She's had her share of public fights, most recently the very ugly one with Stephen Bing over baby Damian. But Elizabeth Hurley isn't letting spats slow her down. Here she talks about her new indie, The Weight of Water, and brings us up to speed on her mood--from how Bing made her "sad" and why she doesn't think much of his pal James Caan to how she sometimes wishes she weren't famous and why she doesn't plan on settling down anytime soon.
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The last time Elizabeth Hurley was on the cover of Movieline, it was widely assumed she couldn't get any more famous.
After all, she had appeared in many movies (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Permanent Midnight, Ed TV, Bedazzled), she had produced a few as well (Extreme Measures, Mickey Blue Eyes), she was the face of Estée Lander, she was splashed across the covers of weeklies when Hugh Grant was arrested for canoodling with a prostitute on Sunset Blvd., and she had become one of the mast photographed women in the world, being followed across the globe to jet-set locations where she lounged with Elton John and Elle Macpherson--all the while looking tan, sexy and svelte in racy Versace numbers.
Then, in the latter half of 2001, Elizabeth Hurley again became the number one subject of tabloids and talk shows, upping her fame factor yet another notch. She hadn't meant to. Her nearly two-year-long relationship with billionaire movie producer Stephen Bing had been going along nicely until she became pregnant with his baby and he decided to bail out. Instead of settling matters privately, Bing publicly stated that he wasn't sure if the baby was his and he wanted a paternity test. Coverage of Hurley versus Bing became brutal in American papers, and even worse in English ones. One British daily called him "Bing Laden" and another printed his phone number so readers could ring him up and tell him what a heel he was. Like most celebrity scandals, Hurley's seemed like something out of a movie--too awful to be actually happening to a real person. Things calmed down, though, after Hurley gave birth to Damian Charles and the test results came in--it was in fact Bing's.
Now, several months later, the media has moved on to other stories. Hurley has moved on, too. She has just completed, promoting Saving Sara, the comedy she made with Matthew Perry, and she's ramping up to discuss another film, the ensemble The Weight of Water, in which she plays the temptress who stirs up married poet Sean Penn. When I meet her at a Beverly Hills hotel, she looks incredible for a 37-year-old mom--she's fit, and appears happy and rested. And she seems proud of herself for having just put her four-month-old baby to sleep.
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LAWRENCE GROBEL: You look very good. Do you have a picture like Dorian Gray in the closet, that's getting older as you stay young?
ELIZABETH HURLEY: That's very sweet of you to say. I think I look 70 today. It takes its toll on you, being pregnant. It's very strange when earning your living is linked to your physicality. It's a real bind.
Q: How much weight did you gain during your pregnancy?
A: Fifty-three pounds. A huge amount!
Q: What's your desired weight?
A: My fighting weight is 120. Though I can handle a few more pounds than that. I like being a few pounds under that, but then people tell me I'm not eating. It was bliss to eat like a ravenous wolf when I was pregnant.
Q: What do you miss most about not having to watch your weight?
A: I never watched my weight until 1994 when I got my Estée Lauder contract. I was always slim-ish. But I minded when I saw an unflattering photograph of myself bending down with flesh hanging out of my jeans. I eat what I want, but not in excess. I would secretly like a doughnut at tea time, but I wouldn't when I needed to squeeze myself into tight jeans.
Q: When did you give up smoking?
A: When I was pregnant. My doctor in California said not to drink caffeine either, so I had this terrible day where I had to give up everything at once. Then when I got back to Europe my doctor said, "Of course you don't have to give up coffee, what are you, nuts? And you can have a glass of red wine if you feel like it, too." But I didn't go back to coffee. I have tea.
Q: How upsetting was it when Steve Bing didn't believe he was your child's father?
A: Undoubtedly, I have had a very sad and unhappy time in the last 11 months, but I feel I have emerged from that. And all the time when I was sad, it was always tempered with happy feelings, because it was all very exciting. I had these violent seesaws of emotions. But since Damian has been born, week by week as I've gotten physically stronger and have shed my huge poundage gained during pregnancy, I've also shed a huge amount of sadness, and feel much happier than I ever have before.
