August 11, 2000 03:47am
Jerry Hall Prays for Laughs at London Theater
Source: Reuters
(LONDON) -- Texan supermodel Jerry Hall admitted Friday that she had not read the stinging reviews of her London stage debut as the seductress Mrs. Robinson in ``The Graduate.''
``Some people like you and some people don't. But the real test of comedy is if the audience is laughing,'' she said in an interview on BBC radio. ``And they are. That's instant gratification.''
Hall delighted the audience but underwhelmed the critics this week with her portrayal of the middle-aged Mrs. Robinson.
The long legs and now shorter blonde locks failed to tempt reviewers who taunted: ``Don't give up the day job, Jerry.''
``Her acting tends to be as wan and undernourished as an over-dieting model,'' said the Evening Standard newspaper. ``It is a role for which she was miscast and is far too inexperienced.''
Hall, 44, confessed that before she struts on to the stage each night she says a prayer that the audience will laugh.
``And they're getting louder,'' she said proudly.
She said comedy had interested her since she was a little girl in Texas and the role provided her with the creative outlet she craved in life after modeling.
She said there was also an element of regaining her independence following the very public and painful break-up of her marriage to Mick Jagger.
``I wanted to do something different, not just be Mick's ex,'' Hall said. ``For 22 years I put on a brave face and it was exhausting.
``He's wonderful, I love him and we get along great. He's a fantastic person, fantastic father, fantastic entertainer. He's just not a very good husband.''
Hall said she was surprised by the fuss made over the play's nude scene.
``It's such a small part in the play and it's beautifully lit,'' she said. ``There's nothing wrong with nudity, it's not pornography.''
Hall took over the role from Hollywood star Kathleen Turner who caused a sensation in the West End theater district when she announced she would strip for the seduction scene.
Anne Bancroft offered a young Dustin Hoffman just a glimpse of stocking in the famous 1967 film of The Graduate.
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