Faye Dunaway , now 83 and somewhat reclusive, revisits her exceptional rise to fame and subsequent decline in a new documentary — which also confronts her complicated reputation and reveals previously unknown details about her private life off camera. Dunaway was one of the busiest and most celebrated actresses of the late 1960s and 1970s, with classic performances in films like Bonnie and Clyde , Chinatown , Three Days of the Condor and Network , which won her a Best Actress Oscar. But her reputation and fortunes shifted thanks to a much-parodied turn as Joan Crawford in 1981’s Mommie Dearest and persistent rumors of her being “difficult” and demanding on sets.
As she grew older, Dunaway continued to work, but she didn’t get the same substantial roles and acclaim as peers such as Meryl Streep or Jane Fonda nor has she seen a later-in-life renaissance like Jessica Lange . Faye , premiering Saturday, July 13 on HBO at 8 p.m.
ET, features rare, emotional sitdowns with Dunaway. Filmmaker Laurent Bouzerau ‘s movie features extensive interviews with the actress, her son Liam O’Neill (one of the documentary producers), Sharon Stone , her Mommie Dearest costar Mara Hobel , Barfly costar Mickey Rourke , ex-boyfriend Jerry Schatzberg and others. For the first time ever, a vulnerable Dunaway shares the circumstances of Liam’s birth and her diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Us Weekly spoke with Bouzereau about collaborating with the Hollywood legend, and getting her to open.