JFK
Oliver Stone's JFK
The Cast: In Their Own Words
Beata Pozniak (Marina Oswald)
"I admire [Marina Oswald] for facing such a tragedy with tremendous dignity."(1)
"When I got the script, nothing was there. It just mentioned that she was Oswald's wife, that was it. Usually when you work on a film, you get the script, you have two or three meetings with a director, and then you shoot it. But this was like working on a theater project, when you get many weeks to work on a script and develop it."(2)
"I knew [Marina] was alive, and I insisted on meeting her. After I got the part, I called the production office, and they said it would be very difficult to meet her; she's very distant and guarded, but they would see what they could do. Finally, she granted me an hour of her time, a Q-and-A, very fast. I just wanted to see for myself; I wanted to hear from the horse's mouth what really happened. I walked into the JFK center in Dallas and saw this beautiful woman with red hair and high, Slavic cheekbones. I looked at her and thought, 'Gosh, I feel like I know her.' I started talking to her in Russian, which broke the ice, and we just clicked. It just so happened that I had recently returned from Leningrad and had some photos. She was homesick. She never returned to Russia after 1963, you know.
"[To research the role] I began my own investigation, my own research on the whole thing. I read all twenty-six volumes of the Warren Commission reports, believe it or not, all the press that was published at that time, Newsweek and Time, as well as any footage on Marina. I had meetings with Jim Garrison, many meetings and long, long talks with him. I asked him many questions about the case and about Marina because I knew that he met her. He said, 'You know what? I've investigated this case for thirty years and to hear this from a woman's point of view -- I never even thought about the things that you are thinking.'
"I gave Garrison my opinions about Marina and how she was a victim who was manipulated and brainwashed. When she came here, she was an immigrant who wanted a better life for herself and her children. People from Eastern Europe, from the Iron Curtain, people like myself, we're all brought up with the idea that America is this dreamland, a land of opportunity, a land for Cinderellas, the rags to riches story. So when you meet an American . . . you think you are meeting God. That happened with Marina. When she met Lee it was like meeting someone superior, someone completely great. So they married a month after they met. It was a true tragic love story, and I wanted to present this to do justice to Marina."(3)
"Working with Oliver Stone is wonderful. He is always open to ideas from the cast and crew. He listens intently and thinks everything through to see if it will benefit his movie. He never puts anyone down for making a suggestion. That's why he gets such good performances from his actors."(4)
"[I went to Dallas to] hang out with Marina Oswald Porter and get into character."(26) [I practically became part of Marina's family.] I was only supposed to be in Dallas for a week to do research, but then I became friends with Marina, and she said, 'Please stay with me. You don't have to go back. This is your home.' I stayed with her after the project was over. I felt so at home there, maybe because we're both immigrants; we have so many experiences and backgrounds that are similar."(5)
"Marina gave me this book [Liv Ullman's Changing]. She said it influenced her greatly and I remind her of Liv Ullman. Marina wanted me to have the book so I could benefit from it as well."(6)
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You may wish to see:
Who's Who in the Jim Garrison Case
Jim Garrison's New Orleans Photo Gallery
Articles and resources on the JFK assassination
2. "Double Impact: Pozniak-Oldman," Harper's Bazaar, December 1991.
3. "Poland's Prize Export Takes Hollywood by Storm," ZONE, April 1993.
4. Polish actress tapped for "JFK," Daily Star, April 25, 1991.
5. "Poland's Prize Export Takes Hollywood by Storm," ZONE, April 1993.
6. Polish actress tapped for "JFK," Daily Star, April 25, 1991.