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Cheri: Michelle Pfeiffer Interview

Cheri: Michelle Pfeiffer Interview

After putting her career on stand-by for four years to spend some well-deserved quality time with her family, Michelle Pfeiffer is back - bigger bolder and more beautiful than ever as she reunites with Stephen Frears for another period drama playing Lea de Lenval, a self-sufficient older woman of the 1920s, who embarks on an affair with the young and handsome Cheri (Rupert Friend). We spoke to Michelle about being a working mother, working with Mr Frears after a 20 year gap and find out her favourite films.

LOVEFiLM: Did you know much about the Belle Epoque era at all?

MP: No, not really, I certainly didn’t know about the world of the Courtesan. It was very very interesting and I wasn’t familiar with Colette so that was a nice introduction. I love the novel and I found these women fascinating. It was a time where women didn’t have many choices, if any, and didn’t really have control of their own destinies. These women were emancipated already.

LF: So you do see your character Lea as liberated?

MP: It seems that’s the case for anyone in history who has paved the way and gone against the tide. Sometimes there are big sacrifices.

LF: Lea reaches a point where she doesn’t need to work, can you imagine not working?

MP: No. I can’t imagine that. I’ve been working since I was fourteen and I loved working from the moment since I had my first job. I don’t think I’ll ever retire. It’s not that I might not always do what I’m doing now, but I’m a real worker bee. I had this friend growing up and all she wanted out of life was to find a wealthy guy and sit around the pool drinking and I used to say to her "what is fun about that?"

LF: You say you may not retire, what do you see yourself doing?

MP: I don’t know, I have a lot of interests. Maybe direct one day. I paint, which I really love. I have different ideas for businesses...

LF: What was it like working with Stephen again after 20 years?

MP: It’s funny because he hasn’t changed a bit and I probably haven’t either. Maybe we’re both a little bit more stubborn and set in our ways but we kind of just picked up where we left off. I was so excited when he called me.

LF: Did you discuss any of the similarities between Dangerous Liaisons and Cheri?

MP: No, this is a completely different story and we never really talked about that film. The only things that it has in common is that they are both pieces of French literature, but other than that I don’t think he would compare them at all.

LF: Growing up which films inspired you?

MP: When I was smaller I used to stay up watching television when those old Joan Crawford, Bette Davis movies were on and I remember watching them and thinking, “I can do that”. Isn’t that an odd thing for a kid to think? So that’s my earliest memory of wanting to be an actor or having some feeling that I knew how to do that.

There’s always those performances which are so inspiring they are reminders of why you’re in this business, and what you strive for and they continue to raise the bar for everyone. Like seeing Daniel Day Lewis in just about anything that he does. He continues to inspire me.

Helen Cowley

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