Vogue UK
Sunday 29 May 2011
Vanessa Paradis on Vogue July 2011 Cover
Vanessa Paradis graces British Vogue July issue, where the singer and Johnny Depp's fiancée will sport her diamond engagement ring.
Vogue UK
Vogue UK
Saturday 28 May 2011
Prince William and Princess Catherine on Vanity Fair July 2011 Cover
Prince William and Princess Catherine grace Vanity Fair July 2011 cover. After most viewed wedding in history, they appear on the cover of VF, photographed by Mario Testino. The couple talks about their honeymoon, house-hunting and who takes out the garbage. All accompanied by Mario Testino portrait series of the newlyweds.
Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair
Friday 27 May 2011
W Magazine: 30 Minutes with Karl Lagerfeld
This is a very cherished post. If you've read me for some time, you know that there are people I affect, and that's felt very much when you read The Prophet. The most cherished person here is.. Karl Lagerfeld. I've never had icons, and surely won't, that's not a wise thing. But there are people I'm interested in. That's why this interview is cherished. It's wonderful, let's be honest. Enjoy yourselves.
Lagerfeld: What can I tell you?
Well, let’s start with this ad campaign you’ve done for Magnum Ice Cream.
I’ve done many ads because that’s my new career. It’s an inspiring extension for my mind. I always loved advertising. If I hadn’t been in fashion, I’d have been in advertising. I like everything about it. I think it’s an interesting expression of the culture of the moment. I just put out a huge book about the history of German advertising from 1900-1920, because it was the best period. It’s not very well known, but there were great artists. And those posters—when they show up, there are hardly any left—sell for fortunes. It’s a very interesting book, I must say. In fact it’s a box with 12 books.
So why ice cream?
Don’t forget my father was a milkman. He produced Carnation milk in Europe under different names, so I like to say he was a milkman. And ice cream is made with milk, no?
Do you eat it?
I would love to if I was allowed to eat sugar, but my doctor told me that sugar wasn’t needed for me so I haven’t touched it in ten years. I also did the ad for Dom Pérignon and I don’t drink alcohol, but I think it’s a very civilized drink.
Do you crave sugar?
No. Gone. But I like chocolate. I don’t eat it, but I like the smell of it. People can drink with their eyes; I can eat with my nose. I would love to have a perfume based on chocolate.
Eau de Cocoa.
I love the idea.
You’re a busy man.
I’m always busy. You know, the more I do, the more ideas I have—that’s the funny thing. The brain is a muscle, and I’m a kind of body-builder.
Do you ever take vacations?
I’m not an employee who goes to the office every morning at the same time. Then, vacations are needed. I’m like a rock singer with one-night stands on the road. I’m here for two days in New York; I leave in the morning early. I come back for Anna Wintour’s party at the Met, then again at the end of May for a prize I get from the Gordon Parks Foundation. I’m lucky that I can do all these things in the best conditions. I don’t have to struggle for that. I don’t have to discuss budgets. I don’t do meetings. At Chanel, there are no meetings. At Chanel, we do what we want, whenever we want and it works. And Fendi is the same.
What music are you listening to now?
A lot. But my favorite at the moment is the album that just came out from The Kills. It’s very good. I buy the CD because I think one should buy them. It’s very important. Musicians have to make a living, no?
What are you reading right now?
For the moment, on the plane, I was reading a very well-done biography of Edith Sitwell.
Do you ever think about cutting your hair?
No, because I’m afraid it won’t grow again. And I’m not very gifted for hairdos. This is the quickest thing in the world. It takes less than five seconds.
Do you do it yourself?
No, I have someone who comes to the house and washes it, puts in the dry shampoo, and takes care if it because I have no time. I don’t even have time to go to the dentist. I’m busy but in a pleasant way. I’m the one who wanted to do all of it, so I can’t complain.
What are your thoughts on Dior? Who should take over?
