Glenn Close tried her best to compliment her All’s Fair co-star Kim Kardashian in a new interview.
Close, 78, told Variety on Wednesday that Kardashian, 45, “had no pretensions that she was a great actress” while filming the critically panned series, which reunites Kardashian with co-creator Ryan Murphy, with whom she previously worked on American Horror Story: Delicate. That said, Close added, “She was smart enough to have people around her who she could learn from.” Close stars alongside Kardashian, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Teyana Taylor, and Niecy Nash-Betts in the Hulu series.
The eight-time Oscar nominee said she was most surprised by Kardashian’s “seriousness of intent.” She “always knew her lines,” she said. “She never was late. She always was prepared.”
Close explained, “If she was a big ego or what I call a ‘life-is-too-short person,’ I would have been unhappy, but she’s not.” Kardashian seems to have made positive impressions on all of the show’s main cast, as each has complimented the reality TV star as “kind” and “hard-working” after filming together.
When the negative reviews rolled in for their show, Close posted a clapback at critics—who were particularly harsh with Kardashian—suggesting they back off, lest she make them into a Fatal Attraction-esque bunny stew.
Close told Daily Mail in April that she declined to give Kardashian acting advice while working on the show, which, though it achieved significant success for Hulu as one of the streamer’s most-watched scripted debuts in years, also resulted in brutal critiques of Kardashian’s acting skills and a zero percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
“I would not presume to give Kim Kardashian advice,” Close said then. “I think she’s a very, very brilliant woman. I think she could choose to do anything she wants. Frankly, if she wants to be an actress, that’s one road.”
Close added, “She’s a great executive. She’s a great businesswoman. She’s a very, very involved mother. She’s getting her law degree. So, I think she has huge potential and that she’s fulfilled already as a woman. And frankly, I will be fascinated to see what she chooses to do.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Kardashian’s team for comment.
