New interview with Michelle Pfeiffer from Ireland (during the promotion of Chéri in London – February, 2009) where the reporter obviously did her homework, she sounded like a real pfan… Pfeiffer talks about her time in Ireland, her view on fame, family, working with Robert De Niro and the actor David Kelly.

Michelle comments her view on aging and the importance of keeping her teenage children out of the spotlight and her hopes to work with a number of Hollywood’s A-listers.

Transcription Interview

Rep: Michelle Pfeiffer, great to talk to you, a pleasure to talk to you on RTE.ie. Have you been to Ireland before?
MP: I was there just briefly for a weekend, I was working in London and and went over there for a weekend with my family, and you hear how beautiful it is, um, and honestly it just exceeded my wildest – it was just perhaps the most beautiful place I ever been to…

Rep: Really…, in therm of the green?
MP: Stunning… just everything, just… yeah!

Rep: you may come back over any time, ’cause I read, is it true your descent is – I have to read this – Dutch, German, Swedish, Switz and Irish
MP: Yes

Rep: Really? And where did the Irish come from?
MP: Um, you know, it’s from my father’s side of the family tree and um, I… um… his… his family tree is really murky so i don’t rightly know .

Rep: OK. Well, we’re just happy to be in the mix anyways; so we love to have you over any time.
This film, um, I mean you have the leading lady from Dangerous Liaisons, the director and also the screenwriter so there is a lot of comparisons being made, but very different films.
MP: Ahem. Well, I think the only similarities are, you know, sort of the people involved and that it’s French literature and that’s it’s period.

Rep: yeah, it’s not really… to think that every French period film is going to be the same
MP: Other than that it’s really not the same movie

Rep: Completely different
MP: I think so, yeah

Rep: Amazing script, amazing looking film, how was initially, how far into reading, or have you read book that made you go ” i really want to do this one”?
MP: It was first Stephen’s involvement and, um, he called me and then I really liked the script and I committed to the film and then I read the novel.

Rep: And then you read the novel, ’cause she is an amazing character. Where there any traits in her particularly that you really liked or find difficult and challenging ?
MP: What I liked and did find challenging was that she wasn’t your stereotypical courtesan and wasn’t at all… what you would expect and not only that – it’s within the context of that period – which is pretty buttoned-up – so they don’t… even the ones that look like courtesans don’t really look like courtesans and they didn’t, you know, they actually, um, you know, considered themselves quite aristocratic and they, um, lived a very lush life and they had a lot of money and they were very wealthy and so… so, um, I think it was a challenge to stay true to the period and, and also and stay true to the novel and, you know, the truth of the matters is the novel is actually quite tame, it would probably be a GP if you actually made Collette’s novel, so we spiced it up bit; but, you know, you don’t wanna, you know, you want to stay true to her work.

Rep: There’s a line in the film where she said “a great body lasts a long time” which I think women everywhere will go “great”, so just keep working on it, you said recently that turning 50 was liberating, you’ve probably gotten to the stage where you’re sick to talk about that, but, you know,women, my sister and my mum, for people to hear that, I mean to hear you say that it is liberating so what advise would you say to women that – say – pass through and reach that age
MP: I would say it will be all right, just take a deep breath and you get there, nothing changes and, um, it, it just makes you realize how lucky you are.

Rep: In terms of health and life and family, is it?
MP:Aha

Rep: Yeah. And did you say once: “I act for free but I demand a huge salary as compensation for all the annoyance of being a public personality”. And that sentence I run every time I make… I Love that quote – did you say that?
MP:I did

Rep: And you still believe it?
MP: I do

Rep: yeah
MP: Ahem

Rep: How’d you find – is this end of things that you find difficult or is it the constant lack of anonymity ?
MP: Ahm,um, it’s both, probably the lack of, um, anonymity is probably the hardest part of it. Yeah

Rep: Yeah. I mean having family as well, and the public eye, they’re teenager now, your son and daughter so, you know, how did hey find dealing with that end of things?
MP: They’re actually been spared most of it, you know, I mean here just have been a very few incidents whee, um, they’re sort of fallen pray to… but, you know, they didn’t like it but, you know, we’re actually, as far as it goes, as bad as it can be, gotten up pretty easy I think.

Rep: That’s great. Your other half, you know David Kelly, the Irish actor?
MP: Yes!

Rep: You mean he older one…
MP: Yes! I worked with him

Rep: Of course, sorry, hello!
MP: On Stardust

Rep: But on set, did you…
MP: It was sort of half a day when we worked together.

Rep: He’s a lovely man, is he?
MP: But funny in the movie…

Rep: He is, isn’t he? Because we know you didn’t get to meet Robert de Niro because you worked on different period of times.
MP: Right, I meet him at the premiere, you know, it was so disappointing! I was so excited to be in a movie with him and then I wasn’t in any scenes with him.

Rep: You’ve also mentioned that you’d love to work with Judy Dench, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, is that true?
MP: Aha. So many people though, it doesn’t stop here, you know, the list just goes on.

Rep: What are the, sort of, performance, or is it anything that you go “that is still on my ‘to do list’ ” film wise?
MP: I don’t really think about it in these terms. I just really read things and I… I… um, wait until something resonates with me

Rep: OK, Is “The Wizard of Oz” still your favourite film?
MP: One of them, yeah

Rep: The magic and the…?
MP: I don’t know, um, I guess, I guess is the whimsy and the magic of it all and…

Rep: Michelle Pfeiffer great to meet you thank you very much

Thanks a lot Adelutza for your amazing work!

Related Posts

• Enero 15, 2010 | Preview of Chéri and interview with Stephen Frears during the promotion in Madrid (Spain)
• Junio 27, 2009 | A funny interview with Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend from Netherlands
• Junio 27, 2009 | Preview of ‘Chéri’ from CNN with Interviews the Cast & Crew
• Junio 25, 2009 | What film role would Michelle Pfeiffer like to reprise? according E!News
• Junio 22, 2009 | Preview of ‘Chéri’ from ComingSoon.net