Michelle Pfeiffer

With her diaphanous and angelic beauty, Michelle Pfeiffer seems to have taken particular pleasure in surprising her public with two roles as unpleasant women, in the musical "Hairspray" and in the fantasy "Stardust", the two films with which she is returning to cinema after five years away (since "White Oleander", 2002). The 49 year-old Californian actress, with various Oscar nominations for films such as "Dangerous Liaisons", "The Fabulous Baker Boys" and "The Age of Innocence", withdrew from the limelight to dedicate herself to the family, to her two children, Claudia Rose, 14 years old, adopted, and John Henry, 13, had with her husband David Kelley, the noted TV producer, creator of popular series such as "The Practice" and Ally McBeal".

Now ready to get back to work, the elegant and delicate Pfeiffer unleashes her inner fire, giving herself over to the ridiculous excesses of the perfidious Velma Von Tussle, counterpart to the indomitable Edna Turnblad (interpreted by a histrionic and heavily made-up John Travolta) in the musical "Hairspray", Her flair for the malefic comes out in a youth obsessed witch in "Stardust", where she plays alongside Claire Danes, Charlie Cox and Robert De Niro (he in the role of a pirate with gay leanings and a liking for transvestism).

In "Hairspray", the "tolerant and progressive" Pfeiffer had not a few problems with the role of the jealous and conspiratorial Velma, a racially-intolerant ex-beauty queen on the slide, as well as manager of the television station that transmits the multiracial show. Pfeiffer's daughter, Claudia Rose, adopted by her shortly before meeting David Kelley, is of mixed race. "Through my life I have met up close the problem of racism: I was shaken by the prejudice of certain people and the perplexities caused by my decision to adopt a mixed-race girl," said Pfeiffer, when we met in Beverly Hills at the end of June. "Too much emphasis is put on skin-color. None of us is "pure". We are all mixes of ethnic groups and cultures. Claudia is very beautiful, and among the most beautiful people I have ever seen, many are of mixed race." The words of an ex "Beauty Queen" who, after winning Miss Orange County, rapidly changed job from being a supermarket checkout cashier to actress. She debuted first in TV with the "Fantasy Island" series (1978), then in cinema, in 1980, with "Falling in Love Again", followed by "Grease 2" in 1982, and "Scarface" by Brian De Palma with Al Pacino, the film that launched her. Among her successes, we can mention "Batman Returns", "Frankie and Johnny", "Up Close and Personal", "One Fine Day" and "What Lies Beneath". For many years, she shared with Julia Roberts the top money spot for
Hollywood actresses (from 10 to 15 million dollars a film, in the 90's). This professional success was, however, not reflected in her personal life: Pfeiffer now confesses to often having felt lonely and disappointed, disconsolate with unsatisfying relationships with actor-colleagues such as John Malkovich, Michael Keaton and Fisher Stevens (she was briefly married to actor Peter Horton). At 35 years, Pfeiffer adopted Claudia Rose as a single mother. Soon after that, she met her future husband Kelley, with whom she soon had a son, John Henry. Five years ago, the family moved from Los Angeles to a house in the country in Northern California, near San Francisco, a beneficial move that seems to have bought back energy to Pfeiffer and made her younger, still beautiful in her striking pale complexion and very elegant in a beige shirt and Chanel skirt. Shortly after our meeting, she was present at the premiere of "Stardust", delighting photographers and fans, wrapped in a supremely elegant midnight blue Lanvin gown.

Michelle, you have been four years away from Hollywood. Didn't you miss the cinema?
Yes, in part because I had not left entirely intentionally or by choice. I found myself unemployed almost without realizing it. Maybe I was short on work because I moved away, far from Los Angeles. The rhythm of life slowed down, nature, animals, silence. I peacefully enjoyed life with my children and my husband and I found I was a 100% mother. The exile benefited me as a woman and as an actress. Then, luckily, at a certain moment, Hollywood remembered me...

What was the most difficult thing about playing Velma in "Hairspray"?
Not knowing how to tackle a character so obtuse and full of anger. I tried to find scraps of humanity in Velma, above all in consideration of the historical period when women such as her grew up in America, with their values and customs dictated by conformism, and which were suddenly labeled as bigoted and old hat by the liberalist social switch of the 60's. On the set, before each scene, I anxiously tried to catch Velma's psychological motivations, but I was always put right by the director Adam Shankman, who said: "Come on, Michelle, It's only a musical comedy!"

