Jennifer Salt Unravels the Twisted Psychology of Sisters

Brian De Palma’s jaw-droppingly stylish first stab at the Hitchcockian thriller revolves around three women who couldn’t be more different. Released in 1973, Sisters builds its horror premise around a pair of conjoined twins (both played by Margot Kidder) with polar-opposite personalities: a model who wants to start an acting career, Danielle grabs all the attention, while the equally glamorous Dominique’s shyness keeps her largely out of public view. But it is Grace (Jennifer Salt), an ambitious, no-nonsense reporter, who brings this sinister film a measure of clarity, casting a suspicious eye on the sisters after she witnesses a brutal murder in Danielle’s across-the-way apartment.

Among the plentiful supplemental material on our brand-new edition of Sisters is an interview with Salt in which she highlights the starkly contrasting psychologies that drive the film’s plot. Grace is “a pretty straightforward girl, especially compared to the two Siamese twins,” the actor says in the above clip, before going on to describe the hands-off approach De Palma took with his actors on set. Here, Salt also talks about the late Kidder, who was not only her costar but her roommate at the time, and how she channeled the director “brilliantly” in her high-wire dual performance.