I got to sit right next to Cher. Sometimes movies bring rock stars into my life, and Burlesque brought Cher back to the screen, and to the entertainment media world to do interviews. I sat so close to her our knees touched.
Cher is every bit the legend in person that you imagine. She still looks like a rockstar with her forever young face and curly black hair, wearing black boots and pants that could read from the nosebleed seats in a stadium, or at least the back row of her Las Vegas arena.
In Burlesque, Cher plays Tess, the owner of a club who gives a young hopeful (Christina Aguilera) a chance. The veteran performer hangs out backstage with her partner (Stanley Tucci) keeping things fun between every performance. Somehow it is Cher’s first musical after a film career of acclaimed dramatic performances. The film opens Nov. 24 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Q: Why so long between films?
Cher: Oh, God, everybody’s going to ask me that. I don't know. Nothing comes to you that you really want to do or you end up doing other things. I’ve said this like a million times, but I wanted to doMamma Mia but I was on the road so I couldn’t do it. So I don't know. That’s why.
Q: What was it about Burlesque that lured you back to the screen?
C: I think that it was Clint Culpepper that forced me and twisted my arm. I wanted to work with Stanley [Tucci] truthfully, because he did one of my favorite characters in the world who shall be nameless, but go to Muerte Moments, Stanley. He was great in it so forever, it’s like I saw Nicky [Cage] in Peggy Sue Got Married. When we did Moonstruck, I just thought he was so great in it, anybody who would just risk looking that foolish should be the person in Moonstruck. That’s what I thought about Stanley in that movie. So I really wanted to work a lot with him. I did Witches once because I wanted to work with Jack and so I think a lot of it had to do with Stanley.
Q: The movies you have done, most end up being a classic – Witches, Silkwood, Mask, Moonstruck, Mermaids. Is there something about what you’re drawn to that lasts?
C: Oh, well, there are many that are not. I just try to do the ones that I like because I don’t do them exactly for work. I do them because it’s fun. It’s not a hobby, but I’ve always known I wouldn’t make a lot of films. When I do them, you hope they turn out to be fun. This one turned out to be really fun. He and I never met before but we just laughed all the time. Christina was, everybody was great to work with. Everyone was very excited.
Q: What similarities do you see between you and Christina? Did you feel that connection?
C: Yeah, because we both wanted to do the thing that we’re getting a chance to do. We both wanted to do it in real life so it makes it kind of easy. You just understand the person. It’s a shorthand.
Q: Did you help her with the personal and professional, or did she teach you something?
C: Our relationship was good on screen and off screen. Of course I’ve been through all the things that she’s going through so you can tell somebody, “I did this. This is what happened. Don’t sweat that. Watch out for that.” Then, Stanley obviously hasn’t gone through those things so it was a way of connecting that also made us connect closer on the set.
Q: On what level did you identify with Tess? Do you have to identify with a character in order to play it?
C: In some way I think. It’s a no brainer. She’s a no brainer for me. It’s not that much of a stretch. I just played myself in that situation. That’s kind of what I do. I just kind of find the part of myself that is in the character. Also I’ve never really done a stretch but I’d really like to. Like Stanley did Lovely Bones. He must have found something in that person that he felt he could bring to life.
Q: Was Silkwood not a stretch or Tea with Mussolini?
C: No, because you just try to find the person that is in there, the little core that you can kind of wrap yourself around and it makes it easy.
Q: Why didn’t you end up doing more musicals on film?
C: Because there’s not a lot of musicals. There aren’t musicals made all the time and all of them aren’t the right fit for you. This one just happened to be. I always wanted to do it. I always wanted to sing but it just doesn’t happen that often.
Q: This movie is about being able to sing and dance. Do you think there’s a place for people who just sing?
C: I didn’t dance. I just moved around. I didn’t dance. Also, it wasn’t my character really. My character was to be phasing out of it, to be getting old to do that and that’s why it was perfect timing for her to come in.
Q: What was your favorite part of doing the movie?
C: Lots of 16 hour days. This was the hardest time period, it was like the longest days I’ve ever had and thank God that we had a great time on the set. We really did. [Tucci] and I laughed all the time and were totally abusive to one another. The girls were really fun to be around.