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John Cameron Mitchell as Hedwig
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Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell), the East German Rock & Roller, has the look of showbiz futility. An oversized Farrah Fawcett wig hangs over her pencil-thin eyebrows and blue glitter makeup. Clad in a sequined halter top, zebra-striped pants and white go-go boots, Hedwig and her Rock band, The Angry Inch, perform to disinterested customers at rundown theme restaurants. Everything about Hedwig reeks of failure. That's what makes her so funny.
Luckily, Hedwig creator John Cameron Mitchell shares none of his character's tendency for defeat. Mitchell's film adaptation of his Off-Broadway hit Hedwig and the Angry Inch wowed audiences at this year's Sundance Film Festival. At the Jan. 27 Sundance Awards Ceremony, Mitchell turned out to be the night's big winner. Hedwig and the Angry Inch was expected to win the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Film. But Mitchell's big surprise came when he heard his name called for the Dramatic Directing Award. Mitchell made his filmmaking debut directing himself as Hedwig. After all his doubts about stepping behind the camera, the critical acclaim for Hedwig and the Angry Inch made the evening all the more momentous.
"We could have used one of those cranes on the movie," Mitchell said, pointing at a camera broadcasting the awards. "We could have used those speakers, too."
The most commercial of this year's Sundance dramas, Hedwig and the Angry Inch combines over-sexed comedy, beautiful animation and a Glam soundtrack by Stephen Trask into a rousing Rock musical. Still, it's Mitchell's dazzling performance as Hedwig that grabs the spotlight. The film enjoys an energizing jolt every time Hedwig bursts into song.
In the film, young Hansel (Mitchell) agrees to marry an American GI in order to escape his home in Communist East Germany. A botched sex change operation leaves Hansel (aka Hedwig) with an "angry inch." Hedwig's dream marriage fizzles quickly. Abandoned in a Kansas trailer park, Hedwig's tenacity leads her to form a Rock band and hit the road.
Mitchell may be a neophyte when it comes to directing movies, but his hipster reputation makes him a favorite with the Sundance press. As an Off-Broadway musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch had already earned Mitchell a loyal cult following. Theater companies across the country, including Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati, have produced Hedwig and the Angry Inch. By adapting Hedwig into a movie, Mitchell hopes to prove that there is an even larger audience for his Glam Rock creation. Midway through the Sundance Festival, Mitchell put on his Hedwig gear for a special late-night concert. As expected, the crowd went wild. Their enthusiasm makes Mitchell feel more confident about the box-office possibilities for his film.
"It would be nice if it hits," Mitchell says, speaking earlier at a Park City, Utah, condo. "I think it will always be a cult to an extant, but I always wondered: What if the people in the cult might be wrong? So it's kind of delightful that the movie is going to have a wide and diverse audience."
In person, the 37-year-old Mitchell seems too slight to play the brassy Hedwig. Dressed in a red jacket and casual pants, he displays no signs of Punk Rock attitude. Mitchell talks quietly, punctuating each conversation with a good-natured joke. He reminisces about growing up as an army brat, shuffling from Texas to Germany. He credits a past baby-sitter as the inspiration for Hedwig. Equal parts of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed completed the Hedwig creation. Mitchell's goal was to create a Rock musical that really rocked. He also wants audiences to have fun.
"I know that this is a R-rated film, but I hope high school kids get a chance to see this film," Mitchell says. "I know that high school can be a tough time for kids. This film says it's OK to be different."
As Hedwig and the Angry Inch plays in theaters across America (it opens Friday in Cincinnati), Mitchell and his Hedwig persona have discovered new life on the big-screen. Hedwig stands out as the most unique of the summer 2001 movie heroines. Mitchell is also receiving plenty of attention. The one-time character actor has discovered new life as an up-and-coming filmmaker. He hasn't performed onstage as Hedwig in over a year. His anxieties over audience and critical reactions to Hedwig and the Angry Inch have faded. New projects and screenplays have Mitchell's full attention. Like all first-time filmmakers, Mitchell's next goal is to show people he's capable of doing something different.
"It's a little harder to put on the makeup," Mitchell said. "It's not quite as delightful, and I definitely would like to get out from under the wig. It's been such a long process. Hedwig is one character. It's not my alter ego." ©
