Jennifer Dundas, currently portraying Alexandra, the 17-year-old daughter in Lincoln Center Theater's revival of "The Little Foxes," is getting a little tired of talking about how many teenage roles she's played. Reviewers and interviewers alike often remark on how convincingly she plays young characters. At 26, Dundas acknowledges that she wants to make the transition to older roles.
It won't be her first transition as an actress. She's already evolved from a successful child performer who did a lot of TV and films, to a successful adult actress playing teen roles who has been extremely busy in New York and regional theatres. But that transition wasn't easy.
Dundas, a native of Newton, Mass., took her first acting class at age eight and began her professional career at 10. When work beckoned, she often went on location or to L.A., though her family never moved there. Her movie credits include "Mrs. Soffel," "Lorenzo's Oil," "Legal Eagles," and "The Hotel New Hampshire."
When she became a teenager, however, "They started not knowing what to do with me in movies," Dundas says. "The transition was difficult. I went through several years of not doing any films."
When her acting career slowed down, Dundas got serious about her schoolwork and eventually attended Brown University, in Providence, R.I., where she majored in theatre. "It's difficult for any child actor to make the transition," she notes. "I decided to go to college and I came back to acting as a different commodity, if you will."
Fortunately, the strategy has paid off. After college, Dundas worked as a waitress before she found enough acting work to support herself. Things started to pick up when she was cast in the Seattle production of "The Sisters Rosensweig." Dundas then got her big break when she was cast in "Arcadia" at Lincoln Center. Although John Simon called her "a grotesque disgrace" in New York magazine, other reviewers praised her performance. Still, Dundas no longer reads reviews while doing a show. "It messes up your brain," she says. "Even the good ones were harmful."
No Complaints
Last year Dundas' film career was briefly revived when she played Diane Keaton's daughter in "The First Wives Club." "I was convinced I'd be cut out of the movie," Dundas recalls. "Everyone knew they weren't going to use everything they filmed." Much to her surprise, most of her scenes stayed in.
For the time being, Dundas plans to concentrate on theatre work. "I don't know if I have the backbone to go out [to L.A.] and aggressively decide to be a movie star," she says.
When asked whether she's sick of being cast as young characters, she's quick to note that she's played a lot of meaty teenage roles. "I've played fabulous roles under the age of 18, so I can't complain," she states. "I'm loath to say, 'I'm sick of it.' "
On the other hand, she doesn't want to play kids forever. "I can play grown-up parts, so I want to explore that, too," says the actress. "I'm not really worried about it, but you can create a type for yourself. You have to prove that you can do what people don't think you can."
Dundas knows that her youthful looks and short stature make her a natural to play teenagers. She also points out that most actors play younger than they are. When she read for Alexandra in "Little Foxes," for example, all the actors who auditioned were older than the character.
Dundas has certainly landed some juicy parts on stage. At 18 she played Perdita in "The Winter's Tale" at the Public Theater. She also starred in "The Good Times Are Killing Me" at Trinity Rep in Providence.
Last summer, she had a great experience on and off stage in "Our Town" at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival: There she met Talmadge Lowe, who played George to her Emily. They met on June 7, got engaged Aug. 3, and were married in December.
But Ready to Move On
More recently, Dundas earned raves for her starring role in Peter Hedges' "Good as New" at the Manhattan Class Company. "The emotional journey was like climbing Mount Everest," she says of playing the feisty 16-year-old opposite Laura Esterman. For two weeks she performed that demanding role while rehearsing "The Little Foxes." "I felt I couldn't do it another day," Dundas recalls. "It was so draining. It just took everything out of me."
Thus, her supporting role in "Foxes"--opposite veterans like Stockard Channing, Brian Murray, and Frances Conroy--comes as something of a relief. "I don't feel as much pressure as I usually do, since I don't carry it," she says. "I get lazy, because I think, 'Well, I'm just a small part.' But I'm trying to create a character that's complex with limited text."
The Village Voice critic Michael Feingold, for one, thinks she's succeeded. He recently wrote that "Dundas' Alexandra, girlish, confused and iron-hard in stubbornness, has the richness that was probably aimed for throughout."
Dundas doesn't know what her next project will be. But she does know she wants to study acting some more. "I still feel I'd benefit from classes because I don't have a base or technique. I never learned any; I just worked with my instincts," she says. "People told my mom, 'Don't let her go to acting school as a child,' because there were so few good teachers for children. As an adult, you need a lot more than just your instincts."
And Dundas, after all the attention that's been paid to her facility with younger roles, is more than ready to be taken seriously as an adult. q
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"You have to prove that you can do what people don't think