"Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so pale"

I discovered early this morning that it's not only Judy Davis's birthday, but also the anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth. So I did what any sane person would do and went to work on another piece. I should note that it's also Blair Brown's birthday, and I did once have an amazing dream about her while I was in Costa Rica, but that will have to wait for another day.

The quote from Judy Davis reads,

"When I first started acting, and we would all sit down and talk about Shakespeare and how great it was, I thought, 'Well, I suppose it is. It is if you get to play Macbeth or Hamlet. But who wants to play bloody Lady Macbeth or Ophelia?' And it struck me that most women seem to be required to pit themselves against men in dramatic situations, and the men got to pit themselves against ideas or God."

Judy Davis: A Prickly Banksia

It is once again Australian actress Judy Davis's birthday. As I said last year, "her alabaster skin and that pink/orange hue around her eyes that seems to suggest a terminal case of conjunctivitis may not be every man's idea of beauty, but I find her stunning."

Last year I also mentioned that I think most movies would be better if Judy Davis were in them. I stand by that remark, and never did I feel it more than when I recently watched August: Osage County. I am not bashing Meryl Streep, I think she's great, and somehow she's managed to remain a box office draw well into her sixties, which is no small trick for an actress. But rarely does she capture my imagination the way Judy Davis does.

And so on her birthday, as I salute this porcelain skinned Prickly Banksia* with a mixed media portrait, I hope her coming year is filled with great roles, and maybe some day soon an American stage appearance.

Last year I used part of this same image, but it was severely cropped and drained of color. This year I present her in all her alabaster glory.

*Prickly Banksia is an Australian shrub with serrated leaves. I think that describes Judy Davis pretty well. I love her but I would not want to be on the business end of her serrated leaves. 

Judy, Judy, Judy!

Today is Australian actress Judy Davis's birthday. For my money, there is no badder bad ass in movies today, though I suppose Helen Mirren comes pretty close. Her ability to be larger than life yet absolutely real at the exact same time always wins me over, even in terrible movies. Her fearlessness has led her to play a string of bitter wives and lovers, but also biopics of everyone from French writer George Sand to Judy Garland to Nancy Reagan. Almost every movie I see I wind up thinking, "that would have been better with Judy Davis."

Her alabaster skin and that pink/orange hue around her eyes that seems to suggest a terminal case of conjunctivitis may not be every man's idea of beauty, but I find her stunning.

I've dreamt about her twice that I can recall. The first time about two years ago. I was at some sort of religious retreat, feeling very awkward and out of place. Suddenly a young man in a leather jacket, the type that old fashioned square type movies might describe as a bad boy, walks up to me. He asks me if I want to go for a ride. We go out to his car and start making out. He stops mid kiss and says, "let's go to 7-11 and rent Judy Davis movies." I knew it was true love.

The second time I dreamt about her was about six months ago.

My sister and I are watching the evening news. We see a story about a movie that's being made about our family.

In shock but very excited, we rush to the movie set in Times Square. A theatre lobby has been converted temporarily into a casino for a scene. I see a woman who looks a lot like Judy Garland having a drink by a craps table, but she's just an extra. We are told that Judy Davis is playing our mother, which of course I think is fantastic.

Stepping outside into Shubert Alley, we find Miss Judy Davis walking through the crowd topless. I ask someone if this is part of the movie, but I'm told no, this is just how she relaxes in between scenes.