From the film "The Judas Kiss"

From Robyn on Patreon in 2023
This was written for “The Judas Kiss” directed by Sebastián Gutierrez and starring Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson and Carla Gugino. This was my first encounter with Sebastián and Carla who are now my longtime friends, stretching back into the 20th Century. It was also where Alan Rickman entered my life, sitting in the back of the music supervisor’s car as we played a cassette of the song I’d written.

Alan was certainly Rickman-esque at times - the world-weary erotic fish persona with a bit of eye-rolling that indicated he was underwhelmed by something or somebody - but he could also be surprisingly enthusiastic. He liked the song I played that day, and for the rest of his life would come along to any show I was playing if he was nearby. He was supportive of artists, writers, actors - he really got it, and I am only one of many who still miss him in our lives. When Jonathan Demme gave me a cameo role as a sinister operative in “The Manchurian Candidate” I asked Alan for some acting tips: “Just listen to what the other person is saying” was his advice.

Sebastián and Carla have gone on to work on some great projects together, most recently the sensual heist caper “Leopard Skin”, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the movie that looped me into their world, and Mondo Rickman too.