父母要钱的念头。
• This young soprano debuts next month at the metropolitan opera. 这位年轻的女高音歌唱家下个月将在纽约大都会歌剧院举行首演。