However, there’s a deep dishonesty there: Lady Chiltern does not know about her husband’s shady past, and the marriage is a house of cards because not only does she need to love her husband, but her entire ideal of marriage is predicated on the fact that she must worship his character – in the private AND the public realm. You truly get the sense that there is a deep love between the two). (The marriage is wonderfully played in the film.

Based on love, mutual respect, shared goals and ideals. He agrees to support the Argentinian canal project, even though it’s widely known to be a scam.Įnter one of the most pivotal roles (played beautifully in the film by Cate Blanchett) – Sir Robert’s wife – Lady Childtern. Sir Robert is terrified of what the revelation of all of this will do not only to his career but to his marriage (that is the key to the play – the whole marriage part) – and so he submits to her demands. Cheveley, whose dead mentor was the other partner in this “business deal”, has the letter to prove the crime. Why does Sir Robert Chiltern agree to her demand? Because she has evidence of not only a shady business deal in his past – but evidence that his entire fortune was made because of that shady business deal. Cheveley shows up at a party being held at the Chiltern home, and tries to blackmail Sir Robert into supporting a fraudulent scheme to build canals in Argentina. Cheveley was actually a schoolgirl enemy of Lady Chiltern – so there are layers upon layers of motive here. In the play, Sir Robert Chiltern, a prestigious member of the House of Commons, and married to Mabel Chiltern, has all of this threatened when Mrs Cheveley arrives in London, and begins showing up here and there. Anyway, I have strayed far from the path. Of course you have to be eager for success if you want to be an actor, but you can’t let that ambition get into your acting itself – it’s grotesque.

I liked her a lot in Circle of Friends and Good Will Hunting but … Ewan McGregor nailed it when he said about her (in his earlier days, when he was much more volatile with the press, showing up to junkets hungover and then saying anything he felt like to them!!) “Minnie Driver would go to the opening of an envelope.” I sensed that over-eagerness for success in her performance in Ideal Husband and it turned me off. I found her sooooo tiresome, and sooooo pleased with herself in that movie that I thought: Okay. Oh, and I experienced the first signs of Minnie Driver fatigue when I saw the film back in 1999. That language sounds perfectly natural coming out of his mouth. Rupert Everett is the perfect actor to play Wilde. Has anyone seen the film version of this script? With Rupert Everett? (And a host of others) I thought it was a lot of fun. Next play on the shelf is An Ideal Husband (Dover Thrift Editions).

An ideal husband book