After spending nearly five decades in front of the camera, and earning six Oscar nominations (and one win) for her efforts, Sissy Spacek’s about to try her luck behind the lens.
Spacek’s husband, Jack Fisk, tells the L.A. Times that the iconic actress is preparing to helm Sweet Tea, an adaptation of Julia Oliver’s 1994 anthology Goodbye to the Buttermilk Sky. The Times describes Oliver’s work as “a collection of supernaturally inflected short stories” that centered on “various families and relationships in Depression-era Alabama.”
Spacek’s a Southern girl (born in Quitman, Texas) who has been around gifted storytellers all of her professional life. This material sounds perfect for her, particularly if she is able to cast reputable co-stars from her past in a handful of engaging short stories. Could you imagine the likes of Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Keaton, Nick Nolte or Tom Wilkinson reuniting with Spacek for Tea, if even they're tasked with filling smaller parts in one of the film’s planned shorter stories?
Spacek next will be seen alongside Emma Stone and Viola Davis in The Help, another adaptation of a popular book, but is expected to make casting announcements for Sweet Tea in the coming days. There’s no reason to believe Spacek won’t excel in the director’s chair. I, for one, can’t wait to see what she is capable of.
