Exclusive Portrait: Jessica Lange at 2022 Chicago Humanities Festival

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CHICAGO – Jessica Lange’s long career as actor is on the record … from “King Kong” to “American Horror Story.” But her new book “Dérive” focuses on the photo artist in her, and she discussed it at the the 2022 Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) on November 12th. Photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com was there to get the Exclusive Portrait.

When the beginning of the pandemic locked down New York City, Jessica Lange grabbed her camera and went outside. In “Dérive,” Lange shares the photographs she took in those early days and what inspires her artistic practices. The moderator at the CHF event was Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune.

Jessica Lange at Chicago Humanities Festival, November 12th, 2022
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Lange was born in Minnesota, and came of age in the perfect era to live a bohemian life style. She married in 1970 at age 21, and traveled with her photographer husband until they drifted apart in Paris (although they remained married until 1982). There she studied mime theater, and later moved back to New York City and studied at the Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio. She made her professional debut in the remake of “King Kong” (1976).

From there she went on to win two Academy Awards (for “Tootsie” and 1995’s “Blue Sky”) on seven nominations, five Golden Globes on 13 nominations, three Emmys (including two for “American Horror Story”) and a Tony for her performance in 2016 for the revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” She has published five books of photography, including Dérive, and has received the George Eastman (of Eastman Kodak) Honors Award.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com