Diane Lane: Lane Changes

Q: Were you back in L.A. for the Northridge quake in '94?

A: Oh yeah. My daughter was a baby and all my frozen breast milk went bad. That's my earthquake story. I was so pissed off. Of course, I took it personally. God was just toying with me.

Q: What work are you most proud of?

A: I guess A Walk on the Moon, because I was afforded a role that had a lot going on in the writing, I'm always proud when I feel I've gotten as far emotionally as the moment deserved, because sometimes you're not able to.

Q: Anna Paquin played your rebellious teenage daughter in that film. When you were doing the scenes where you two would argue, did you think, "Oh God, this is going to be me and my real daughter in a few years"?

A: Absolutely. I here was no way I could avoid the tinge of panic that this might be foreshadowing. But at the same time, it's a rite of passage. You must go through the rejection of your parents to own yourself even if it's just, 'You love me too much. Go away!" It's like death and taxes.

Q: Did your priorities about your career change when you had your daughter?

A: It definitely made my heart tome alive and it made me a lot more confident about my own capabilities. Once you've pushed a baby out of your body, you're a hero forever to yourself. And every day being a parent is so filled with challenge and reward, it forces you to grow as a person.

Q: Does it ever seem like directors don't consider you for projects that you'd be perfect for because they want the hot young thing who just wandered into town yesterday?

A: Popular culture has always been youth-driven. From the boy kings who ran empires thousands of years ago to now, there's always been that element. I don't sit around and compare myself to somebody who's been around for five years no matter how much money they command. Ideally, I'm searching for risk, keeping the stakes high, keeping things juicy. A lot of times you're not allowed to experiment because people have a set expectation that you're supposed to fulfill, and if you don't, they resent it.

Q: What's the most bullshit thing a Hollywood-suit type has ever said to you?

A: "Hello, nice to meet you.' After I'd shot a movie for them!

Q: They didn't remember you?

A: It was five years later. They're in the business of making money and I guess the movie didn't make money for them, so therefore I was a nonentity. That once happened with my agent, too. He was also representing Christopher before we got married and Christopher said, "Wouldn't it be fun for all of us to have lunch?" So we meet, sit down and this guy turns to Christopher and says, "Who's this lovely, charming girlfriend?" He was my agent!

Q: What did you say?

A: "Buh-bye!"

Q: What did you say in the moment, though?

A: When a social faux pas of that magnitude happens, you really just speed-bump over it and smile politely and go on with the day as quickly as possible. That's the way it goes. But the minute you've got something they want...

Q: Has there ever been a time when you wished you were a bigger star?

A: Well, I am very blessed that I can have my life and eat it too. It's the perfect livable balance. I'd rather be working than be hot. I don't envy the depth that comes after the height. So I feel a sense of relief that I'm still here, 20 years later.

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Dennis Hensley interviewed Lochlyn Munro for the April issue of Movieline.

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