Despite being a sought-after Hollywood star, Michelle Pfeiffer manages to fly mostly under
the radar.
Fiercely private, yet totally captivating onscreen, she invites a certain intrigue that
makes you wish you knew more about her.
Here are a few things you probably didn't know about the stunning star.
Interviews
Not only is the star notoriously private, but in an interview with director Darren Aronofsky
for Interview magazine, Pfeiffer admitted she dislikes the idea that actors are obligated
to do interviews.
She jokingly asked,
"Did anyone forewarn you that I'm maybe, like, the worst interviewee that ever was?"
She then went on to detail her less-than-enthusiastic approach to interviews, telling Aronofsky,
"I thought it was very clever to have you because I usually don't feel any responsibility
to give up anything.
I sort of bide my time until the interview is over, and I can be pretty withholding.
But now, because I like you, I have to make an effort."
Possible TV return
As part of Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, Pfeiffer sat down with Sarah Jessica Parker
to talk shop.
While chatting about Parker's return to television for HBO's Divorce, conversation turned to
the evolution of the medium, and Parker asked whether Pfeiffer would consider going back
to the small screen.
"I would love to do something in television.
Becau..
Actually..
at this stage in my life, it actually fits really well Because"
"I like the idea of just being in one place for a while."
Control issues
When it comes to Pfeiffer's craft, there's a driving force behind her ability to pin
down the characters she plays with such precision — she's a perfectionist.
But the actor admits her breed of perfectionism is also accompanied by some control issues,
a truth she came to terms with in therapy.
Pfeiffer told The Telegraph,
"I think the root of the control issues is usually fear, because you want to know what's
going to be happening at any given moment.
So learning to accept and get comfortable with the unknown.
I've gotten much better at that."
She went on to cite her kids as a major source of her progress, saying,
"I think children teach you that, too.
Because you just can't control them — the more you try, the more you make matters worse.
Having children has changed me more than anything."
Vegan lifestyle
If you ask Pfeiffer the secret to her flawless complexion, she has her vegan diet to thank.
In a 2016 interview with the outlet Urbanette, the actor opened up about how much adopting
the lifestyle affected her health and well-being.
When asked specifically about her youthful skin, Pfeiffer said,
"I really noticed a difference in my skin not too long after switching to fully vegan.
And I needed to eat fruits and vegetables to stay lean."
"The older I've gotten, the more it's occurred to me that I'm doing it in order to live longer,
though the vanity component will always be there."
"I go on this diet and I'm curious now because of his claims, two months later I check my
cholesterol and it's gone down 83 points."
Introvert
Just because Pfeiffer has spent her entire career in the spotlight doesn't mean she relishes
the attention.
In fact, she'd just as soon stay home.
In a revealing interview with Rolling Stone, the actor confessed that she probably wouldn't
have any personal life if it weren't for other people pulling it out of her.
Of her then-boyfriend Fisher Stevens, Pfeiffer said,
"I'd never leave my house in Los Angeles if it weren't for my work and for him.
I'm a creature of habit, really; I don't like change much."
Plastic surgery
Rarely a day goes by when a headline about plastic surgery isn't splashed across the
front page of an entertainment site.
In Pfeiffer' opinion, everyone should basically just mind their own business.
She told Cinema Blend,
"My thoughts on plastic surgery are, I don't care."
"It doesn't really matter… you know I think if people want to do something there who cares?
You know, if it makes them feel a bit better about themselves."
As far as her own experience with plastic surgery, she denied having any at the time,
but didn't rule it out for the future.
"I think it's harder and harder the older you get.
to say 'never.'"
Iconic roles
For all of the killer roles Pfeiffer has brought to life during her illustrious career, the
actor admits she is at times haunted by the ghosts of turned down roles.
Pfeiffer revealed to The Guardian that she rejected some career-changing characters — including
big roles in Basic Instinct, Silence of the Lambs, and Sleepless in Seattle, to name a
few.
She explained:
"I'm always inclined to talk myself out of work….
It's a strange thing that I do.
I get cold feet.
I overthink."
Pfeiffer insists these were decisions she made for the good of her family or due to
scheduling conflicts, but that doesn't mean the memory doesn't sometime sting.
She told Variety,
"I still can't watch Thelma & Louise."
"It still kills me.
You can't always do everything.
You've got to give something up."
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