Role model

ALWAYS A STAND-OUT, THE ENDURING ACTRESS REFLECTS ON RESILIENCE AND REINVENTION

- Jennie Noonan

Even with a star-stacked cast that also includes Naomi Watts, Kim Kardashian, Niecy Nash-Betts and Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson says it was pretty clear Glenn Close was the ultimate alpha while shooting Ryan Murphy's buzzed-about legal drama, All's Fair.

"I'm pretty confident everyone will say we were all a little in awe that we were getting to watch and work with her," Paulson told People magazine in October. "She was so kind and generous to everyone."

Nash-Betts came away with a more unexpected impression. "Glenn Close - she's, first of all, the funniest person in the world," she told Entertainment Weekly in September. "Now, I've been around a lot of comedians. I've been on Reno 911 for over 20 years. But that Glenn Close, baby, I ain't never seen nothing like it. This has been the best surprise of my life - that she has such a wicked sense of humour."

Talking to the same outlet about filming the show, Close confirmed, "We had a lot of laughs," adding, "I think most people don't think of me as maybe a funny person, but I guess those people who know me know that."

Next up, Close joins another all-star lineup of heavy hitters, including Daniel Craig, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Josh Brolin and Mila Kunis in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the latest instalment in Rian Johnson's hit whodunnit series of films following Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022). "It's truly one of the best experiences of my life," she told People magazine in August 2024. "Rian is such a fine human being. He's kind, he's brilliant - he has a great laugh! ... [He] assembled a wonderful team around him and put together this cast from heaven."