New interview coming from SkyNews during the promotion of Chéri on London (in February, 2009); Watch the video-interview below

Why Michelle Pfeiffer Loves Her Latest Role

There must be quite a few women in their 50s who would love a day job that involved cosying up to men half their age – Michelle Pfeiffer certainly isn’t complaining.

“It’s interesting,” she smiles, speaking to Sky News in London as she promotes her new film Cheri.

“It’s not dull. They’ve all had this incredible youthful energy. It sort of infuses you, and it’s very contagious. I’ve also been lucky in that they’ve always been really great guys.”

The latest “great guy” is Rupert Friend, current squeeze of Keira Knightley, who plays her love interest in Cheri, a tale about a retired courtesan who embarks on an affair with a man half her age.

The film is based on the book by French author Collette, and reunites Pfeiffer with her Dangerous Liaisons director Stephen Frears.

It is the latest film in Pfeiffer’s Hollywood comeback, after she took a few years out to spend time with her family. Since she came back, she has already appeared in Hairspray and Stardust.

“I think that what happened was I was missing work,” she explains about her decision to return to the big screen.

“Then the scripts were there, and I think it just happened. But then it’s probably more about your mindset than the fact that you want to go back to work, and things just become more appealing to you.”

Of course, Michelle has walked right back into the argument about women and age with this film.

The subject matter has meant every journalist under the Sun has already been asking her about playing older characters, and how hard she finds it getting decent scripts thrown her way.

Inevitably, the conversation heads in that direction, too.

“It’s every interview,” she laughs. “But I expected that. First of all, I’ve been getting that since I was 35. That was sort of the magic number.”

So is that old song true? Is it really sometimes hard to be a woman? Especially when it comes to finding good roles?

She nods her head. “Yeah, I mean 35-year-old men don’t get it. It’s ridiculous, can you imagine asking Tom Cruise that?”

Interview Transcription

Thanks Laura and Adelutza for your wonderful work!

From a fairly shaking beginning as the star of Grease 2, Michelle Pfeiffer’s big screen career has flourished with the likes of The Witches of Eastwick and The Fabulous Baker Boys. After taking a four year break to be with her family, she is now as busy as ever. The new film CheriStardust and Hairspray. follows her appearances in

Rep – The last few years you seemed to be mega busy again…
MP – I know, I know…
Rep – Was it a conscious decision or did the right scripts just come along at the right time?
MP – I think it just happened. I think I was missing work, then scripts where there and…um, yeah… I think it just so happened…. but then sometimes you … it’s probable more about a mindset…you know, the fact that you want to go back to work, things then become more appealing to you.

Cheri reunites Pfeiffer with her Dangerous Liaisons director, Stephen Frears, the adaptation of Collette’s most famous story of a retired courtesan who begins an affair with a man less than half her age. In the film, he’s played by Keira Knightly’s boyfriend, Rupert Friend.

Rep – I was reading how you were saying that your leading men seem to be getting younger and younger, this does make your job particularly fun?
MP – Interesting…
(both laugh)
Rep – I think many women would say they’d like your job
MP – It’s not dull! (laughs) They all have this incredible energy and ..um…it sort of infuses you, you know, and it’s very contagious… and… um… I’ve also been lucky that they’ve just been really great guys

Michelle’s keeping a busy schedule, right now she has a second film out in the states but, as ever, she thinks is harder for older women to get parts then it is for the men.

Rep – Do you find it funny that a lot of the interviews have end up asking you about your age – did you end up thinking “wow, how old am I, am I a hundred years old?”
MP – No, I’m fifty. And, no, not a lot of interviews but every interview … (laughs) I expected that. I mean, it can’t… first of all, I’ve been getting that since I was 35. (laughs) That was sort of the magic number… um… yeah, I mean 35 years old men don’t get “so, how is it, what is it getting older now, are you still getting the same of” … ridiculous, do you imagine asking Tom Cruise that? I mean … so I don’t know, it’s confusing.

Michelle actually turned 51 this week – that’s hardly over the hill, is it? – but in roles like Cheri she really is proving that it’s not always the case of half a century – you’re out – for those women in Hollywood.

Thanks Andrija and Pfan_1974 for the info, and Laura and Adelutza for the transcription!
Source: Sky News

Related Posts

• Junio 22, 2009 | A week pretty busy with Michelle Pfeiffer
• Mayo 14, 2009 | Michelle Pfeiffer says aging is easy to the Associated Press
• Mayo 1, 2009 | Interview with Michelle Pfeiffer on the GMTV’s Emma Crosby (+ transcription)
• Enero 15, 2010 | Preview of Chéri and interview with Stephen Frears during the promotion in Madrid (Spain)
• Julio 15, 2009 | P-F-A-N-S, those little “treekies”