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I never think about things like legacy, she says.
I dont think thats how you should think about what you do.
For me, the thing is always the work Im doing now.
She twists the chunky black ring shes wearing.
Thats why I love the theater so much the only thing that matters is that nights show.
Though, as shell explain, a few other things matter too.
But this isnt the first time youve made that move.
I never know why other actresses take a role or dont.
Its like if you were doing Shakespeare: You play Hamlet because you want to play Hamlet.
It doesnt matter who else has done it.
I want to do entertainment thats lighthearted and funny, because thats reality, too.
Life is not all conflict.
Entertainment likeHello, Dolly!
can be uplifting without being sappy.
There can be a purity to uplift thats quite beautiful.
Have you always felt this way?
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Im thinking more of the days ofDames at Sea.
Vietnam, the counter-culture.
Maybe some people didnt want to watchDames at Seaduring such a difficult time.
I knew whoRuby Keelerwas, you know?
Thats what I loved.
Thats why I was drawn to that material.
Why did you connect so strongly as a young person to material that was already considered old-fashioned?
Every performer has to make that discovery.
Where that realization comes from, I dont know.
Part of it must be what I was exposed to as a kid.
The beauty of that work was incredible.
Hollywood was maybe a little more concerned with the overall visual beauty of the film in those days.
It was all just so lovely to watch.
And then to see an actress like Judy Garland being so natural in the middle of all that beauty?
I guess it was the late 70s.
I just didnt care for the work I was getting, so I stopped trying to get it.
And from my perspective, there was always something wrong with the material I was getting offered.
I kept getting offered things with nudity, for example, and thats not something I was going to.
Werent you on thecover ofPlayboyaround the time youre talking about?
I just didnt have the sensibility I needed to make the things I was being offered work for me.
Was that realization frustrating or liberating?I was relieved!
Ive always had a strong sense of myself and with what I was comfortable doing.
I also always felt that Id be able to find work.
Ive never had that actors anxiety about not being able to find the next job.
Maybe its because I started in the business at such a young age.
You were only a child when your mom encouraged you to become a performer.
I think it was the words on the page that I fell in love with first.
But the important thing to know about performing and me is that theres nothing else I can do!
Theres nothing else I had an aptitude for or interest in aside from animals.
It happened to be the right one.
What was it like to doGypsyagain as an adult?
How so?Playing Rose helped me put a lot of emotions to bed.
In ways that reminded you of your mom?Lets just say the role was very interesting for me.
Are there other roles youve played that were similarly interesting?That one was the most.
Then I went back and read the original source material, which was a play,The Matchmaker.
I thought that was beautiful.
And thats what made you want to do it?Not so fast.
Then I went to the Lincoln Center library and watched a production withCarol Channing.
She was magnificent wasnt she?
Thats when I said okay.
Where did you feel you could take Dolly?Not anywhere radically different.
Its more that I felt confident that I could tell this womans story.
Beyond the role of Dolly, did your husbands accident change your feelings about your work?No.
What about your life?Nope.
Okay, I understand.
Its hard enough figuring out how to do that without also thinking about what other actresses have done.
You mentioned earlier that your only interest outside of performing was animals.
I havent thought about that before.
I tell you what about animals though: They have wonderful instincts.
Theres an honesty I admire.
But I dont think theres any direct overlap between my work and my life in that way.
I had two dogs a girl and a boy and the boy, Kramer, passed away.
So I realized I had to get her a dog, maybe before I was ready for one.
Then of course I fell in love with the new guy.
Each dog has its own charm.
Theyre all so special.
These beings theyre beings!
they come and live with you and theyre such a gift.
She found a lot of laughs in it, which was charming.
Theyd go, I broke down and cried when you did the first act And Id thinkreally?
The things they reacted to were different than what I wouldve thought.
So I couldnt wait to see the show as an audience member and not a performer.
Now, why would they bow to him?
I guess its because in that moment hes the source of creativity.
They wouldntbeunless hed drawn them.
What memories stand out of working withMandy Patinkin?
Is he as much of a handful as he seems?Oh, I love Mandy.
I dont know if I have any good stories, but hes just very, very intense.
Thats why hes so great on television.
That camera is right up in his face.
You see the intensity and hes likeboom,coming right out of the screen.
Im always reading books on acting.
I just readSandy Meisners book.
I never stop picking new things up.
Sometimes its just little practical things.
It could be something as simple as where I could be looking in a scene.
Or with Meisner, I wanted to know what the hell that famous exercise is about.
You know the one I mean?
It makes you stay in the moment.
Thats the stuff I find interesting to read about.
Were you interested in acting technique when you were 13?
My problem was that I didnt like to take the bus, I only wanted to take taxi cabs.
Is it still?[Laughs.]
Im still spoiled in that way.
I said, all right, I dont like getting needles from the doctor.
But the truth was, I didnt really mind needles.
So I was already aware of the potency of being alive to the moment.
Its difficult to do, but its also what acting is all about.
Youre still playing the same character.
Wed have things in, then take things out.
That show was taken from a movie, and the stage is a different animal than the screen.
Its not easy to translate between them.
Thats a bad way to approach roles.
And even then I went, Thats not the way think about it.
You have to do your best to fulfill the role, not fulfill yourself.
It cant be about anything else.
It took me some time to see how perfect that song was.
I couldnt imagine singing it outside the show.
Its like the saying: Man plans, God laughs.
Is there any part of you that wishes that more of your theatrical work were preserved?
How does the ephemerality of what you do color your thinking about your career?It doesnt.
For each audience, the show is happening for the first timethatnight.
You and the audience have to take that trip together.
The ephemeral aspect of it is whats exciting to me.
Do you think theater is more hospitable to women performers than Hollywood?
Its hard to say.
Which is a good thing.
What about behind the scenes?
I havent experienced any of the horrible things that other woman have experienced in Hollywood or in the theater.
I think its because of my manager, Tom Hammond.
He would go with me to any meetings I had; he was with me most of the time.
I remember people saying, God, your manager is so protective.
I have to think people knew that about him and left me alone because of it.
The first isJohnny No-Trumpfrom 1967.That was a wonderful experience.
Sada Thompson was in it.
Brilliant actress.Matthew Brodericks father, James Broderick, was in it too also brilliant.
But that show also didnt have much of a run.
And how about one calledThe Girl in the Freudian Slip?[Laughs.]
Boy, I dont even remember what the show was about.
Interesting title, though.
Actually, I remember something: It ran one night.
Almost every piece written about you makes a point of saying how nice you are.
Is the stereotype of the Broadway diva an unfair one?I dont think so.
I think its all related to how different people handle stress.
Thats not how I handle it.
I cant work in a stressful environment, so I do what I can to double-check there isnt one.
Youve never been tempted to throw a shoe at a director?I am Sicilian, David.
You could do it, but I wouldnt like it privately.
