Glenda Veronica "Glenn" Close is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades of screen and stage, she has received numerous accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for eight Academy Awards and three Grammy Awards. She is one of few artists to be nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. In 2009, she received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2016, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.

The Real Thing is a play by Tom Stoppard that was first performed in 1982. The play focuses on the relationship between Henry and Annie, an actress and member of a group fighting to free Brodie, a Scottish soldier imprisoned for burning a memorial wreath during a protest.