the fact that you know other prominent actors . That ’ s never an easy thing . There ’ s a lot of artful navigation that goes into it .
Sherman : Speaking of Once Upon a Time in America , Sergio Leone is a legendary filmmaker . What was it like working with him ?
Williams : In terms of my relationships with directors , I always felt like the kid that sat at the foot of the gods . It ’ s not that I wanted to become a director . I just found myself fascinated by the directors that I worked with . They would tell me stories about the actors I revered . It started with John Sturges . I would go to dinner with him and I would say , “ so what was Tracy like ?” He said , “ Spence was a good guy .” You got a chance to hear their perspective of these actors that you idolized . I used to go to Sergio ’ s house and we ’ d open a bottle of wine and he would show me a screening room . He ’ d say , “ Would you like to hear the music for the movie ?” I remember at one point when we were listening to the score , he said , “ This is a guy named Zamfir .” And I said , “ Who ’ s Zamfir ?” He said , “ He plays a very special flute .” It was that same pan flute sound that became Morricone ’ s primary sound on
the score for Once Upon a Time in America . It ’ s very haunting and very beautiful . Sergio would also tell me stories , and they were funny stories . I don ’ t think they were always true . He would tell me about Clint Eastwood ’ s early years , and the times that they spent on the set together . He had a great sense of humor . It was a very pleasant and fun experience to be on the set with him .
Sherman : Another great film that you starred in is The Late Shift , which you received an Emmy © nomination for . How did that opportunity come about ?
Williams : I was sitting at a party for the Dorset Theatre Festival , and I got a call from someone who told me that I had been offered the role of Mike Ovitz in The Late Shift . I asked them what I had to do , and they told me that shooting started in two days . Two days later , I was in front of a camera . That was another baptism by fire , but the director , Betty Thomas , was wonderful . She gave me my own office space where I could go work on the scene where I asked David Letterman to become my client in the film . I found out that Ovitz believed in the philosophy of The Art of War , which was one of his favorite books . I
decided to be very Zen , polite and quiet in the scene , and tell him what I was going to do for him . It worked out well . It was a lot of fun . The director really let me run with it .
Sherman : Michael Ovitz must have been an incredibly interesting character to play given his impact on the entertainment industry . Did you ever know Mike personally ?
Williams : I didn ’ t know him personally , but he called me up after he saw the movie . He said , “ I don ’ t know if this is self-serving , but I wanted to tell you something . I thought you were very good in the film , but there are two things I do have a problem with : first , I never wear white suits . Second , you have nicer hair than I do .” I said , “ Well , I apologize for both , but I can ’ t help the second thing you mentioned .” That was the last time we talked , but I saw him once again in a restaurant , and he sent me a Mickey Mouse watch , because he was working for Disney at the time that the film was released .
Sherman : You ’ ve been nominated for four Golden Globe ® Awards over the course of your career . One of those nominations was
GROUND / WORK
THROUGH OCTOBER 17
Explore the works of six international artists in the Clark ’ s first outdoor exhibition
CLAUDE & FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE : NATURE TRANSFORMED
MAY 8 – OCTOBER 31
See the first North American museum exhibition in 40 years devoted to the Lalannes ’ madly inventive and irresistible world of objects
NIKOLAI ASTRUP : VISIONS OF NORWAY
JUNE 19 – SEPTEMBER 19
Discover the paintings and prints of one of Norway ’ s most beloved artists
Nairy Baghramian , Knee and Elbow , 2020 . Marble , stainless steel . Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery
Claude Lalanne , Choupatte ( Cabbagefeet ), 2017 . Galvanized copper . Private collection © 2020 Artists Rights Society ( ARS ), New York / ADAGP , Paris
Nikolai Astrup , A Clear Night in June ( detail ), 1905 – 07 . Oil on canvas . Savings Bank Foundation DNB / KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes , Bergen
WILLIAMSTOWN , MASSACHUSETTS CLARKART . EDU
Ground / work is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel . Support for Ground / work is provided by Karen and Robert Scott , Paul Neely , the Terra Foundation for American Art , and the National Endowment for the Humanities . Support for Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne : Nature Transformed is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel , Sylvia and Leonard Marx , and the Kenneth C . Griffin Charitable Fund . Nikolai Astrup : Visions of Norway is generously supported by the Savings Bank Foundation DNB .
40 VERMONT MAGAZINE