Q&A with Sam Waterston


Posted on Aug 19, 2008
By Glenn Close

Comments(1)
If you met Mick from this angle, you'd feel like the luckiest person alive.
Sam Waterston

When I was a senior in college, I fell in love with Sam Waterston. He was on Broadway, performing the role of Benedict in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. He was totally captivating - sexy, funny, smart and gorgeous.

In 1986, Sam and I were cast as husband and wife, in a Broadway play called Benefactors. The year before, he had been nominated for an Academy Award for his astounding performance in The Killing Fields. Since then, because of his consistently superb work on stage and on screens, both big and small, Sam has established himself as one of the most universally loved and respected - indeed iconic - actors working today.

Sam is a truly committed, civilized man who is passionate about his family and his country. He is entering his 15th season as the much revered Jack McCoy, the newly promoted D.A. on Law & Order - a series that continues to rewrite the annals of television history. This summer Sam triumphantly returned to his theatrical roots, appearing on stage as Polonius in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Hamlet, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

So we pay tribute to a friend whose Benedict mesmerized me thirty-five years ago, and pay special tribute to his beautiful herding dog...another Benedict...who tragically passed away just a few weeks ago. We celebrate the dignity, loyalty and vigilance of an exceptional dog. Although they still have a lively complement of canines, I know that Benedict is irreplaceable and will be sorely, sorely missed. Sam felt it appropriate to remember Benedict as he is described in this profile: a beloved dog who gallantly fulfilled the task that was his birthright and to which he was passionately committed - guarding his flock.


Glenn Close: When and how did you become a dog lover?
SW: From before I was born, there were dogs in the family. When I was a boy, the family dog was a fine, strong, proud, smart, and noble standard poodle by the name of Coco.

GC: Why dogs?
SW: Warmth, energy, enthusiasm, courage, loyalty, interest, amusement.

GC: How have you balanced work with your dogs?
SW: We have a working dog, a sheep-guarding dog, a Maremma, which is an Italian breed. He is an aristocrat who spends all his time with his sheep. Occasionally, he will accept friendly attention from us, and friends of ours he comes to trust, but, mostly his work makes him either uncurious about, or distrustful of, two-legged visitors. Our other dogs have more time for us, when there are no squirrels, chipmunks, or skunks to chase, but they all have work to do, missions to complete, except, perhaps, for the Bijon, whose mission is my wife.

GC: Have you ever rescued a dog?
SW: We adopted a Bijon who had come to our veterinarian after her mistress died, and who immediately became my mother-in-law's devoted companion. In a way, they rescued each other.

GC: How did your present dogs come into your life?
SW: We have three house dogs. One of them is the just-mentioned Bijon, who was the companion dog to my mother-in-law. We inherited her when my mother-in-law died. We have two Norfolk Terriers. A neighbor has an excellent Norfolk, charming and eccentric, and we wanted one of our own, and then we wanted another.

GC: What kinds of cars would your dogs drive?
SW: Our Bijon would not drive. She would be driven. Perhaps in a Citroen, if it were black, and the driver was trustworthy. Our male Norfolk would drive a Morgan, flat out, pedal to the metal. The female would drive a Swatch. Our Maremma would drive a very old, beat up, Land Rover with no top.

GC: What would be the title of your dogs' autobiographies?
SW: Maremma: My Sheep. Bijon: Taking Care. Male Norfolk: Be Afraid, Rodent. Female Norfolk: Winding Him Up: How to live happily among much bigger dogs.

GC: Do you ever take your dogs to work with you?

Mick tunnels his way through some fresh Utah powder.
Sam with Benedict

SW: Yes.

GC: What is your dogs' pet peeve about you?
SW: Except for the Maremma, being left behind. For the Maremma, being taken away from his sheep.

GC: What is your pet peeve about your dogs?
SW: Disobedience, moderated by admiration for their independence and curiosity about their obsessions.

GC: What musical instruments would your dogs play?
SW:  Bijon: accordion. Maremma: Mountain Horn, but no time to practice. Norfolks: he, siren, she, kazoo.


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GC: What excites your dog the most?
SW: Intruders.

GC: Who do your dogs sleep with?
SW: Other dogs.

GC: Where are your dogs' favorite spot at home?
SW: Maremma: High ground near sheep. Norfolks: He, high stool at window or back of easy chair; She, top step of porch. Bijon: next to my wife.

GC: If your dogs were famous people, who would they be?
SW: Maremma: Fellini. Bijon: Gracie Allen. Norfolk, he: Jimmy Stewart ; she, Giulietta Masina

GC: What is your dogs' idea of perfect happiness?
SW: Having all the people/animals they care about very nearby.

GC: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
SW:  Ditto.
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Comments
What a marvelous interview! I have a Great Pyrenees and after looking up the Maremma, was amazed at their similarity. But, not having sheep, my Meisje (pronounced My-sha, which is Dutch for "little girl") spends her time by our sides, guarding us and waiting for chin rubs while being told how beautiful she is. Thank you for sharing about your dogs.
Posted By Deb
on Nov 17, 2008
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Welcome to LIVELY LICKS: Profiles of Dogs and their People.
I hope that you will be entertained, comforted and inspired by the people and dogs that I have the privilege of featuring on this blog. Since starting it over a year and a half ago, it has pulled me into an incredible journey. Besides being able to celebrate some of my wonderful friends and the profound bond they have with their dogs, LIVELY LICKS has introduced me to the world of avalanche dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, service dogs for our wounded warriors and dogs in need of rescue and adoption. I have been inspired by the selfless dedication of the people who run grassroots shelters as well as urban care and control centers. I have been deeply moved by their stories in which dogs heal and empower their humans. Those of us who have dogs, know how much they enhance our quality of life with their unquestioning loyalty and unconditional love. There are an infinite number of stories to tell, so I hope you will stay with me as I continue to explore and discover and delight in the journey.

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