Patricia Clarkson has been a consistent and hotly anticipated presence on the stage and screen since her feature film debut, in the 1987 Brian De Palma film, The Untouchables. She has won a Golden Globe for her role on the drama series Sharp Objects, three Emmys for her roles on Six Feet Under and State of the Union, and even a Tony nomination for 2014’s The Elephant Man. Her latest project is She Said, a dramatization of the New York Times investigation by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey that led to the exposure and downfall of Harvey Weinstein. Clarkson portrays Kantor and Twohey’s editor, Rebecca Corbett. On the occasion of the film’s release, Clarkson shares her key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker

AIRLINE: Delta.
AIRPORT: Billy Bishop, in Toronto.
ALIBI: “I was in the bathtub.”
APP: The Weather app.
BAG: Zac Posen.
BEDTIME: Midnight.
BIKE: Stationary.
BIRTHDAY: Champagne with friends.
BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND: Funny and wise.
BREAKFAST, WEEKDAY: Protein shake.
BREAKFAST, WEEKEND: Sausage. Lots of sausage.
CAR: 1964 two-door Avanti.
CHILD: Quiet.
COCKTAIL: Bourbon and ginger.
COCKTAIL APPETIZER: Little hot dogs with mustard.
COUPLE: A happy one.
DATE: Dinner in the West Village.
DIET: No food after six p.m.
DINNER, WEEKDAY: Chicken and vegetables.
DINNER, WEEKEND: Spaghetti Bolognese.
DISGUISE: A coronavirus mask.
DRESS: One by Christian Siriano.

DRIVE: Upstate New York.
ENEMY: Putin.
ESCAPE: A fast car.
EXCUSE: “My dog needs me.”
FAMILY: My own.
FIRST LADY/FIRST MAN: Michelle and Barack.
FIT: The hot-pink settee my designer, Rick Trabucco, put in my apartment!

FLAW:
Naïveté.

FOIL: Iago, in Othello.
Friend: All of mine.
Good-bye: Ciao!
HIDEAWAY: My friend’s apartment in Bronxville.
HOTEL: Windsor Court Hotel, in New Orleans.
INDULGENCE: Champagne.
INSULT: “You’re inhumane.”
JACKET: Leather.
KISS-OFF: “I’ll call you.
LAST MEAL
: Jambalaya.
LUNCH, WEEKDAY
: Cobb salad.

LUNCH, WEEKEND: Pizza.
MATCH: Any tennis match with the great Patrick Rafter.
MOVIE: Gaslight, with Ingrid Bergman.
NAME: Isadora Duncan.
Neighbor: Quiet.
Nonfiction book: Emerson Among the Eccentrics: A Group Portrait, by Carlos Baker.
Novel
: History: A Novel, by Elsa Morante.
Pants
: Swing pants.
Pet
: My dog, Isadora.
Piece of advice: “Rise above.”
Podcast: Pod Save America.
President: Obama.
Restaurant: Bar Six.
Ride: Manhattan at midnight.
Saying: “I saved my manners and my biscuit too.”
Second spouse: Not having a first one …
SHOES: Botkier Farrah sandals.
Singer: Nina Simone.

Spouse: Doesn’t exist.
Storm: Any storm that doesn’t reach hurricane level.
STREET: St. Charles Avenue, in New Orleans.
Television series: Six Feet Under.
Theme song to your life: “When I Fall In Love.”
Time of day: Seven p.m.
Toast: “Cheers.”
Vacation: Staycation.
View: The Statue of Liberty.
Wake-up time
: Nine a.m.
Weekend bag: Le Tigre Bonnie, by Atenti.
Work of art: Any landscape painting by Anselm Kiefer.
WRITING IMPLEMENT
: Any pencil.

Patricia’s Essentials

Clockwise from top left: a Le Tigre Bonnie bag, by Atenti; Heaven on Earth, by Anselm Kiefer; Gaslight; a Botkier Farrah sandal; Nina Simone.