Well I’m not a consultant there, but I think Riccardo Tisci would be good, and then Haider Ackermann at Givenchy—not because they are friends of mine, but because they are good.
But I read that you wanted Haider to succeed you at Chanel?
Not especially. It’s not his world I don’t think.
What about Balmain?
Forget about it! This was a job done by a fashion editor. I don’t even know the name of the man who did it, so don’t ask me about that.
You’re a designer, photographer, book publisher, filmmaker. Is there anything else you’d like to do?
You don’t think four jobs can do?
Is there anything left that you want to do?
Is this a political question?
You don’t even vote!
No, I never ever vote because I know too much about the backgrounds of these people. No, but for me the advertising world is a new country to conquer. When you want something you haven’t done before you have to think it’s the most important thing. If you see it only as a room that leads to another room, you might make a mistake. I don’t want to cross the room. I want to stay there.
So we’ll be seeing more ads from you.
I saw newspapers saying that maybe I do too much because I work with big companies—Coca-Cola, Sky TV, Magnum, Schwarzkopf, which is like L’Oreal in Europe. I’m not going to calm down, because that’s not my nature. But I don’t have to think about what’s next. I think that’s a very healthy thing. The Ivory Tower in the end will kill you.
Is there anything you wish you were better at?
Yes, playing the piano.
Can you play at all?
No! Forget about it. For one year I had lessons and then my mother threw the thing on my fingers and said, ‘Start sketching—it makes less noise.’ She was right. She was a violinist and couldn’t stand poorly played music.
You seem to have a love/hate relationship with technology. You have hundreds of iPods but you don’t use a computer. You correspond by fax.
There are people who only have a fax because of me.
Well, because it’s so outdated!
Well, I don’t want to be in-fashion.
But, really, why do you still fax?
It’s very easy to explain: For me, sketching and writing are the same thing. I like to write. It’s a physical thing—I hate to be without paper and pencil in hand. And I write like a talk. I can put my way of talking on the paper exactly the same way. The machines they tried to make where you write directly on computers are not perfect. The minute they’re perfect, I will use them.
So will we ever add writer to your list of occupations?
I’m not a writer, and I don’t want to be a writer because I have nothing to say.
A memoir?
I’m living my memoir, I don’t need to write it. But I do write a lot of prefaces for books.
You’ve famously worn Dior Homme, Tom Ford. What menswear designers do you like now?
Tom Ford is not as good on me as younger men. And you know why? Because I wore the same kind of clothes thirty years ago—Italian-made by Caraceni. I love the way Tom Ford suits are made. They’re chic; they’re elegant. But on my younger entourage, they look better than on me. I wear Dior Homme—my old Hedi Slimane suits. The ones they do today, too, as long as they don’t get too flou. And a little Lanvin. I used to love Margiela, but it’s not him anymore and it shows a little. I used to buy quite a lot of Japanese labels, too, like Undercover and Number (N)ine, but that one disappeared. Mister Hollywood does well-made clothes. You know, I hate made-by-order clothes. It’s up to me to fit into them, not to buy some orthopedic stuff to get the body into. I never had one button touched on a Dior suit. Size 48 is my perfect size. In the past you had to do fittings because there was nothing really good. But when I went to Caraceni thirty years ago, there was one fitter for waistcoat, one for jacket, one for pants—it took hours. You needed three months to get the clothes. No, no, no. I like things immediately.
How do you like a woman to dress?
It depends on the circumstances, her look, her life. There is no rule that I could reduce to two lines.
Is there one thing that you don’t like a woman to wear?
I’m not mad for thongs.
The fall Chanel collection was rather dark, apocalyptic…
It was three days before the earthquake in Japan. It was right for the moment. But that’s what I felt. It’s instinctual. A collection is about what one feels, whatever it is.
When are you happiest?
Happiness is like a fever. I don’t take the temperature.
When was the last time you cried?
I’m trying to think of the last time I had onions.
By Karin Nelson
Isn't that remarkable? I adore Karl.
W Magazine
Lagerfeld: What can I tell you?
