Bridget Fonda: The Best of Bridget

Q: Are you aware of how "hot" or "not hot" you are at any given time?

A: I'm usually not aware of it. Sadly, I'm sometimes made aware of it just by situations like if I find a movie I want to do and ask, "How do the producers feel about me?" I hear back, "What's her foreign rating?" That kind of stuff.

Q: Are they blunt with you?

A: There's a whole "Let's not mince words" kind of feeling. I don't really want to know, but when I do want to know, I want the truth. I don't need to be petted or stroked. It's also so changeable that it doesn't really matter. It's like, if you get into a panic about what a hot day it is you have to think, "Relax, it's the middle of August. Of course it's a hot day."

Q: I'm lost.

A: Well, it's the same thing if you're going to have a career that lasts. There are going to be ups and downs and you have to take it all. You can't worry about it too much. Some days will be hot, some days won't.

Q: Would you like to be in a big blockbuster?

A: Would I like to be in something that was loved by a lot of people? Yes. Would I like the freedom it would give me to do whatever project I want? Yes. Would I like the lack of privacy that goes with the success? No.

Q: Have you made a movie you truly regret?

A: There's just one where I think, "What a waste." I'm not going to say what it is, because the people who made it were very sweet, and it's my own fault. In the audition I had a certain attitude that they loved and it got me hired. But when it came time to film they tried to change the attitude and I didn't fight it. If I had known what I know now I would have reminded them, but at the time I had so little faith in my instincts.

Q: For someone with a big Hollywood background--your aunt, after all, is Jane Fonda, your dad is Peter, and your grandpa is Henry--it seems odd that you grew up in Hawaii.

A: I actually grew up with my mom in L.A. My parents split when I was about six or seven and my dad moved to Hawaii. I used to visit him there. But still, one of my strongest childhood memories is living on that boat and sailing, collecting sand dollars, bodysurfing, snorkeling. It was a dream.

Q: Who was stricter, your mom or dad?

A: Dad never really dealt with [problems]. When he did it was really frightening, because it was so rare. He invented something called the Magic Key, which was the truth definer. He'd say to me and my younger brother, "Which one of you broke the vase?" and we'd both deny it. Then he'd say, "Well, I guess I'll just have to ask the Magic Key." He'd then walk slowly and purposefully to this drawer where there were a shitload of keys. He would pull out some common household key and one of us would get scared and break down and say, "I did it, I did it!"

Q: Your father made a comeback of sorts in '97 with Ulee's Gold. Did anything about his performance surprise you?

A: Well, Ulee was so rigid and interior, and my dad's very flexible, so that was very different. He was just wonderful in it--I've seen it twice.

Q: If you could sit down and talk with your grandfather, Henry, what would you ask him?

A: Just the obvious stuff that most people get to ask or could have asked their grandparents. I'd like to find out what his feelings were about love and hardship. What his crowning achievements were and his biggest regrets.

Q: Did any of your famous relatives clue you in on the facts of life?

A: I don't remember. Suddenly there I was playing Spin the Bottle with my fifth grade class and ...

Q: The whole class?

A: Yeah. We were a close class. [Laughs]

Q: Would you make out?

A: We'd kiss, but it wasn't that advanced. I loved my elementary school.

Q: Obviously.

A: [Laughs] It was a private school called Oakwood. I like to call it my hippie school. I was recently talking to someone who went to the same school and I said, "Did you get upset when you were sick because you were going to miss school?" When he said yes I said, "Thank God it's not just me."

Q: Did any other famous offspring go to your school?

A: I was in a carpool with Carnie and Wendy Wilson.

Q: Is there a sort of unwritten connection between the offspring of famous people?

A: You're so used to having nobody quite understand exactly how you feel, but I think that's the state most people live in. That's the complexity of being human.

Q: Did you ever go through a rebellious stage?

A: In college I didn't really rebel. I just sort of stepped away. I wanted to figure out who I was and cut the strings. I wish I could do it all over again.

Q: What would you do differently?

A: I would try to moderate. I got pretty wild.

Q: How wild?

A: I didn't actually get into any trouble. I'm just amazed that I'm still alive. I drank a lot.

Q: Did you get throw-up, fall-down drunk?

A: No, but I did a lot of dancing on tabletops, which is a little embarrassing, except it was done with such a good feeling. When I would later meet up with somebody I partied with they'd say, "Bridget, give me a hug!" and then I'd think, "Well, whatever happened, it was OK with them." That was during a time when I really loved people. When I left home it was like "Hello world!"--it was a weird Sesame Street feeling of embracing everybody, but with, like, an IV of alcohol.

Q: Do you miss that freedom?

A: I miss people not passing judgment on me.

Q: Would you ever pass judgment on the movies of your beau Eric Stoltz?

A: I always love him in stuff. Loved Mask. Loved him in Killing Zoe. The Waterdance.

Q: What did you think of his scene in 2 days in the valley where he is getting a massage and is visibly aroused?

A: The dildo scene? I thought it was great. My mom called and said, "I saw_ 2 days in the valley_. That scene was hysterical! I loved it!"

Q: Did you know it was coming up, so to speak?

A: Oh yeah. I had heard all about it.

Q: Do you ever think about getting married?

A: Uh-huh.

Q: Just not this minute?

A: No.

Q: Which have you been more in relationships, the dumper or the dumpee?

A: It's always been a little more complex than that. I've been both. The dumper is worse, I think, because if you're the dumpee you can just feel sorry for yourself. If you're the dumper, you feel sorry for yourself and for the person you've dumped. It's just too much pity. [Laughs]

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