Q: What's your take on all the controversy your pregnancy stirred up?
A: Retrospectively, my pregnancy on the whole was quite an unhappy time for me. Some things, when I think about them, have the capacity to hurt me still.
Q: For someone who has had to deal with the press for a long time, you seem to have a knack for keeping your dignity. How do you do it?
A: By nature I'm phenomenally private. Sometimes I'm accused of not being that forthcoming, even with people I'm very close to, so the idea of me being forthcoming to the general public about private things would be out of the question with me. It's not a challenge to me not to rise to any bait, to "put stories straight," or to deny these insane things that are said about me. I'm not interested in fueling any fires and having somebody else getting even richer out of selling more publications.
Q: Is the price of fame and celebrity too costly in the end?
A: I'd prefer it if my success didn't have to go hand-in-hand with fame. I don't like my business being discussed in the newspapers. But I've gone in with my eyes open to a business where it's impossible to have success without being related to celebrity in the media. I've cooked my goose on that one.
Q: A couple of years ago you had problems with Jane magazine because they quoted you as saying having sex with the same man after 13 years was "less than adequate," referring, I presume, to Hugh Grant.
A: Jane is a perfectly respectable magazine. It's not a scurrilous publication, at least I didn't think it was. Naturally, I've revised my opinion. And to this day I don't know if it was the editor or the writer, but they printed a pack of lies in direct quotes from me, which deeply offended both me and my ex-boyfriend Hugh. I had to sue Condé Nast. And they said, "We've got it on tape." I said, "Great, then we'll all stand in the courtroom and you can play it." Of course they didn't have it on tape and they had to do a huge apology and back off. It was such an unbelievably revolting thing to do.
Q: Do you feel you're a target?
A: I'm somebody that people feel they can make money off of. I don't know whether they create that or it just falls into their lap. And I come from a nation where it is at its strangest, with our 10 national newspapers.
Q: Why do you live there?
A: Because my family and most of my friends are there. It's annoying that all my work is in the U.S.
Q: Have you ever found a journalist you could trust or who has become a friend?
A: Hell no!
Q: What new realities have you had to adjust to since becoming a mother?
A: I love my life much more. The biggest change is that I've felt so much more settled and motivated to be settled. I feel inspired to work harder, it's all for a purpose now. And to be organized and to build a beautiful and safe home, to set myself up to be able to support Damian until he can support himself.
Q: In 1996 you said in Us magazine: "I just find it inconceivable to [be a parent]. I can't even look after myself. And I would just hate to be an appalling showbiz mother. I can't think of anything more repellent than to bring up maladjusted, dreadful children that I haven't been there for. It's very difficult for me to want to invite that much chaos into my life. I like children, but I don't like babies, personally."
A: Six years ago, it would have been way, way tougher on me. I'd achieved a lot less. I was six years younger, maybe I was immature for my age. It would have been inconceivable then to do what I have done now. That's good, we evolve.
Q: Last thing I read you were saying you'd like three children.
A: I'm obviously not in a situation where I could begin considering having other children. But, if I should be lucky enough to be in a situation where I'm in a relationship where it seems the right thing to do, I'd love to. The second I had Damian I said to my sister, "I'd like another one."
Q: What did Damian look like when he was born?
A: E.T. He was a little reptilian when he was born. Now he's got quite a lot of Winston Churchill in him, big fat jowly thing.
Q: Jodie Foster said that motherhood affected her ambition. Has it yours?
A: I don't think so. It's affected my levels of tolerance. Without any doubt now I'll pick and choose jobs I'm involved with much more carefully. I'm going to manage my time much better, I hope. Before, if I sat in a six-hour script meeting that wasn't really going anywhere, I sat there. But now, I don't want to be there for six hours if it could take two. I'd rather be home with Damian.
Q: Camryn Manheim said, "It takes a village to raise a baby." Do you have a lot of support?
A: I do. I didn't realize how much I had until some of the cavalry came over the hill. I'm absurdly spoiled, to be able to go to Damian's godfather Elton John's house right after he was born, and stay for seven weeks. Horribly outstayed my welcome. So many people came to help, it was stunning.