Well, let’s start with this ad campaign you’ve done for Magnum Ice Cream.
I’ve done many ads because that’s my new career. It’s an inspiring extension for my mind. I always loved advertising. If I hadn’t been in fashion, I’d have been in advertising. I like everything about it. I think it’s an interesting expression of the culture of the moment. I just put out a huge book about the history of German advertising from 1900-1920, because it was the best period. It’s not very well known, but there were great artists. And those posters—when they show up, there are hardly any left—sell for fortunes. It’s a very interesting book, I must say. In fact it’s a box with 12 books.
So why ice cream?
Don’t forget my father was a milkman. He produced Carnation milk in Europe under different names, so I like to say he was a milkman. And ice cream is made with milk, no?
Do you eat it?
I would love to if I was allowed to eat sugar, but my doctor told me that sugar wasn’t needed for me so I haven’t touched it in ten years. I also did the ad for Dom Pérignon and I don’t drink alcohol, but I think it’s a very civilized drink.
Do you crave sugar?
No. Gone. But I like chocolate. I don’t eat it, but I like the smell of it. People can drink with their eyes; I can eat with my nose. I would love to have a perfume based on chocolate.
Eau de Cocoa.
I love the idea.
You’re a busy man.
I’m always busy. You know, the more I do, the more ideas I have—that’s the funny thing. The brain is a muscle, and I’m a kind of body-builder.
Do you ever take vacations?
I’m not an employee who goes to the office every morning at the same time. Then, vacations are needed. I’m like a rock singer with one-night stands on the road. I’m here for two days in New York; I leave in the morning early. I come back for Anna Wintour’s party at the Met, then again at the end of May for a prize I get from the Gordon Parks Foundation. I’m lucky that I can do all these things in the best conditions. I don’t have to struggle for that. I don’t have to discuss budgets. I don’t do meetings. At Chanel, there are no meetings. At Chanel, we do what we want, whenever we want and it works. And Fendi is the same.
What music are you listening to now?
A lot. But my favorite at the moment is the album that just came out from The Kills. It’s very good. I buy the CD because I think one should buy them. It’s very important. Musicians have to make a living, no?
What are you reading right now?
For the moment, on the plane, I was reading a very well-done biography of Edith Sitwell.
Do you ever think about cutting your hair?
No, because I’m afraid it won’t grow again. And I’m not very gifted for hairdos. This is the quickest thing in the world. It takes less than five seconds.
Do you do it yourself?
No, I have someone who comes to the house and washes it, puts in the dry shampoo, and takes care if it because I have no time. I don’t even have time to go to the dentist. I’m busy but in a pleasant way. I’m the one who wanted to do all of it, so I can’t complain.
What are your thoughts on Dior? Who should take over?
Well I’m not a consultant there, but I think Riccardo Tisci would be good, and then Haider Ackermann at Givenchy—not because they are friends of mine, but because they are good.
But I read that you wanted Haider to succeed you at Chanel?
Not especially. It’s not his world I don’t think.
What about Balmain?
Forget about it! This was a job done by a fashion editor. I don’t even know the name of the man who did it, so don’t ask me about that.
You’re a designer, photographer, book publisher, filmmaker. Is there anything else you’d like to do?
You don’t think four jobs can do?
Is there anything left that you want to do?
Is this a political question?
You don’t even vote!
No, I never ever vote because I know too much about the backgrounds of these people. No, but for me the advertising world is a new country to conquer. When you want something you haven’t done before you have to think it’s the most important thing. If you see it only as a room that leads to another room, you might make a mistake. I don’t want to cross the room. I want to stay there.
So we’ll be seeing more ads from you.
I saw newspapers saying that maybe I do too much because I work with big companies—Coca-Cola, Sky TV, Magnum, Schwarzkopf, which is like L’Oreal in Europe. I’m not going to calm down, because that’s not my nature. But I don’t have to think about what’s next. I think that’s a very healthy thing. The Ivory Tower in the end will kill you.
