Your point is made technically but not generally in regards to public perception of a character and their expectation when someone else is playing it. Bette Davis speech pattern was shortening her vowels at the end of a line. It was clipped, as if making an exclamation point. Sarandon has that down. I had no idea, until I saw the interview I previously linked, that Joan, er Lucille, actually campaigned against Bette Davis getting her 3rd -- and most deserved -- Best Actress Academy Award. In the interview, Bette points out that had she won, Baby Jane would have had a much higher gross and Joan would have benefitted from it financially since they both had such a high percentage of the profits. In the interview, you can see in her expression her deep remorse and sadness at the recollection.

Well I just watched the 2nd episode and SS has totally won me over. I think she is fantastic as is Jessica (who's eyebrows seem to be more on point) and the styling of the cloths is fantastic. Especially Hedda Hopper! How fun this must have been to do!

Judy Davis totally rocks as Hedda Hopper. That hat. That hilarious strut. Her blatant disregard for human frailty, pimping the dirt and skeletons in the closet like a salivating cat toying with a mouse. She could have also played Bette Davis IMO. I will never forget her Emmy winning performance as Judy Garland. And in episode 2, she too becomes vulnerable in the pool scene, Crawford revealing via dialogue she was a wannabe actress. So if you can't fly like a bird, shoot them down.

@HoneyWest said:

Well I just watched the 2nd episode and SS has totally won me over. I think she is fantastic as is Jessica (who's eyebrows seem to be more on point) and the styling of the cloths is fantastic. Especially Hedda Hopper! How fun this must have been to do!

I feel the same way. After watching the teasers and trailers, I didn't really see Bette. After watching the first episode, I thought "Okay, maybe". After the second episode, I can totally see Bette Davis.

It makes sense. Susan is a great actress!

@SkyPowers said:

She could have also played Bette Davis IMO. I will never forget her Emmy winning performance as Judy Garland. And in episode 2, she too becomes vulnerable in the pool scene, Crawford revealing via dialogue she was a wannabe actress. So if you can't fly like a bird, shoot them down.

I agree and mentioned this in a previous post... She is wonderful as Hedda. I also am loving Kieran Shipka as Bette's daughter, now I need to go hunt down a copy of her book, My Mother's Keeper.

@HoneyWest said:

Well I just watched the 2nd episode and SS has totally won me over. I think she is fantastic as is Jessica (who's eyebrows seem to be more on point) and the styling of the cloths is fantastic. Especially Hedda Hopper! How fun this must have been to do!

Yes, I thought her eyebrows looked more arched in the second episode. And she just seemed to look a little more like Joan in profile.

@HoneyWest said:

I also am loving Kieran Shipka as Bette's daughter,

I kept wondering where I had seen her, then it dawned on me during her argument with mom scene- Sally Draper from Mad Men.

I wonder how many people here have seen B. D. Hymen on a local channel working as a tele-evangelist? It was just a few years ago I saw her on a local NY channel (I think it was 9). Not sure what city she was recording out of.

I wonder, did she ever reconcile with mom? The rift solidified when she sold her mom out in her book.

@SkyPowers said:

I wonder, did she ever reconcile with mom? The rift solidified when she sold her mom out in her book.

From what I've read (which is not a lot) I don't think so....

@ScorpionQ2 said:

Loved Jessica ever since she first played on AHS, have fallen more in love with her after watching some of her movies, "Hush" and "Cousin Bette" are my favorites so far.

It's been years since I've seen these, but you should catch Lange in her early movies Frances and Sweet Dreams (both celebrity biopics about Frances Farmer and Patsy Cline respectively). I thought she really impressive nearly from the get-go. Of course, there's always the 1976 version of King Kong but everyone's gotta start somewhere...

