One of Hollywood's favourite leading ladies gets up close and personal.
'I am a firm believer in the saying: "There are no small parts, only small actors,"' says the striking and composed Michelle Pfeiffer. That's easy for her to say - there is no way anyone would mistake the luminous Pfeiffer for a small actor.
The 44-year-old actress already has three Oscar nominations and five Golden Globe nods (she won the award for The Fabulous Baker Boys in 1990), plus a pile of other admirable accolades too numerous to list here. She has also worked with Hollywood's principal leading men - Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, George Clooney, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino, to name a few - and some of the industry's most respected directors, including Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols and Robert Zemeckis. But it could have all been so different. Pfeiffer never planned to go into acting. Instead she started out as a major in court reporting before realising where her true passion lay and switching paths. Her acting career began with appearances in short-lived TV comedies and unknown films. Her role in Grease 2 (which she now describes as 'a lesson in humility') should have paved the way for success, but the film was a flop and never reached the giddy heights of the original John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John vehicle. The only saving grace was that few people noticed it. Pfeiffer, however, ploughed on undaunted and her perseverance paid off. Landing roles in such films as Scarface and The Witches of Eastwick helped her to slowly convince critics, audiences and the Hollywood machine alike that she was more than just a beautiful face. Any remaining sceptics were silenced once and for all by her portrayal of the virtuous Madame de Tourvel in the period drama Dangerous Liaisons, for which she won her first Oscar nomination - a triumph for such a difficult role. She then went on to cement her position - and to earn even more respect - with The Fabulous Baker Boys. She hasn't looked back since. The 44-year-old actress's next film (due for release November 2002) is White Oleander, in which she stars with Bridget Jones star Renee Zellweger. Pfeiffer plays Ingrid, a free-spirited poet and mother of 12-year-old Astrid. The film follows the teenager's journey through a procession of foster homes after Pfeiffer is sent to jail for life for a crime of passion. Mother and child must learn the art of survival - and the art of love. Mother of all roles Many actors and actresses pick their roles for the cash or the prestige or simply because they want to be part of a Hollywood blockbuster. Pfeiffer has a different agenda - she wants her children, adopted daughter Claudia Rose and son John Henry (by husband David E. Kelley), to be proud of her. 'I just want to make responsible choices,' she has been quoted as saying. 'At the end, when I'm not around anymore, my kids can look at my body of work and say, "She wasn't here that day, but look what she was doing. I'm really proud of her. My mom did that."' Being a mother may explain her passion for films that examine the dynamic between parent and child. Her last film, I Am Sam, focused on the challenge of a mentally disabled parent (Sean Penn) to retain custody of his daughter. Pfeiffer played Rita, a cold-hearted, career-obsessed lawyer who agreed to represent Sam on a dare from her colleagues. The $25 million movie was a labour of love for the filmmakers and a long time in the making. Director Jessie Nelson and her co-writer Kristine Johnson (as well as Penn and Pfeiffer) did extensive research, including meeting with parents at Los Angeles-based L.A. Goal, a non-profit organisation founded in 1969 to serve adults with developmental disabilities. 'Stories about family and what defines a parent really resonate with me,' says Pfeiffer about her initial reaction to the I Am Sam script. 'Being a parent is the best thing in the world. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. It's such a gift.' She adds: 'Of course, as rewarding as it is, the flip side is it's the most challenging thing that a person can do.'And after Grease 2, Pfeiffer is used to challenges.
Not bad for the girl from Grease 2.