Mary Stuart Masterson: Beyond the Pale

At the point where her career was in the difficult teen-to-adult role transition period, Masterson did an optimistic, and, from a Hollywood point of view, rather unambitious thing. She moved to Texas and married her high school sweetheart. She's lived in Austin for a couple of years while her husband George, a Texas native, worked on his MBA. If Hollywood thinks of New York as being off the face of the planet, imagine what it thinks of Texas. "Being in Texas was a way of getting away from things," says Masterson. "Being with George at all is a way of not being a part of Hollywood. He and Texas are one and the same. They are what they are, you know? Does that sound really bogus?" No. It does sound like someone who recently married a Texan though. Masterson says she and George will be moving back to New York before long. "I realize that I gotta get back to it, and submit to the fact that I'm an artist...Texas is a great place to make movies, though." Because everything's bigger in Texas, right? "Hearts're bigger, too" she drawls.

Masterson talks what I believe they call in Texas a "blue streak," and she's constantly promising to slow down. I tell her it's okay-I've got plenty of tape. I ask her to describe her up-coming film, her comeback, as it were, the romantic comedy Married To It in which she co-stars with Cybill Shepherd, Beau Bridges, and Ron Silver. "Must I?" she asks, and laughs. Well, isn't that why she's here in L.A.? "Uh-yeah. It is! Okay-_Married To It_ is a comedy/drama directed by Arthur Hiller starring a wonderful, incredible cast. Cybill, of course, I've worked with before," she says. And rolls her eyes. Apparently, her favorite aspect of the film was working with Beau Bridges. "I think Beau is hysterical-the most wonderful person on the planet. I loved him. I mean, I wanted to adopt him." In other words, see this movie when it comes out next fall, if only to get a load of Beau.

I've run out of tape, but we have another drink anyway. "Why not?" Mary Stuart says. "It's Wednesday night." I have no money, but she says she's got it. It's that big-hearted Texas thing, I figure. She proceeds to tell me that Francis Coppola has a hot tub in his trailer, and then she gives me all the advice I'll need if I ever plan a big Texas wedding-mostly, what mistakes to avoid. Along those lines, she notices that I've been leering at our hostess, and suggests I get her number. It's a good idea-married women seem to be full of sage advice for me these days-but I'm thinking I prefer actresses who aren't quite so obvious.

Joshua Mooney

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