Is there anything you wish you were better at?
Yes, playing the piano.
Can you play at all?
No! Forget about it. For one year I had lessons and then my mother threw the thing on my fingers and said, ‘Start sketching—it makes less noise.’ She was right. She was a violinist and couldn’t stand poorly played music.
You seem to have a love/hate relationship with technology. You have hundreds of iPods but you don’t use a computer. You correspond by fax.
There are people who only have a fax because of me.
Well, because it’s so outdated!
Well, I don’t want to be in-fashion.
But, really, why do you still fax?
It’s very easy to explain: For me, sketching and writing are the same thing. I like to write. It’s a physical thing—I hate to be without paper and pencil in hand. And I write like a talk. I can put my way of talking on the paper exactly the same way. The machines they tried to make where you write directly on computers are not perfect. The minute they’re perfect, I will use them.
So will we ever add writer to your list of occupations?
I’m not a writer, and I don’t want to be a writer because I have nothing to say.
A memoir?
I’m living my memoir, I don’t need to write it. But I do write a lot of prefaces for books.
You’ve famously worn Dior Homme, Tom Ford. What menswear designers do you like now?
Tom Ford is not as good on me as younger men. And you know why? Because I wore the same kind of clothes thirty years ago—Italian-made by Caraceni. I love the way Tom Ford suits are made. They’re chic; they’re elegant. But on my younger entourage, they look better than on me. I wear Dior Homme—my old Hedi Slimane suits. The ones they do today, too, as long as they don’t get too flou. And a little Lanvin. I used to love Margiela, but it’s not him anymore and it shows a little. I used to buy quite a lot of Japanese labels, too, like Undercover and Number (N)ine, but that one disappeared. Mister Hollywood does well-made clothes. You know, I hate made-by-order clothes. It’s up to me to fit into them, not to buy some orthopedic stuff to get the body into. I never had one button touched on a Dior suit. Size 48 is my perfect size. In the past you had to do fittings because there was nothing really good. But when I went to Caraceni thirty years ago, there was one fitter for waistcoat, one for jacket, one for pants—it took hours. You needed three months to get the clothes. No, no, no. I like things immediately.
How do you like a woman to dress?
It depends on the circumstances, her look, her life. There is no rule that I could reduce to two lines.
Is there one thing that you don’t like a woman to wear?
I’m not mad for thongs.
The fall Chanel collection was rather dark, apocalyptic…
It was three days before the earthquake in Japan. It was right for the moment. But that’s what I felt. It’s instinctual. A collection is about what one feels, whatever it is.
When are you happiest?
Happiness is like a fever. I don’t take the temperature.
When was the last time you cried?
I’m trying to think of the last time I had onions.
By Karin Nelson
Isn't that remarkable? I adore Karl.
W Magazine
Thursday 26 May 2011
Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks W Magazine June 2011 photo shoot
I already posted the interview Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks gave W Magazine. And I already praised these two. Now I post photos from W Magazine June 2011 issue, by Mario Sorrenti and styled by L’Wren Scott. Enjoy yourselves.
I affect Tom.
W Magazine
On Roberts: Dolce & Gabbana’s silk dress. Burberry belt. On Hanks: Tom Ford’s silk suit; Dolce & Gabbana’s cotton shirt.
Roberts wears Versace’s silk dress. Hanks wears Tom Ford’s silk suit and Ermenegildo Zegna’s linen shirt.
Valentino’s red silk lace gown with leather ruffles. Jimmy Choo pumps.
Burberry London’s wool suit; Tom Ford’s cotton shirt. Gucci tie.
What Katie Did’s black and red silk corset; Giorgio Armani’s black wool crepe skirt.
