Lena Olin plays two roles and reads between the lines

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Long before she made her way to Hollywood, Swedish actress Lena Olin honed her skills under the direction of Ingmar Bergman at Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theatre. After mastering Shakespearean classics onstage and earning starter roles in European films, Olin's breakthrough performance in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" (1988) created an international buzz loud enough to lure her from Europe to the States.

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She currently stars with Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes in "The Reader" as Holocaust survivor Ilana Mather, as well as her mother, Rose Mather, in the film's 1960s flashbacks. Originally cast solely for the role of Ilana, Olin suggested to director Stephen Daldry that she play both daughter and mother, exemplifying her ability to think outside the box.

Q. Before reading David Hare's screenplay, were you familiar with Bernhard Schlink's book, "Der Vorleser," on which it's based?

A. Yes, I had read the book years ago. It's a very popular book in Germany.

Almost every other person has read it, and it's been a best seller in Europe. It's a story about a Nazi, basically, who has a love affair with an underage German boy. It's extremely complicated. As I read the book, I thought it almost would not be possible to work as a film. But when I watch the movie, it becomes more powerful to see these characters as people of flesh and blood, and I have a better understanding of what they are going through.

Q. How did you wind up playing both the modern-day Ilana Mather and her mother in the 1960s Nazi trial scenes?

A. I was so moved by the character of the mother and her testimony and the trial, I got this idea that it could be so interesting to play the mother and the child.

We inherit the joy and pain of our lives, and it flows through generations, so it just seemed like a nice idea.

(Director) Stephen (Daldry) liked the idea, so we went through with an extensive makeup process (for me) to portray the characters, so that everyone could agree that it was something that was doable and would not become a stunt or hard to be believable.

Q. In the trailers, Ilana Mather is portrayed almost as Ralph Fiennes' psychologist: a wealthy, powerful woman interviewing him from her couch.

A. I've heard that before; it appears that way. But when Stephen approached me with this role, he wanted to portray another kind of survivor _ someone who's moved on. He tells it like it is: She's a victim of the Holocaust herself, and I think that was very important to Stephen and myself to portray someone who had moved on.

Obviously her insides have been torn apart, and she grew up in hell and carries the pain.

But she's made a life for herself: She lives in a beautiful apartment and has a very successful life. At the end (of the film) when you meet this woman, David wanted a shot of a regular survivor; he wanted the audience to see someone who's elegantly dressed and who's obviously well off and has done well with her life.

Q. When you starred in "Alias," you were so good at being bad. Even for the role of Ilana Mather, your character is embittered and unflinching.

A. Everyone is complicated one way or another. But it's interesting to dig into a complicated character, to try to find that within yourself. I couldn't say that I prefer one over the other, but I love to play complicated characters.

Q. Stephen Daldry and David Hare received numerous awards for their work on "The Hours," and "The Reader" has been nominated for several Golden Globe awards. Do you expect to be at the Oscars come February?

A. You can never expect those things; that would be sort of insane. But it is a very powerful movie, and it's exciting with all the Golden Globe nominations. It's something a movie like this needs to get a wider audience.

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© 2008, Chicago Tribune.