Ellen Burstyn Predicts The Future: 'We'll Be The Dogs Of The Robots'
The 85-year-old Oscar winner has a lot to say about the singularity, dark energy and humanity's place in the universe.
Ellen Burstyn is good at talking.
For an hour, Burstyn and I had a conversation so articulate and wide-ranging we must have solved at least some of the world’s problems. We discussed the state of American politics, her Vietnam War protests in the 1970s, the injury she sustained on “The Exorcist,” the evolution of Hollywood and, yes, the mysteries of the universe.
“The Tale,” which I saw at Sundance, is going to be a big conversation starter about sexual abuse. It’s a weird movie to love because it’s so difficult to process, but it’s really remarkable, especially because it’s autobiographical.
I think so, too. I think the way [director Jennifer Fox] mixed the two — documentary and narrative — is so unusual and innovative. It’s a lot of things. It’s an exploration of memory and it’s an expose of the seduction of children and young people. I think we always have an idea of an abuser as being ugly. I mean, when I met [Fox], she was still referring to [the predator seen in the movie] as her first boyfriend. So it was the whole process of investigating it and reawakening the memory when she started to think about it. I immediately liked her. Have you seen her?
Oh yes, I saw her speak at the Sundance premiere.
You know, I got in such trouble for that remark.
For speaking out against Trump during the Q&A afterward? What kind of trouble?
Oh, just Twitter outrage.
Oh, of course. Do you pay attention to all of that?
I’ve never experienced anything like that before. My remark just came out because I was so unsettled by the film. It’s a little elusive.
The rest of the story is here on Huffington Post.