W Magazine
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts: American Idols - W Magazine Interview
I must confess I consider Tom Hanks is one of the greatest actors in the world. My favourite movie is Forrest Gump, and Tom plays the main role there. If you haven't watched it, then you so undoubtedly must. I rarely say that, but in this case I need to. Notable works for me are also The Green Mile, Big, Cast Away, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, Catch Me If You Can, .. In fact, he played many very good, to my mind, roles, and I mentioned only those, which came to mind, which I can watch over and over again.
Julia Roberts is one of those truly Hollywood actresses, who have a long movie career and played some almost iconic characters. It's Pretty Woman, of course, which grossed $464 million worldwide, becoming the most financially successful movie. Some notable works are Sleeping with the Enemy, Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve, and more modern, Valentine's Day and Eat Pray Love.
What connects this actor and actress is their tramedy Larry Crowne, where they both have leading parts. The movie is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 1, 2011.
Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks on adult education, starting out in Hollywood, the power of optimism, and their new dramedy, Larry Crowne, the recession-era story of one man’s reinvention.
By Lynn Hirschberg
Lynn Hirschberg: Larry Crowne, which you cowrote and directed, is about a man, played by you, who loses his job at a Walmart-like store. Instead of wallowing in self-pity or descending into poverty and despair, Crowne decides to go back to college. It is a profoundly optimistic movie—an ode to opportunities in the worst of times. Was that your intent?
Tom Hanks: Yes. The movie is about combating cynicism. People are naturally optimistic, but you have to choose to walk away from cynicism. You have to say, I am going to combat cynicism today. I had this idea about a unique guy who loses his job and then, at the end of the movie, realizes that it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He thought he was going to die, but it turned out great!
Is that a commentary on America?
In a way. People are afraid of change. People say, I can’t do this or that. Why? Because I’d have to change something. Well, yes: You should change. The idea of change makes them nervous, but I think change is good. Always.
At some point in your career, you changed from playing the romantic guy in Splash to the serious Philadelphia guy. How did that happen?
I told my agents that I wasn’t going to play pussies anymore. I was tired of playing, “Oh, boo-hoo—I was in love, but oh, boo-hoo-hoo.” There comes an age when you can’t do that anymore. I wanted to play men instead of boys. In your mid-30s, it’s time to start playing guys of compromise. And as you get older, men of bitter compromise [Laughs].
In this film, you’re a man of happy compromise. What was the genesis of Larry Crowne?
I wanted to make a movie about junior college, and I wanted to be in it, but I didn’t want to play the teacher. When I went to junior college, I was in classes with middle-aged housewives, guys right out of the navy, and all kinds of other people. I found that intriguing.
Were you a drama major?
God, no. I didn’t think acting was a job. I did take a class called Drama in Performance. We read plays and went and saw them performed. That was the transformational experience for me: There was no chick, no girlfriend you were trying to impress. The whole world went black, and you were one with the play.
Was theater more powerful for you than movies? What was the first movie you remember seeing?
Theater seemed more like a job; theater contained possibilities. Movies were abstract to me. In junior high, I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey three or four times in one week. During one showing, someone giggled behind me, and I turned around and said, “Be quiet—this is like going to church.” I was possessed by that movie, but I couldn’t imagine acting in it.
What was your first acting role?
I played George in Our Town at Chabot College in Hayward, California. I was working weekends as a bellman at the Oakland Airport Hilton.
Did you go on auditions while you were a bellhop?
Bellman. Bellhop and bellboy are derogatory terms. Call them “sir.” Terms of respect go a long way in that job.
I’m sorry. Were you nervous at the start of your career?
Always. I get nervous now. But I always remember three things: Show up on time, know what you’re going to say, and have an idea about the character. And when I direct, that’s what I expect from my actors. You’d be amazed how hard it is to do those three things.
Did you write the part of your teacher for Julia Roberts?
Yes. I had some teachers who looked like Julia. I would see them and think, I love you. So there was never anyone but Julia. Still, even after she said yes, I was the boss. That meant I got to say, “You don’t wear this dress, you wear that dress.” And Julia’s Julia—she can be intimidating [Laughs].
Had you met before you worked together?