Q: Was Elton there as well?
A: Elton and his boyfriend David, they both came in and out. Elton was on tour, and David was producing something, but they'd come for weekends.
Q: "Naughty" is a word that comes up often when people talk about you. Are you naughty?
A: I'm naughty but nice. I favor a little mischief sometimes.
Q: You've also been described as both assertive and unsure of yourself. Are you both?
A: [Laughs] I daresay I'm both.
Q: How would you describe yourself?
A: Depends what mood I'm in. I'm so bored with myself, I can't think about myself anymore.
Q: How ambitious are you?
A: I like setting goals and achieving them.
Q: Is marriage a goal?
A: I never thought about it like that. I've nothing against marriage whatsoever. I'm all for happiness. If they go hand in hand ever, I wouldn't shy away.
Q: Do you have a problem with commitment? You were with Hugh Grant for 13 years and weren't able to make that commitment.
A: I was fiercely committed to Hugh, when you think about it, and still am. It was never right for us to start a family together and get married. I've been committed to all of my boyfriends, I really have.
Q: Have you had many?
A: No, only three. This is the first time I've been single in 19 years. It's a brave new world. I feel I have to play the field for a while.
Q: Do you intimidate men?
A: I don't know.
Q: Why did James Caan, who was in Mickey Blue Eyes, which you produced, say that you overly enjoyed the authority producing bestowed on you? What did you do to Caan to make him talk that way about you?
A: I think...I can't even...uh...well, ironically, I fought to have Jimmy in that picture. He certainly wasn't the studio's first choice, and frankly he wasn't ours either. Some people at that time hadn't particularly wanted to employ him. Hugh and I did. We actually got on very well during shooting. I'm not sure how well he's done since.
Q: So there was no conflict on the set?
A: None.
Q: Are you a hands-on producer?
A: I'm a very hands-on producer. I would never dream of being disloyal about somebody who worked for me.
Q: Is Caan's comment disloyal to you?
A: I can't say I'd be overly perturbed by a comment by James Caan in the press. It's not quite like being criticized by Robert De Niro.
Q: Who would you want to work with?
A: I wouldn't know where to start. I was delighted to work with Sean. There probably isn't a woman in the world who wouldn't want to work with Robert De Niro. Or a man, actually--he's one of those people who transcends genders. And Al Pacino. I love Robert Redford.
Q: Anybody under 60?
A: George Clooney.
Q: Who's the best director you've worked with?
A: I got a lot from working with Ron Howard on Ed TV. I only did two weeks. It's why I also enjoyed working with Harold Ramis, because they're performers and they identify with you. I loved working with Kathryn Bigelow on The Weight of Water.
Q: Are you happy with The Weight of Water?
A: I like it a lot. I didn't have a huge amount to do, it's an ensemble piece.
Q: You're naked in it.
A: I'm not naked. I have a bikini. And I hate being in a bikini in public. I'm self-conscious.
Q: You have a great body, why so self-conscious?
A: Every girl is self-conscious in a bikini. And if you're not, I'm jealous.
Q: You initially formed your production company with Hugh Grant to create parts for him--what's going on with it now, and are you finding vehicles for yourself as well?
A: We don't have a great deal of projects, because it's unlikely we're going to make many films. One or two which would be right for me, and more still that would be right for Hugh. They're all in development. There's one book which we bought for me called Too Late for Tears by Roy Huggins. It was made into a movie in the '40s, a schlocky genre film with an evil lady. But it's a great story.
Q: Do you think you'll ever be able to open a movie?
A: I'm not a huge A-list movie star who opens an $80 million movie.
Q: You made two films with Denis Leary, will they be released theatrically or go straight-to-video?
A: I really hope Double Whammy is released theatrically. It's a lovely film.
Q: What makes him such a wonderful friend?
A: He's so like family. On the surface we are chalk and cheese, as the English say, but deep down we're not. His parents are Irish, my dad was Irish. We both cackle with laughter at the same things. He's a great confidant. I've cried on his shoulder many times. We just get on really well, like brother and sister.
