Calgary Herald - January 7, 1996

"Tough Act: Megan Follows tackles difficult role of autistic savant in TV film"
Bob Blakey

In what's probably the most demanding role so far in her career, Megan Follows shows how far she's come since Avonlea.

The new Sullivan Entertainment production Under the Piano casts Follows as Rosetta, an autistic girl lovingly defended by her older sister Franny (Amanda Plummer). The story, covering the 1930s to the '50s, is a dramatic, highly emotional tale of love and parental inadequacies.

Much of it is seen through the eyes of Franny, who discovers Rosetta attempting suicide. As Rosetta recovers in hospital, Franny examines their lives and reconstructs events that led up to the act of desperation.

The problem stems from their mother, Madame Regina (played by real-life opera diva Teresa Stratas), a faded opera star who teaches singing. Throughout the girls' childhood, we see her inability to deal with Rosetta's autism.

The child is a savant, gifted in music, able to play beautifully on the piano after hearing a piece once. The obsessive Regina dismisses her ``mimicking'' of music and, in a form of emotional abuse, suppresses the child's talent, personality and growth.

Franny takes her young sister under her wing and eventually gets her a job in a hospital, where her strange mannerisms are tolerated and her abilities appreciated.

Then a crisis occurs when Franny leaves to get married and assumes Rosetta, set up in her job, will be fine.

Follows's task to play an autistic child and woman was aided by a consultant who works with autistic people in Toronto. That, plus the actress's own observances, combined in walking that ``fine line'' between authenticity and dramatic entertainment, says Follows.

``I don't feel we ever did do anything that wasn't believable,'' she says.

``At times it was a fight to make that understood. It is a peculiar behavior in many ways and it was a new behavior for a lot of us who were watching it.''

The role is anything but glamorous for the attractive Follows who, in this case, must use unflattering makeup, hair styles and gestures. But that never bothered her.

``It's so great to get to create an entire character where it's not about objectification, which so many female roles are about in our industry.

``For me, that's what's so great about all of the women. They are first and foremost people and we're telling a story about them. It's fun to play a character part.''

The story is based on two real sisters, one of whom was autistic and could skillfully play music by ear.

They live in Boston, but executive producer Kevin Sullivan chose Toronto for this location.

``We had to make it look accurate to a world that we knew and understood rather than going on location there,'' Sullivan says. ``We decided to go on location here.

``It's a true-life story inspired by the lives of these people (not a) ipped-from-the-tabloids type of story.''

Sullivan says the script nails down very little about Rosetta's personality, which left Follows with much freedom to interpret.

``What is so magnificent about what Megan has achieved not only technically, is that she has allowed us into Rosetta's soul,'' Sullivan says. ``That's what all of us wanted as film-makers.''

Source: Calgary Herald