We had said howdy-do at those famous-people-club meetings: “Hi! I’m famous, you’re famous, and there’s a camera on us now!” And then we did Charlie Wilson’s War together a few years ago.
I really liked that movie. Why do you think it didn’t find a big audience?
Expensive movies full of moral ambiguity are interesting, but they aren’t economically sound anymore. Although, eventually, everyone sees everything. They might see Charlie Wilson’s War on their phone, but they will see it. It doesn’t bother me: Making movies is still a delightful living.
Movies can have an impact in the oddest ways—in Splash, your character called the mermaid, played by Daryl Hannah, Madison. After that movie, Madison became one of the most popular names for girls.
It’s a powerful medium: Movies hold sway over many people’s lives.
---
Lynn Hirschberg: In Larry Crowne, you play a professor at a junior college who teaches public speaking. Did you go to college?
Julia Roberts: No. This was my first college experience. And the first time I had to speak in front of a classroom, I was apoplectic. All these faces looking up at me, thinking, What is she going to teach us? I needed to find my composure. It was very hard—it was terrible, in fact.
If you went to college, what classes do you think you would take?
What did Tom say?
He said he’d take history classes.
Oh, come on—does he need to learn more history? If you cut Tom Hanks open, you would find history books. Enough with the history [Laughs]. I guess I’d take a class in homeopathy or psychology—something that I would use in my life. I did actually start taking sewing classes recently. I can wear what I’ve sewn, if I’m not in a strong wind. And I’m taking piano lessons with my kids. We can blame this new frontier on Tom Hanks. I sat next to a musician at a dinner party at Tom Hanks’s house, and I started thinking about piano lessons. In your 40s, you’re supposed to learn new things so your brain doesn’t turn to mush. So I’m practicing scales.
Were you nervous about being directed by Tom Hanks?
God, no. We knew each other socially. When I was in Rome, shooting Eat Pray Love, Tom sent me the script and said, “Tell me what you think.” I couldn’t stop smiling when I read it: It’s topical, but very positive. It contains this moment in history in a very interesting way. The movie says, You can lose your job and your way and still rescue yourself. Larry Crowne creates a self-excavated utopia, and I love that idea, that message. And Tom is so good at making fun of himself. In the beginning of the film, he’s wearing pleated khakis. No one should wear pleated khakis onscreen.
Your character is something of a mess. She drinks a little too much.
I spend a lot of the movie woozy. Why did Tom Hanks think of me when he thought of a drunken schoolteacher? What does that mean? He has me chugging margaritas. It’s hard to chug a margarita! [Laughs] I asked why it couldn’t be straight liquor, and he said it was funnier if it was a drink made in a blender.
Both you and Hanks are known for romantic comedies, and yet in recent years you’ve both stayed away from that genre.
I think it’s called growing up. Light and funny has a more compelling quality when you’re younger. But I haven’t abandoned the genre: I love falling down; I love Lucille Ball. It’s just that a lot of those stories revolve around problems that I can’t convincingly portray at this age.
Do you ever think of directing?
No. I can direct breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take pride in my kitchen, but I’m not going to direct a movie.
You were responsible for spotlighting Javier Bardem’s performance in Biutiful. You threw him a bash, invited Academy members, and helped to get him nominated for best actor.
Yes, I was the loudmouth on that. It was such a crazy travesty that the movie wasn’t getting attention. And it’s fun to throw your weight around. That’s one of the perks of what we do.
You became powerful and famous early on—after Pretty Woman, you were a huge international star. You were only 21. Was that overwhelming?
No, because the business was different then. It was a less loud, in-your-face sort of business. It would be awful to be a young actress today. Back in the good old days, before e-mail, you could decide how you wanted to be, how you wanted to define yourself.
Did you keep the red gown from Pretty Woman?
No, even though it was made for me, they didn’t let me keep anything from the movie. But I did get to keep the wedding dresses from Runaway Bride. They’re all boxed up in my garage. I’ve never opened them. It’ll be fun one day when Hazel [Roberts’s daughter] is taller. She can play dress-up with her friends.