Q: Let's talk about you and Hugh Grant. You said that your separation from Grant was to discover if what you had is as good as it gets. Was it?
A: Well, I haven't discovered that it's not, so...I don't know. Hugh's still so much a part of my life.
Q: Hugh said that you have two physical deformities, do you know what those are?
A: My fingers and my ears.
Q: Right. He said the absence of little fingers and unusually big ears.
A: How dare him! He's obsessed with my fingers and my ears. He draws pictures of my ears. He thinks I should wear a brace to hold them back. He thinks they stick out--they don't!
Q: Hugh also said you liked to steal things.
A: Hugh did? From him?
Q: What have you taken?
A: He thinks I steal things from him, which is very untrue. Not only is that not true, it's the reverse. Because I will go to his house and it's true that I will leave with an armful of books, because they're mine--he took them from my house to his house when he was packing up his stuff. If you open them up, they all have my name inside them. I write the month and year I bought each book. So I'd say he steals stuff from me much more than I do from him.
Q: Are you a very sexual person?
A: In what way? What do you mean?
Q: How many ways can there be?
A: My feeling is that that is going to be in the eye of the beholder.
Q: Do you have plans on reinventing yourself?
A: There may well be a need, but certainly no desire [laughing].
Q: In Vanity Fair it was written, "Hurley must be all too aware that very few former models and actresses of her level continue to 'make it.'" Then a fashion editor was quoted saying, "In the fashion world, to be considered glamorous you need to retain a glamorous lifestyle--and that costs millions."
A: Millions? Oh well, there must be so many people with that lifestyle.
Q: "If Elizabeth stops flying first-class, she's over, and she knows it." What do you say to something like that?
A: Almost definitely written by the journalist who was peeving. Whoever said that is completely moronic, because anybody in the "glamorous fast track" never has to pay for a flight, and doesn't need millions to maintain anything because we don't pay for anything when we're working! Funnily enough, I'm not paying for this suite today.
Q: So you don't spend a lot of money on clothes?
A: I'm fortunate in that I don't buy the things that cost the most money, which is the evening dresses. Because I can only wear them once, so there's no point. So people make them for me. Yes, that is spoiled, but they get a ton of free advertising.
Q: Who are your favorite designers?
A: Mostly Versace. Dolce & Gabbana. Ralph Lauren.
Q: Do you like to go to second-hand shops or swap meets or flea markets?
A: Absolutely not. Never. Not my bag.
Q: Which actors do you consider well dressed?
A: Gwyneth Paltrow. Sean Penn. Denis Leary.
Q: Who do you consider beautiful?
A: Isabelle Adjani, ravishing. Sharon Stone, beautiful face.
Q: And how about yourself?
A: I'm like any girl who looks in the mirror and your eyes jump immediately to imperfections.
Q: What are your imperfections, besides your ears and your little fingers?
A: I don't care about my ears or fingers, goddamnit! I'd rather not point them up. Because my income is linked to looks, I'll make an effort to stay slim, to use moisturizer, have my roots done, because I want to build a nest egg for a rainy day.
Q: What does money mean to you?
A: The freedom to choose what to do, when to do it, where to do it.
Q: If you never earned another dollar, could you survive?
A: We've got enough for our need, but not our greed. I have added problems that other people don't have: security, safety, that sort of thing. I don't feel I can retire yet.
Q: If you could live inside any painting, which would you choose?
A: Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. My favorite painting.
Q: Your father was an army major. What did he think of you when you were a pink-haired punk with 12 earrings?
A: Daddy always loved and worshiped me whatever I did. He was very uncritical.
Q: Did either of your parents give you advice that meant anything to you?
A: My parents were unbelievably positive towards all three of us children. It sounds cheesy, but my mother always used to say, "You have to aim
for the top, and you can afford to slide down a few bits." Now I don't agree to that last part, I want to aim for the top and stay there.
Q: What would you like to do if you weren't acting?
A: I don't have an answer for that, because all my adult life has been in this business. I think I would have been in business of some kind. Not work for anyone else, but some kind of entrepreneur. Either be completely broke and starving or some kind of Donna Karan.
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