An Iconic Screen Presence: An Interview with actress Olivia Hussey

Olivia Hussy in "Mother Teresa"

An Iconic Screen Presence | Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle | CWR

Actress Olivia Hussey discusses starring in Mother Teresa : “I had always wanted to play her…She was one of the saints that I revered—absolutely!”

Actress Olivia Hussey was so sick during the filming of the movie Mother Teresa that she could have easily given up. During intense moments, she felt she lacked the strength and health to continue. But one day, out of sheer necessity, she sat down in her chair on the set, closed her eyes, and asked God and Mother Teresa to help her. Unexpectedly, a profound peace instantly came over her. And when a “bright light” came into her head as she finished voicing the prayer, she felt an unfathomable calm envelop her which thoroughly convinced her that she would be able to get through each intense day of filming on location in Sri Lanka and Italy.

Ms. Hussey was born in Buenos Aires City, Argentina on April 17, 1951. She began drama school in England at age seven and delighted in the creative acting education for the next five years. Soon after, Ms. Hussey landed a role, portraying Jenny in a stage production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. As it happened, Italian director and producer Franco Zeffirelli—who had auditioned over 500 young actresses for the role of Juliet in his film of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1968)—was in the audience watching.

Zeffirelli subsequently awarded Ms. Hussey the part of Juliet. Just 15 during shooting, Ms. Hussey played the celebrated role to great acclaim. Her acting won a Golden Globe and two successive Best Actor Donatello Awards (Italy’s Oscar equivalent). Interestingly, since Ms. Hussey was under 18 years of age, she was not legally allowed to attend the London premiere of Romeo and Juliet since the film contained nudity—even though she was the one who was nude in the film.

Ms. Hussey has appeared in over two dozen films and guest-starred in numerous television series. Continuing in an acting career throughout her life, she has portrayed some notably “holy” roles: the Virgin Mary in Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth; Therese, the faithful wife and mother in the screen adaptation of The Jeweler’s Shop, Karol Wojtyla’s (now St. John Paul II) play; and most recently, as Mother Teresa.

Ms. Hussey renders an inspiring and compelling portrayal of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the determined and compassionate saint of the gutters. Portraying Mother Teresa was a long-awaited dream role for Ms. Hussey, and she was delighted when an Italian film company invited her to take the part.

“I had always wanted to play her … She was one of the saints that I revered—absolutely! This little lady, just through her sheer faith and will stepped out into the streets of Calcutta and founded an order of nuns and helped the poorest of the poor. I mean, I get goose bumps thinking about it!”

Ms. Hussey recently took time from her busy schedule to speak with The Catholic World Report about her roles as Mother Teresa and Therese. Incidentally, Pope John Paul II called The Jeweler’s Shop film “the best possible film based on my play.” And, according to Ms. Hussey, sisters of the Missionaries of Charity told Ms. Hussey, “We felt as if we were watching Mother. It’s as though Mother came through you!”

Catholic World Report: I observed on your website that you completed “your life’s dream” in portraying Mother Teresa. Would you kindly explain?

Olivia Hussey: I was shooting Jesus of Nazareth with Franco Zeffirelli. After it was over, we did a lot of interviews and publicity, and some publicity people started saying, “What do you do after playing the Virgin Mary? [She chuckles.] You’ve played Juliet, and now you’ve played the Virgin Mary. What role could you possibly want to play?”

Without hesitation I said, “Mother Teresa of Calcutta!”

CWR: Wow. You said that before—

Hussey: Yes, I did! This was a long, long time ago. I was 27 years old. So, interviews and things over the years—people would ask, “If you could play anything what would you like to play?” And I said, “Mother Teresa of Calcutta!”

CWR: That’s great! What happened next?

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