That was the interview Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts gave W Magazine for their June 2011 Issue.
W Magazine
Julia Roberts is one of those truly Hollywood actresses, who have a long movie career and played some almost iconic characters. It's Pretty Woman, of course, which grossed $464 million worldwide, becoming the most financially successful movie. Some notable works are Sleeping with the Enemy, Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve, and more modern, Valentine's Day and Eat Pray Love.
What connects this actor and actress is their tramedy Larry Crowne, where they both have leading parts. The movie is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 1, 2011.
By Lynn Hirschberg
Lynn Hirschberg: Larry Crowne, which you cowrote and directed, is about a man, played by you, who loses his job at a Walmart-like store. Instead of wallowing in self-pity or descending into poverty and despair, Crowne decides to go back to college. It is a profoundly optimistic movie—an ode to opportunities in the worst of times. Was that your intent?
Tom Hanks: Yes. The movie is about combating cynicism. People are naturally optimistic, but you have to choose to walk away from cynicism. You have to say, I am going to combat cynicism today. I had this idea about a unique guy who loses his job and then, at the end of the movie, realizes that it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He thought he was going to die, but it turned out great!
Is that a commentary on America?
In a way. People are afraid of change. People say, I can’t do this or that. Why? Because I’d have to change something. Well, yes: You should change. The idea of change makes them nervous, but I think change is good. Always.
At some point in your career, you changed from playing the romantic guy in Splash to the serious Philadelphia guy. How did that happen?
I told my agents that I wasn’t going to play pussies anymore. I was tired of playing, “Oh, boo-hoo—I was in love, but oh, boo-hoo-hoo.” There comes an age when you can’t do that anymore. I wanted to play men instead of boys. In your mid-30s, it’s time to start playing guys of compromise. And as you get older, men of bitter compromise [Laughs].
In this film, you’re a man of happy compromise. What was the genesis of Larry Crowne?
I wanted to make a movie about junior college, and I wanted to be in it, but I didn’t want to play the teacher. When I went to junior college, I was in classes with middle-aged housewives, guys right out of the navy, and all kinds of other people. I found that intriguing.
Were you a drama major?
God, no. I didn’t think acting was a job. I did take a class called Drama in Performance. We read plays and went and saw them performed. That was the transformational experience for me: There was no chick, no girlfriend you were trying to impress. The whole world went black, and you were one with the play.
Was theater more powerful for you than movies? What was the first movie you remember seeing?
Theater seemed more like a job; theater contained possibilities. Movies were abstract to me. In junior high, I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey three or four times in one week. During one showing, someone giggled behind me, and I turned around and said, “Be quiet—this is like going to church.” I was possessed by that movie, but I couldn’t imagine acting in it.
What was your first acting role?
I played George in Our Town at Chabot College in Hayward, California. I was working weekends as a bellman at the Oakland Airport Hilton.
Did you go on auditions while you were a bellhop?
Bellman. Bellhop and bellboy are derogatory terms. Call them “sir.” Terms of respect go a long way in that job.
I’m sorry. Were you nervous at the start of your career?
Always. I get nervous now. But I always remember three things: Show up on time, know what you’re going to say, and have an idea about the character. And when I direct, that’s what I expect from my actors. You’d be amazed how hard it is to do those three things.
Did you write the part of your teacher for Julia Roberts?
Yes. I had some teachers who looked like Julia. I would see them and think, I love you. So there was never anyone but Julia. Still, even after she said yes, I was the boss. That meant I got to say, “You don’t wear this dress, you wear that dress.” And Julia’s Julia—she can be intimidating [Laughs].
Had you met before you worked together?
We had said howdy-do at those famous-people-club meetings: “Hi! I’m famous, you’re famous, and there’s a camera on us now!” And then we did Charlie Wilson’s War together a few years ago.
