New interview coming from the San Francisco Chronicle. Don’t miss it, it is really interesting. Michelle asked about getting an Oscar and the Berlin Film Festival.

San Francisco Chronicle | Friday, June 19, 2009 | USA

Q&A with Michelle Pfeiffer, starring in ‘Chéri’

Walter Addiego, Chronicle Staff Writer

In “Dangerous Liaisons,” Michelle Pfeiffer played an innocent woman seduced. In her new movie, “Chéri,” another costume drama set in France, she’s a woman of considerable experience who takes the initiative – she’s a former courtesan grown wealthy plying her trade for upper-class clients.

“Chéri” reunites Pfeiffer with her “Liaisons” collaborators, director Stephen Frears and writer Christopher Hampton. For the “Liaisons” role, the actress received one of her three Oscar nominations. In the earlier film she had a supporting part, though a substantial one, while “Chéri” puts her front and center.

Set in belle epoque Paris, “Chéri” offers Pfeiffer as Lea, who, in her middle years, has an affair with the much younger son of another retired woman of the night (Kathy Bates). The lover is a handsome, jaded hedonist played by Rupert Friend (“Pride & Prejudice,” 2005). The story is based on two novels by Colette.

Pfeiffer was a major Hollywood player in the 1990s. More recently, she took a few years off to raise her children and pursue other interests before stepping in front of the cameras again, starting in 2007. She spoke from her home in Northern California.

Q: I heard that the response to the film’s screening at the Berlin film festival was quite enthusiastic.

A: Yes, but it’s hard to tell in a venue like that, because everything is so over the top. It was wonderful to have that sort of enthusiasm, but, in a situation like that, I’m not sure you can actually get a really good indication on what the response is going to be.

Q: A colleague who writes about movies thinks you should get an Oscar for this. He says your work is good and naturalistic and that it must be frustrating to be passed over in favor of actors who are, as he said, “more theatrical but less convincing.”

A: First of all, thank you. That’s a nice thing for him to say. I’ve stopped trying to figure out what people will respond to because it seems that the performances of my own that I don’t like – and I like very few of them – are the ones that I get the best reviews for, and performances that I assume will end my career get critical acclaim. I can’t really figure that out.

Q: In a recent interview, you were talking about being cast in period roles (like “The Age of Innocence”), and said, “I’m good at disguising my feelings.” In “Chéri,” there’s a pretty big gap between what people think and what they say.

A: Nobody’s really saying what they’re feeling in the film, except at the end, the scene with Lea and Chéri. That’s always been one of the things that’s interested me in terms of breaking down a character and structuring a performance. Early on I had an acting teacher, Milton Katselas, who talked a lot about that (gap). There was nothing sensory or Method about his approach. He talked a lot about how sometimes our first choices (in acting) are not the most truthful, that we think we behave a certain way in certain situations, but in truth we don’t. People are very rarely, even in the most mundane exchanges, talking about what they’re actually thinking about. And Christopher Hampton takes it to an extreme in the way he writes. I think it reflects that period of time as well, when everything was about presentation. It was shortly after that that society moved into a more relaxed way of living.

Q: We see more older woman-younger man relationships onscreen, and, probably, in reality.

A: It’s become less and less of a taboo, and yet it’s still enough of a taboo to where it’s intriguing for people. And slightly titillating. Which is kind of silly, since men have been doing it since the beginning of time. They used to take 14-year-old brides, before it was illegal. Also, it’s just representative of women today becoming more empowered. We’re seeing less and less of the double standard.

Q: At the Berlin festival, you said these relationships are “a step in the right direction.”

A: Either people are right for each other (or not). I don’t know that it’s about age. … I know someone very close who just married someone 20 years younger than herself and they’re perfectly matched. Probably the healthiest relationship she’s ever had, ’cause I’ve been through them all with her. (Laughs.) And I’m really happy for her.

Q: It’s interesting that while the film doesn’t stigmatize this kind of May-December relationship, it does include a very unflattering portrait of one (we see a large, brassy middle-aged woman with a small, boyish-looking young man). Was that in the script, or was it something Stephen Frears cooked up?

A: Oh, that was in the book.

Q: What’s it like to be directed by Stephen Frears? Was it different this time?

A: “Dangerous Liaisons” was so long ago – I had a supporting part and wasn’t there that long. The major focus was on John Malkovich, the star of the movie. So I got more attention this time! I don’t think (Frears) has changed, he still walks around like Detective Columbo. He pretends he’s confused, but he’s sharp as a tack and doesn’t miss a trick. It’s part of his charm. And I’m still having to translate what he means to other actors on the set. Because it’s really hard to understand what he’s talking about. But sometimes even I didn’t understand what he was talking about. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t.

Q: Something else you said in Berlin was that turning 50 is liberating.

A: It is. Certainly there are some issues that go along with it, I’m not immune to those. But you know enough people who didn’t make it to 50, or who didn’t live long after that, that you really begin to appreciate your health, your riches – I mean, great family, friends and community. It’s made me really appreciative of all of my blessings. And once you turn 50, everyone knows you’re 50, and it’s silly to pretend you’re not. So that burden is lifted off of you.

Q: You took time off from movies (roughly 2002-2007). You said it wasn’t by design, but you were really involved with raising your kids and pursuing other interests that you found fulfilling. What other interests?

A: We made a big family move (away from Southern California) and it was just a really busy time for the family. And then I was painting a lot. I oil paint, and it’s hard to say if that’s my first love or my second love, because they’re pretty close. I find when I’m doing something creative, I don’t have a huge tug to go back to work. Before I had children, it was not unusual for me to wait long periods of time – sometimes a year would go by – then say to myself, “I really just need to go back to work.” Once I had children, I didn’t really feel that tug so much. Before I knew it, all those years had gone by. So after about four years, it was, “OK, I really need to go back to work.” And then the children started saying to me, “Mom, are you ever going back to work?” (Laughs.) I said, “What do you mean, isn’t it great that I’m home?” And they said, “Well yeah, but we really like visiting you on the set, too.” Which means they really like craft services (on-set food service) … in other words, the junk food, all the stuff we don’t have in our pantry.

Q: You did your own stunts as Catwoman in “Batman Returns,” and your own singing in “The Fabulous Baker Boys.” That was a good number. Do you think you might do another singing role?

A: Well, I sang in “Hairspray.” Yeah, I might sing again. I really like singing. {sbox}

Source: SFGate
Thanks Adelutza for the link

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