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ISSUE - September 7th,
1984
Interview with Joan Collins
No one personifies glamorous
bitchery more than Joan Collins--at least when she's acting. Her role as
the vitriolic windbag Alexis Carrington on Dynasty remains the sine qua
non of TV diva-dom. No one could tell someone off more entertainingly
than Collins, who--with eyes flaring and mouth quivering--epitomized
'80s greed and sparkle in a way women and drag queens imitate to this
day.
Above all, the
whatever-plus Collins retains her sharp humor and vivid sense of self.
She's a celebrity in the old style--because in Joan's book, a star must
look good, radiate charisma, and never bore. And we love Joan's book!
MICHAEL MUSTO: Catch us
up a bit about what you've been doing since you appeared on the cover of
Interview in 1984.
JOAN COLLINS: I received
an OBE from the Queen, which probably doesn't mean anything in America
but is quite nice in England--the Order of the British Empire for
services to drama. I just finished a movie with Nigel Hawthorne, which I
co-produced; it's called The Clandestine Marriage and is an
eighteenth-century romp.
MM: What part do you play
in that?
JC: I play a very
overbearing and vulgar, nouveau-riche woman who would like to be an
aristocrat. I wear a wonderful pair of snaggy, yellow teeth along with a
big gray wig.
MM: You were very
cartoony in Dynasty.
JC: Yes, I love playing
cartoony characters. Been known for that.
MM: How do you maintain
such a great self-mocking kind of tone?
JC: I think it has
something to do with being British. We don't take ourselves as seriously
as some other countries do. I think a lot of people take themselves far
too seriously; I find that a very tedious attitude.
MM: Are you philosophical
about your career, now that you're very hot again?
JC: I wouldn't say that.
A career is like a seesaw. The fact that I have been in the business for
more than forty years is a miracle because most actresses don't survive
that long--not many actors do, either. So, yes, I am very philosophical.
I consider myself very lucky. I love working. I will go on working as
long as I can.
MM: Do we really get
wiser as time goes on or just more cautious?
JC: How old are you?
MM: I'm in my forties.
JC: Oh. You sound
younger.
MM: Thank you. I look
older. [laughs]
JC: Do you? [laughs]
MM: No, I'm kidding.
[laughs) I like to say between forty and death.
JC: Between forty and
death, right. Absolutely.
MM: Do you have romance
in your life now?
JC: Well, I have been
with the same man for twelve years, so I would say that I have romance
in my life.
MM: What would you say
you are proudest of having done?
JC: That's kind of
difficult. In life, raising three children who have all turned out to be
pretty together, now that they're grown-up. In my career, I don't know;
I'm not one of those people who go around being proud of something.
Probably the miniseries Sins that I produced and starred in during the
late '80s, which was a huge, huge hit.
MM: People always
complain that stars aren't what they use to be. Do you think that stars
are as glamorous today?
JC: What do you think? Do
you think that you can compare the stars of today with Lana Turner,
Vivien Leigh, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth? Do you?
MM: I guess not. You've
convinced me. Could it be unnerving if fans catch you at a non-glamorous
moment?
JC: I'm not keen on being
caught in the ladies room when one is washing one's hands.
MM: Have you noticed
different reactions in England and America to you?
JC: Not really. English
and American people are pretty similar, you know. The longer you're
around the more respect you generate. In my career, I've gone from babe
to bitch to bag.
By
Michael Musto |