I really liked that movie. Why do you think it didn’t find a big audience?
Expensive movies full of moral ambiguity are interesting, but they aren’t economically sound anymore. Although, eventually, everyone sees everything. They might see Charlie Wilson’s War on their phone, but they will see it. It doesn’t bother me: Making movies is still a delightful living.
Movies can have an impact in the oddest ways—in Splash, your character called the mermaid, played by Daryl Hannah, Madison. After that movie, Madison became one of the most popular names for girls.
It’s a powerful medium: Movies hold sway over many people’s lives.
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Lynn Hirschberg: In Larry Crowne, you play a professor at a junior college who teaches public speaking. Did you go to college?
Julia Roberts: No. This was my first college experience. And the first time I had to speak in front of a classroom, I was apoplectic. All these faces looking up at me, thinking, What is she going to teach us? I needed to find my composure. It was very hard—it was terrible, in fact.
If you went to college, what classes do you think you would take?
What did Tom say?
He said he’d take history classes.
Oh, come on—does he need to learn more history? If you cut Tom Hanks open, you would find history books. Enough with the history [Laughs]. I guess I’d take a class in homeopathy or psychology—something that I would use in my life. I did actually start taking sewing classes recently. I can wear what I’ve sewn, if I’m not in a strong wind. And I’m taking piano lessons with my kids. We can blame this new frontier on Tom Hanks. I sat next to a musician at a dinner party at Tom Hanks’s house, and I started thinking about piano lessons. In your 40s, you’re supposed to learn new things so your brain doesn’t turn to mush. So I’m practicing scales.
Were you nervous about being directed by Tom Hanks?
God, no. We knew each other socially. When I was in Rome, shooting Eat Pray Love, Tom sent me the script and said, “Tell me what you think.” I couldn’t stop smiling when I read it: It’s topical, but very positive. It contains this moment in history in a very interesting way. The movie says, You can lose your job and your way and still rescue yourself. Larry Crowne creates a self-excavated utopia, and I love that idea, that message. And Tom is so good at making fun of himself. In the beginning of the film, he’s wearing pleated khakis. No one should wear pleated khakis onscreen.
Your character is something of a mess. She drinks a little too much.
I spend a lot of the movie woozy. Why did Tom Hanks think of me when he thought of a drunken schoolteacher? What does that mean? He has me chugging margaritas. It’s hard to chug a margarita! [Laughs] I asked why it couldn’t be straight liquor, and he said it was funnier if it was a drink made in a blender.
Both you and Hanks are known for romantic comedies, and yet in recent years you’ve both stayed away from that genre.
I think it’s called growing up. Light and funny has a more compelling quality when you’re younger. But I haven’t abandoned the genre: I love falling down; I love Lucille Ball. It’s just that a lot of those stories revolve around problems that I can’t convincingly portray at this age.
Do you ever think of directing?
No. I can direct breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take pride in my kitchen, but I’m not going to direct a movie.
You were responsible for spotlighting Javier Bardem’s performance in Biutiful. You threw him a bash, invited Academy members, and helped to get him nominated for best actor.
Yes, I was the loudmouth on that. It was such a crazy travesty that the movie wasn’t getting attention. And it’s fun to throw your weight around. That’s one of the perks of what we do.
You became powerful and famous early on—after Pretty Woman, you were a huge international star. You were only 21. Was that overwhelming?
No, because the business was different then. It was a less loud, in-your-face sort of business. It would be awful to be a young actress today. Back in the good old days, before e-mail, you could decide how you wanted to be, how you wanted to define yourself.
Did you keep the red gown from Pretty Woman?
No, even though it was made for me, they didn’t let me keep anything from the movie. But I did get to keep the wedding dresses from Runaway Bride. They’re all boxed up in my garage. I’ve never opened them. It’ll be fun one day when Hazel [Roberts’s daughter] is taller. She can play dress-up with her friends.
That was the interview Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts gave W Magazine for their June 2011 Issue.
W Magazine
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