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by Jim Longworth
Not many people can boast that they lost their virginity to Ronald Reagan, won a Golden Globe for cross-dressing, and are famous for wielding a knife at a telekinetic prom queen. Come to think of it, there’s only one person I can think of who can make those claims.
 Piper Laurie came up through the Universal Studios system in a class of freshman that included Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Julia Adams, and James Best. Her first film role was in 1950’s “Louisa” (starring Ronald Reagan), and she proved to be one of the most versatile actors of the 20th century, at first specializing as the love interest of pirates, cowboys and pool sharks, and later, as every kind of mother, some with a nurturing nature and others with a psychotic bent.
Piper is a three-time Oscar nominee for “The Hustler” (1961), “Carrie”(1976), and, “Children of a Lesser God” (1986). She won the Golden Globe for “Carrie”, and an EMMY for the TV movie “Promise”. Her last regular gig was earlier this year as the voice of Grandma in the podcast “Around the Sun”. Piper Laurie passed away on October 14. She was 91.
I first met Piper in 2014 at, of all places, a Western Film Festival, where loyal cowboy fans remembered her as much for a handful of forgettable oaters as for “Carrie”. We talked about her career, her autobiography, and yes, about her affair with the 40th President of the United States.
JL: You scared me to death in “Carrie” when you were wielding that knife at Sissy Spacek. Did you know that film was going to be so scary?
PL: I had no idea. I took the part because originally, I thought it was a comedy. Only in rehearsals did I find out from Brian DePalma that he meant it to be serious. I had worked out some comedy bits to do, and he stopped me after the second time and said, “Piper you can’t do that. You’ll get a laugh.” (laughs)
JL: Do you remember the first time you ever acted as a child?
PL: I was told that I went up on stage at the Fox theatre in Detroit Michigan when I was about 2 years old because they were giving away peanuts. You could take as many as you could carry, so I lifted my skirt to put the peanuts in it and the audience howled. My sister was mortified, and talked about it forever because my underpants were showing (laughs) and everybody was clapping. But that was my first stage experience.
 JL: I’m disappointed in you that as a serious actress you would lift your skirt and work for peanuts.
PL: No comment.
JL: You received rave reviews for the Hustler, and I thought you would have gone on immediately to do lots more films, but you said goodbye to Hollywood and didn’t come back for 15 years until you did “Carrie”. Why did you get out and why wait so long to get back in?
PL: The work that was being offered wasn’t that interesting and the world was changing. The Viet Nam war had started, and it seemed uninteresting for me to spend a lot of energy on something that wasn’t respected.
JL: Your new book is titled “Learning to Live Out Loud”. Why did you write it?
PL: A lot of stories get all mixed up and I just wanted to get it all straight. Also, I kept a lot of secrets and I thought they were really interesting secrets.
JL: You write in the book that when you were 18 years old, your first love was Ronald Reagan. You said he seduced you and that you had a relationship. So, my question is, why didn’t you end up as First Lady?
PL: Oh God. He wasn’t the man for me. It was a wonderful first love, but he wasn’t a man for me to be with the rest of my life. And he was 20 years older than I was. He was very attractive, though.
JL: You acted in a number of Westerns, and you were great in them, so since we’re here at the Western Film Fair I’m obliged to ask why you didn’t do more Westerns?
PL: Well, I was under contract to Universal and I did whatever they told me to do, but I was luckier than most because they put me to work right away and kept me working. I would do 3 or 4 films a year and when I wasn’t working, they would send me on the road to promote the ones I had done.
JL: Fans of “Twin Peaks” remember that magnificent disguise that you wore. You also did a lot of cameos and guest starring roles during that time. Was it difficult to step into a guest spot in a show that was already established?
 PL: It depends on the part. Sometimes parts are written very specifically for an outsider, and it works in that case. So, the fact that you have no relationship with the actors is OK. Usually when I take a job like that, I make it my business to watch as many of the episodes as I can, in order to get up to speed.
JL: what have you been up to lately?
PL: I recently did my first stage musical, “A Little Night Music” in Santa Barbara at the opening of a brand-new theatre, and I had a great time.
JL: I’m just glad you didn’t do a new musical version of Carrie because I don’t think I could have withstood you singing with a knife in your hand.
You scared me to death.
PL: Well, you look alright.
JL: I’m OK now, but I’m actually only 20 years old. I just look 60 because it scared me so bad.
PL: (Laughs) |
It is what it is!
Remembering Piper Laurie
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