Actress Michelle Pfeiffer, 54, steps back into the spotlight and opens up to Dotson Rader in this Sunday’s issue of PARADE about starring opposite younger leading men, the challenges of parenting, and the secret to staying in love.
Pfeiffer stars in Dark Shadows (opening May 11), which reunites her with Tim Burton, who directed her as Catwoman in 1992’s Batman Returns.
Shadows is an adaptation of the gothic soap opera that aired from 1966 to 1971 and with which, she says, she was “obsessed” as a kid.
Here are some highlights:
On what drives Pfeiffer to succeed:
I don’t know if it’s naïveté or just narcissism, but I start out with this notion that I can do anything. It’s not until I get into it that I realize what I’ve thrown myself into, and then I will do anything not to humiliate myself. And that, I think, is the secret to my success.
On acting opposite younger leading men:
They get younger and younger. I went from Ashton (Kutcher) to Rupert (Friend) to Zac Efron in New Year’s Eve. If I keep on like this, I’m going to get into X-rated material! Well, that’s what happens with men and their leading ladies, right? I was acting in The Russia House opposite Sean Connery when he was turning 60. [Pfeiffer was 32.]
On her husband of 19 years, TV writer-producer David E. Kelley:
I chose really well with David. I got really lucky. … And 19 years later, I never take him for granted. I’ve never met a person who has more integrity than my husband. I respect that. There’s his humor and intelligence, too, and he’s really cute, all those things—but if you don’t respect your partner, you’ll get sick of him.
Which is harder: parenting or acting?
Being a parent is the hardest thing in the world … the psychological toll it takes on you because these lives are in your hands. I take it very seriously. Just when you think you’ve got your kids figured out, they change on you. For somebody who’s controlling, you can’t control it. Of course, I don’t think I’m controlling, but that’s what I’ve been told!
Full story:
http://www.parade.com/