Behind the scenes with the women of 'Feud: Capote vs. The Swans'

The women who shared secrets with Truman Capote in “Feud.”

(Illustration by Jaya Nicely for The Times)

“I knew there were great actresses of these ages who were going to surprise everyone,” says three-time Emmy Award-winning casting director Alexa L. Fogel of bringing together seven icons for “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” Ryan Murphy and Jon Robin Baitz. ”, based on Laurence Leamer's best seller “Capote's Women”. “One of Ryan's true gifts is that he sees what people are capable of and has the ability to make it happen.”

The Envelope interviewed the flock of feathered friends who splash around Tom Hollander's titular Capote in the FX limited series.

Diane Lane as Slim Keith sits perfectly upright in a chair in front of the fire during "Fief."

Why did you want this role?

Calista Flockhart (Lee Radziwill): I really wanted to be on a Ryan Murphy show. Ryan has a very clear and specific vision. He has enormous talent. He is also very funny. And interesting. And singular.

Diana Lane (Nancy “Delgada” Keith): When Ryan Murphy essentially cold-called me and told me that Jon Robin Baitz was the writer, I realized how exposed I had already been to his talent, his gifts, his passion for truly inner, outer, world-building writing. I thought, “This is a great gift!” It was one of those offers you can't refuse.

Demi Moore (Anne Woodward): I don't think Ann Woodward was ever fully accepted as a swan. She is such a tragic character. And yet, in a way, she contained the guts and heart of the whole betrayal.

Chloe Sevigny (Guest CZ): I rarely get the chance to play someone so refined. …Also, she reminded me a lot of my mother, who has a lot of moderation. She clings to many old-fashioned values. She really believes in mystery and manners, and she always wants to see me in movies that have more of those types of attributes.

Naomi Watts (paley babe): I dove deep into Babe and saw this wonderfully complex character: a woman who was in a marriage that was causing her a lot of pain but still managed to be so graceful and dignified.

Molly Ringwald wears a flowy red dress and stands in an ornate room

What did you know about Capote and his yeswans before jumping?

Flockhart: I knew very little. She had a vague notion of some kind of juicy scandal. I was surprised to learn all the anguish that this entailed.

Jessica Lange (Capote's mother, Lillie Mae Faulk): Well, I knew Capote, certainly. He had read his work. But he didn't know anything about swans. That never interested me: the high society of New York City at the time.

Molly Ringwald (Joanne Carson): He knew the story of the swans very well, [the restaurant] The Côte Basque, all those women and the enmity. I always wondered, “Why doesn't anyone make this movie?” When I heard Ryan was going to do it, I was so excited to see it. And then, when they asked me to participate, even better!

Truman Capote smokes while his mother, in her evening dress behind him, smiles at him. "Fight: Capote against the Swans."

What was the greatest joy of this project?

Flockhart: Working with such great talent, starting with [director] Gus Van Sant. Well then.

Lane: The feeling that we were in this play together, because as it progressed and we met at the table so many times in La Côte Basque, it seemed like a theater prepared for us in the sense of: “Well, this is today's play.” performance.” Have you ever seen birds in a cage when they start sharing their little seeds with each other? Beak to beak, almost like a kiss. That's how we felt. At least that's how I felt. Lovebird in a cage.

Language: Definitely working with Tom, who was wonderful. Filming here in New York was great. And also, shoot the Black and White Ball. That was fun. I only regret that I didn't get to play with any of the other actresses.

Calista Flockhart wears a leopard print jacket like Lee Radziwill.

The biggest challenge?

Flockhart: It was a challenge working with Robbie. [Baitz]. She made me laugh too much and too much, and I forgot to concentrate. Very unprofessional.

Language: Playing someone who exists only in Capote's mind. I mean, her mother was a real person, but not much was written about her. In this piece, she is a ghost. And playing a ghost (I've done it before) is not the easiest thing. [Laughs]

Watts: Smoking was hard. She was a chain smoker, so I felt like she smoked 200 herbal cigarettes a day on set! I had to learn to speak with false teeth, which I found very strange and contributed to the difficulty in finding the character's voice. Also, I wore colored contact lenses for the role and that created a barrier for me.

Chloe Sevigny looks serious as CZ Guest.

What was your most difficult scene to film?

Moore: [Truman and Ann] out in the freezing cold when he's at the water's edge, and I'm in the veil in that kind of ghostly apparition. I was so stylish and it was so cold that snot was running down my face. That was difficult on a physical level. On an emotional level, the scene where I crashed the party because I found it very painful. The discomfort of being with your child and being outwardly rejected.

Ringwald: Trying to get Truman out of the pool. …When someone plays unconscious, he really can't help you at all. I was literally trying to drag him with all my clothes on, all this hair that's not mine. [laughs] that got very heavy when wet.

Sévigny: There was a scene where I didn't say anything. Truman is reading a tribute to Babe and then I have to start breaking down. That was very emotional because it was actually the anniversary of the day I lost a friend, so I was already feeling very emotional about friendships and loss.

Demi Moore sitting in a bar as Ann Woodward.

Are any of the figures portrayed someone you would like to meet today?

Flockhart: Oh God. Nobody. Let's keep it a voyeuristic experience. It's much better to just watch these characters [TV] …than having to deal with them in real life.

Moore: It would have been interesting and intriguing to meet them all. … These were truly powerful women of their time, even though there were cultural limitations to their full expression. They really ruled New York.

Ringwald: As a writer and as someone who has always been a book lover and a fan of [Capote]I would have loved to sit down with him and talk about the writing, the process, his books, and the characters.

Sévigny: I mean, of course, James Baldwin, in a second. …He has always been a hero to me. He had an incredible voice as a writer and as a person. He had a lot to say and we can still learn a lot from him. He also seemed really fucking amused.

Naomi Watts, as Babe Paley, reclines on a chaise longue.

What do you think about the late Treat Williams not being able to witness the impact of the series?

Watts: He was very grateful to have gotten a role like this at this time in his life, as we all were, and so he really dedicated himself to it. It's heartbreaking that he doesn't get to witness all the wonderful accolades, because he worked so hard and it shows in his stellar performance.

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