Jessica Lange Targets Mary Tyrone Role as Final Performance

Jessica Lange said she is prepared to retire after completing her role as Mary Tyrone in a new film adaptation of Eugene O'Neill’s Long Day's Journey Into Night. The 77-year-old actress made the comments while receiving the Visionary Award at the Virginia Film Festival. She told The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast that aging often limits the types of parts available to actors. Despite those constraints, she expressed a desire to end her career with the character of the morphine-addicted matriarch.

Lange is one of only 24 people to win the triple crown of acting, a distinction that requires at least one Academy Award, one Emmy, and one Tony Award. She is also among only 10 living recipients of that honor. Her career began in 1976 when producer Dino De Laurentiis cast her in his remake of King Kong. The role generated early attention, including a cover feature in TIME magazine, but the film became a box office failure. Lange recalled that the setback nearly derailed her early career and affected her self-confidence.

She rebuilt her reputation through a series of acclaimed performances in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her work in Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Frances, and Tootsie established her as a leading figure in cinema. Her performance in Tootsie earned her first Academy Award. She later won a second Oscar for her role in Blue Sky. Other notable films during this period included Country, Sweet Dreams, Crimes of the Heart, Music Box, and Cape Fear.

Lange’s career pace changed as she entered her forties and became a mother. For several years, she accepted fewer projects and often took on supporting parts that did not fully engage her creatively. Her trajectory shifted with the 2009 HBO limited series Grey Gardens, which earned her an Emmy. That project launched a long collaboration with producer Ryan Murphy. She starred in four seasons of American Horror Story between 2011 and 2015, winning Emmys for two of those seasons. She also appeared in the 2017 limited series Feud: Bette and Joan.

The role of Mary Tyrone has a long history for Lange. She first portrayed the character on the London stage in 2000, becoming the first American actress to receive an Olivier Award nomination for the part. She reprised the role on Broadway in 2016 and won a Tony Award. Over the past decade, she worked to adapt the play for the big screen, following the 1962 version starring Katharine Hepburn.

The new film faced production challenges, including multiple financing collapses after the cast and crew arrived in Ireland. Lange collaborated with writer David Lindsay-Abaire and director Jonathan Kent to complete the project. The film is currently beginning its release in select theaters and at festivals. Lange has also returned to American Horror Story for its 13th season, which aired from September 24 to October 29. These new projects place her in contention for both an Academy Award and an Emmy.

Lange’s career spans five decades since she was discovered while working part-time as a model. She continues to promote the new film and her latest television work. The veteran actress shows no signs of slowing down as she balances her new film release with her return to the screen.