John Travolta returns to a real musical for the first time since "Grease", in 1978. What impression did you have?
Of someone who has melodrama running through his veins. They offered him the part in "Chicago" which then went to Richard Gere, and he turned it down, saying, "I am convinced that the best roles in musicals are the female ones." With "Hairspray" he has got satisfaction. John is unique as a woman.

In "Hairspray" you sing as you did in "Baker Boys" Does it come naturally?
I had not sung since that film; my voice was pretty rusty. But after I got back my timbre and intonation, I let myself go and I enjoyed myself immensely. I believe I made it with the song "Miss Baltimore Crabs", the überkitsch ode to beauty contests.

In the past, you have more than once said that you are insecure. Are you still? Unfortunately yes. I am always afraid that in my next film someone will discover my mediocrity. I tremble at the thought that my fear of having little natural talent will one day be unmasked, and that I will be accused as an imposter. However, I have learned better how to live with my innate insecurity, also because I know that there are other things in life.

Do you also feel stronger at a personal level?
Definitely better. When I was young, I was restless, a control freak, attracted by the wrong sort of man for me. I was fascinated by danger and risk, things that instead did me damage. Sometimes men made me feel like one of their conquests, a trophy to be shown in public. I hated all that.

In David Kelley have you found the perfect man?
Perfection does not exist, except in ideas. We all come to a relationship with some baggage and David and I are no exception. I confess that we even resorted to marriage counseling. I consider myself a great backer of therapy. It has helped me a lot. Pausing in order to reflect and speak about how life is going is of capital importance.

So, what is the secret of a successful marriage like yours?
Choosing the right person. After all, life is a series of choices, isn't it? At a certain point, I chose that my personal happiness had to override all the rest. For this reason, we left Los Angeles and its constant pressure, choosing the peacefulness of the countryside in order to concentrate more on being parents, without useless distractions.

Do you now manage to reconcile family and work?
I feel that I am a better mother, even if I work. I have discovered that being away from home for brief periods can be good for one. In the end, no one loses out. The phase of the over-protective mother is over, and I consequently feel not only freer but more courageous.

You are coming up to 50 years. Some thoughts...
I don't feel older. I am aware of physical changes, obviously, but that doesn't worry me over much. On the other hand, I find it easier to relate to myself now than when I turned 40. I have got over that fateful point. We all get older; there is no escape, and once you accept the fact you feel lighter.

Have you ever considered having some retouching by a plastic surgeon?
I cannot deny that at times it has passed my mind, even if I am disgusted by certain horrors that I see on the faces of "serial-lifters". When I am relaxed, if I feel good and I have had physical exercise, I convince myself at I am still OK and that I can put off that appointment for a facelift for other few years. Overall, I feel courageous enough to face up to aging with discretion and grace.

Do you think that Hollywood is still dominated by the myth of feminine beauty when casting?
Maybe yes, but as an actress I soon realized that your image and look depend on the roles you play. Growing up and hearing people say that you are beautiful can be bad for a girl, because you end up seeing yourself only like that. It is limiting.

Does this mean that your beauty has in part limited you in the cinema?
Without a doubt, especially at the start of my career. During the screen test, I often heard say, "Sorry, but you're too pretty for the part." Hollywood started to take me into consideration, apart from my looks, only after "Married to the Mob" (1988), whose director, Jonathan Demme, had the merit of encouraging me to be myself, a vulnerable and messed-up woman.

Is it difficult now to find cinema parts?
I would say not. Even if the parts are reduced in quantity, as is natural, they are decidedly better in terms of quality, and now I can say that I enjoy my work as never before. In cinema, the myth of youth follows cycles that are not always foreseeable, and you wait for the public to be ready for something new, or more matute.

Like in "Stardust"?
(laughter) Making that film was all enjoyment, it oiled up all my acting gears and I really felt I was back! It brought back to me why I love the cinema, even if the hours spent putting on my mask as an oldie were a nightmare. I liked the idea that in certain parts of the film I would be completely unrecognizable. I had to free myself of every worry about what the critics would say; I knew that someone would rip me to shreds and someone else would love me for my courage! And I believe I deserve it!