Venice
by Terry Keefe
July 2003
    
Some people just know how to make an entrance, not to mention an unforgettable film debut. As Calpernia Addams in the Showtime original film "Soldier's Girl," the first thing we see of actor Lee Pace is his fingers snapping snapping just outside a curtain to the opening notes of Peggy Lee's "Fever." Pace then appears on a nightclub stage belting out a sizzling rendition of the tune, in a gorgeous evening down and heels, with an accompanying voice over which sets the stage for what is to come, "I'm going to tell you a story. It's a simple story. Like all great stories, it's a love story. And like all great stories, it's terribly tragic..." Based on actual events, "Soldier's Girl" is indeed a tragic love story about an enlisted man named Barry Winchell who was murdered in 1999 by some of his fellow soldiers for being gay. At the time of Winchell's murder, he was in love with Calpernia, who was then a preoperative transsexual and a regualr performer at a Nashville nightclub. The crime made national headlines, calling into question the logic of the military's "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy.
In taking on the role of Calpernia, Lee Pace faced a number of challenges, the first one being the most basic-how to pull off portraying a woman in as realistic a manner as possible, despite being a 6' 3" man with a deep voice. Says Pace, "[Director] fank Pierson sent me on the right track. He said to just watch real women-how they talk, how they walk. Observe all the tiny details." Pace also discovered that the prosthetic breasts and hips that he wore in the film contributed to his process as well. "There were like three hours of make-up everyday and by the end of that I was just sort of transformed into another person," he recalls. In addition,
converstaions with the real-life Calpernia Addams helped Pace shape his performance with its many nuances. "We became really good freinds. She's so forthcoming and articulate about her life, and she gave me a lot of important details. The way she would talk about Barry. She just really valued that time in her life and has a different perspective now that she can see it in retrospect," Pace says.
Although the role was a tough one to nail, Pace didn't hesitate in accpeting the part. "The script was so good. You read a lot of bad stuff and this was handled with such care and class. At the end of the day, I think it's an important story to tell. It really struck me that telling the story helped people understand an ijustice in the world. And it was really nice to be a part of that."
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