@izzybee3 said:

It's funny because I felt just the opposite. I kept trying to picture Jessica as Joan, but could never see it. I would never know she was supposed to be Joan Crawford if, well, if I hadn't already know. They didn't even try to make her look like Joan. I wonder if Jessica wouldn't shave her eyebrows so she could have Joan's eyebrows. That would have made a big difference.

As far as Susan, I thought she looked and sounded more like her character, Bette. Her voice did go in and out as far as sounding like her, but she seemed more like Bette than Jessica did Joan.

I agree. I think Sarandon is terrific as Davis while Lange feels like she's playing Blanche DuBois more than Joan Crawford. I haven't watched many Crawford movies (2 or 3) over the years and found her acting ability questionable; she seemed more like a force and a presence than an actor. Nevertheless, Lange is playing her as weak, weepy, and weaselly. Her appearance and mannerisms also seem a bit off to me. And while I know Joan was from the South originally, I can't remember EVER hearing an accent from her -- in fact, I believe Joan detested her past and did all she could to erase it, including a Texas twang -- yet there's Lange sounding like she's on an episode of "Dallas". I know Lange can hide her own natural Southern accent based on previous performances, so I don't get why it's flying so freely here. Lastly, while it's wildly entertaining and horrifically bad, I think Dunaway's performance as Joan in Mommie Dearest was far and away the best thing in that cartoon of a movie, and probably closer to what Joan was actually like (wounded and vulnerable but ultimately harsh, and increasingly unhinged as her career disintegrated and alcoholism consumed her). I wonder what Dunaway could have done if given a second crack at the role -- although I can't imagine she'd come anywhere near this project after blaming Mommie for ruining her career 30 years ago.

I love both actresses, but was just a little disappointed in their depictions.

Oh, I'm not really disappointed. I think the impersonation aspects could be better (especially Lange in looks and speech), but these two women are phenomenal actors who are tearing up the small screen. On the surface Feud is a heap of campy, goofy trash, but underneath there's a lot of real emotion and pathos playing out. The story is really about these special people (Joan and Bette) as exposed under extreme circumstances.

@Dedoc1967 said:

@ScorpionQ2 said:

Loved Jessica ever since she first played on AHS, have fallen more in love with her after watching some of her movies, "Hush" and "Cousin Bette" are my favorites so far.

It's been years since I've seen these, but you should catch Lange in her early movies Frances and Sweet Dreams (both celebrity biopics about Frances Farmer and Patsy Cline respectively). I thought she really impressive nearly from the get-go. Of course, there's always the 1976 version of King Kong but everyone's gotta start somewhere...

I've seen Frances and loved her in that too, hopefully I will see the others you mentioned. Jessica Lange is a true beauty, even in her older age she is still just beautiful to me.

@ScorpionQ2 said:

I've seen Frances and loved her in that too, hopefully I will see the others you mentioned. Jessica Lange is a true beauty, even in her older age she is still just beautiful to me.

In the late 90s I was living in NYC and was walking up 86th street around dusk. It was a warm night and I see Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard crossing the street coming toward me. They are holding hands and talking, they are beautiful. Like beings from another planet. I watched them glide past me and it was seriously something to behold.

I also saw Susan Sarandon once, probably around the same period in an Aveda shop on lower 5th Ave. She too was amazingly beautiful, very natural, very light make up if any and a dazzling smile. Also much more petite than I'd imagined. A sales girl was helping her and she seemed very sweet and unpretentious.

@HoneyWest said:

In the late 90s I was living in NYC and was walking up 86th street around dusk. It was a warm night and I see Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard crossing the street coming toward me. They are holding hands and talking, they are beautiful. Like beings from another planet. I watched them glide past me and it was seriously something to behold.

Ahhh, I just love this!

I also saw Susan Sarandon once, probably around the same period in an Aveda shop on lower 5th Ave. She too was amazingly beautiful, very natural, very light make up if any and a dazzling smile. Also much more petite than I'd imagined. A sales girl was helping her and she seemed very sweet and unpretentious.