Spacek, who should be ideal, didn't make a big impression. I do recall that Bancroft didn't strike me as an easy Thelma. My other ideas above -- Diane Ladd or Burstyn -- would've seen logical denizens in Marsha Norman's universe. Bancroft and Spacek didn't feel familial. But it's been a long time since I've seen it.
Now, I can see Frances Conroy as Mama, or -- I've posted -- Kathy Bates. I'm sure someone has offered her a chance to play the other role and perhaps she felt she'd leave that defining artistic achievement as a stand-alone in the past. That said: She's not too old to do it, now. Actually, neither is Spacek, who would be heartbreaking as Thelma. |
