Geena Davis is having a moment. The Oscar-winning actress has just landed in Budapest to film her upcoming movie The Kellys with Arnold Schwarzenegger, fresh off wrapping her hit Netflix series The Boroughs, spearheading her annual Bentonville Film Festival, and squeezing in a stop in Washington for her son’s college graduation. Davis’ life right now is non-stop — but that’s exactly how she likes it.
“It’s fantastic. I’m so busy and it’s incredibly rewarding,” she tells Gold Derby. “I don’t know that I expected at 70 that things would just blow up in this fabulous way like this. So I’m going to keep going.”
Despite Netflix announcing on Wednesday that it will not renew The Boroughs — the sci-fi horror show executive-produced by Matt and Ross Duffer and co-starring Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, Denis O’Hare, and Bill Pullman — Davis says the cast is bonded for life and will cherish their time on set.
“One of us said, ‘Well, if this had been a limited series from the beginning, if it had been planned, we’d be ecstatic with the reception that it got.’ We got a tremendous reception, and so that’s how we’re looking at it,” Davis says of the cancellation. “We had such a great experience and we’re all bonded for life — we even call ourselves ‘The Borosians.'”
While she’s thrilled with her packed schedule, she isn’t exactly surprised.
Davis recalls her days as an incoming college freshman studying acting, when a professor told the class, “You’ve chosen a very difficult profession; only 1% will ever be able to earn a living as an actor.” Davis’ reaction to the somber news? “I swear I went, ‘Oh, these poor kids,’ because nobody was talking about me. I decided before I ever acted that I was going to be incredibly successful.”
She certainly followed through on that promise. Below, the acclaimed star discusses The Boroughs’ homage to Thelma & Louise, working with Schwarzenegger and the dream role she still hopes to tackle.
Gold Derby: The Boroughs showrunners Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews told us that you and Alfre Woodard were the very first to sign on. What drew you to the project so quickly?
Geena Davis: Well, they sent me the script and the offer. I read it and I was like, “Oh my God, this is so fabulous and so perfect for me.” If I could choose a character, I would want it to be just like this. When we met, they told me, “Well, that’s great because we wrote it with you in mind.” How often does that happen? I didn’t know if that would ever happen in my life. I was absolutely thrilled, and all of us loved every minute of it.
The chemistry on screen is so apparent. What was it like when this massive cast finally got together?
It was amazing. This is actually my third project with Bill Pullman — he played my husband in A League of Their Own — and it’s my third project with Ed Begley Jr., too. Plus, Alfre and I did a sitcom together back in the ’80s. I already knew Alfre, so the whole set was just a complete love fest. We all became so close.
Since they wrote the role with you in mind, did you know beforehand about all of The Boroughs’ nods to Thelma & Louise?
No, I did not know! I had only read the pilot when I signed on. Then, when I saw the car on set, I was like, “Hmm…” Will told me they had explicitly instructed the crew finding the vehicle that, no matter what, it couldn’t look like the Thelma & Louise car. They brought in this vintage convertible, and Will said, “Well, just don’t make it the same color.” A little later he asked what color they were thinking, and they said, “Maybe green or blue?” He had to tell them no! [Laughs] They tried to pretend it wasn’t an homage, but it seems like it kind of is — although I don’t go over the cliff this time.
You got to change the ending! What was it like shooting that big action sequence?
It was crazy, but really fun. We had a stunt coordinator and practiced the fight for days. While shooting, the stunt coordinator told us to really go for it. There’s a part where I punch him, turn around to get away, and then kick him in the face. I actually connected! It was gentle, but we have a production still where my leg is completely flattened against his face. He was great about it. I was also there when they sent the car off the cliff. You have no idea what a car is going to do when you drop it, but it went flippity-flip down a giant, high cliff. It was the best shot you could possibly ask for.
Your character forms a relationship with Carlos Miranda’s Paz. What was it like building that dynamic and filming those more intimate scenes together?
We hit it off immediately. We became incredibly fond of each other from minute one; we just had a natural chemistry. We loved doing scenes together. The material doesn’t get too explicit, but it’s definitely very romantic and intimate. It’s so nice to do those scenes with someone you really care about, who cares about you, and who is going to look after you.
Who cracked you up the most on set? Who made you break character?
I think Fred, Alfred Molina. He is so funny. I decided my favorite goal every single day would be to make him laugh because he has the most wonderful laugh. If I could get him to go off, it made my day. But everybody was great. Denis O’Hare and I played best friends on the show, and we became great friends in real life, too. We are bonded for life now.
While The Boroughs is incredibly entertaining, it also handles heavy themes like aging and loss. What do you hope audiences take away from it?
Something that was very important to me was showing that these characters are not done. We are at an age where you’re still vibrant and living life. Nothing has really changed. The show highlights us being incredibly capable and profoundly confident. We don’t try to recruit outside help to save us — we’re going to fix this ourselves. We feel confident that we can do it, and we do. They literally go down into the tunnels to confront the monster.
You’ve played so many iconic roles throughout your career. What makes your experience on The Boroughs, and playing a character like Renee, stand out from the rest?
I was very touched and honored that Will and Jeff created a part specifically with me in mind. To have writers put that much care and thought into a character for you is unique and fabulous. Every time a new script came in, I’d read it and think, Yes, yes, yes, this is great. My favorite review of the show actually said that the character of Renee is so cool that only Geena Davis could have played her. I was like, “Really? OK, I’ll take that!”
Are there any bucket-list roles you still want to tackle?
I would love to play a real historical figure at some point. I haven’t done that yet. I really want to play Eleanor Roosevelt. She was famous her entire life, so I can’t age out of the ability to play her!
Lastly, you’re currently in Budapest filming The Kellys with Arnold Schwarzenegger. What can we expect from that?
I can’t hint at exactly who I play yet, but when my friends ask me what the movie is like, I just tell them: “It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, there’s a lot of shooting, and things are blowing up.” I’ve never worked with him before, and I’ve only done one day on set so far, but he is a absolute doll.
