Boxoffice-September.1997

—
society for making me who I was. I never
blamed my parents. You can point to my
mother's murder, but frankly, my wig wasn't
on too tight before my mother's murder. I think
if you shake my mother's family tree back
in Europe and my father's, it'd be full of
drunks and drug addicts and panty sniffers
and general shitbirds. In some sense I think
it was a genetic sentence."
His work shows a detailed understanding
of the criminal mind, but with virtually
no sympathy for criminal motives. "You
take a guy like me," he says, "who quit
drinking, quit stealing, quit taking drugs,
quit breaking into houses and sniffing
women's undergarments. Once you've
turned your life around like that, you're a f
little bit impatient with people who
haven't done it. If I were a government
figure, and thank God I'm not, frankly, I
would rather err on the side ofjudgement
more than of permissiveness and forgiveness.
I think the world could use more of
that, and less of the latter."
his most recent novel, EUroy put both
InLos Angeles as a primary locale and
police investigations as a structuring device
behind him, and he claims he'll never look
back. Set in the early 1960s, 1995's "American
Tabloid" was an imaginary history ofa parallel
assassination plot against JFK a historical
figure Ellroy loathes.
If it was a departure, it was a characteristic
one: elaborate, multi-layered, bone-fascinated
with the secrets behind the secrets ofthe American
experience, a book that essentially proposed
that the organizing principle of
American history isn't capitalism or democracy
but criminality itself. Abetted by the muscle
of his pubUsher, Knopf, and his own
growing reputation, it outsold every one of his
previous fictions and became Time
Magazine's selection as Novel of the Year.
"American Tabloid" was part one of what
Ellroy calls his "Underworld U.S.A." trilogy,
which will focus on behind-the-scenes intrigue
in the national political arena during the '60s
and early '70s. As he moves closer to contemporary
times, the thought occurs that Ellroy
(who has yet to revisit a period after treating it
in one ofhis books) may be edging himself into
extinction. It's an idea he dispels with an
Elh-oyesque monologue on current American
politics that demonstrates how the man finds
material everywhere.
"Look at Bill Clinton," he says. "Whatever
you think of him—^and frankly, I was glad to
get the RepubUcans out and get Big Bill in. Tell
me he isn't dirty from his toes to the top of his
head. Tell me he isn't financed by dirty money.
Tell me he hasn't lined his pockets. Yeah. Tell
me he isn't a sleazy c-ks-ker who whips out
his d-k on women left and right. Yeah. Tell me
that you don't believe Paula Jones."
He leans back, the lenses of his glasses
magnifying the obsessive gleam in his eyes.
"America was never innocent." he says, in
words that might just add up to the artist's
worldview. "We popped ourcherr\' on the boat
over, and looked back with no regrets."
//
L.A." WOMAN
LA.
Confidential" marks Kim Basinger's return to
the bigscreen after an absence of nearly two-anda-lialf
years, during which she gave birth to a
daughter, Ireland, now 20 months old. The actress, wlio
says.
"I have the worst recordfor picking projects, " has
been getting some ofher best rexiewsfor herportrayal of
I! high-priced hooker who incarnates Veronica Lake in a
Hollywood brothel based on period movie stars.
A successful model before heading to Hollywood, the
(ieorgia native made her feature debut in 1984's "The
Xtitural. " Suhsecjuentfilms included "9 1/2 Weeks, " "No
Mercy, " "Batman. " "The Marrying Man " (on which she
met husband Alec Baldwin) ami "Final Analysis. " But
she made headlines lessfor her acting ability ilianfor her
allegedly "difficult" behavior on set A lawsuit over her
decisionnottoappearinihefilm"Boxing Helena 'forced
her into bankruptcyand brought more unwantedpublicity
(the judgement was substaniiullv reduced on appeal).
Basingersays that those troubled times are behind her
Dressed casually and appearing relaxed, she talked with
BOXOFFICE about her latest picture aiui what she calls
"a new time in my life.
BOXOFFICE: How did you get involved with "L.A. Confidential"?
KIM BASINGER: My initial meeting with [directorj Curtis Hanson was at the Formosa
Cafe [a famous Hollywood hangout that figures in the movie]. He pulled out pictures of that
era and presented a visual presentation. He just lured me into this world. I had never before been
approached by a director who told me I was going to do a part. Not asked me. told me. Curtis
decided I was Lynn Bracken, that I was the only person who could do this job. We're all litde
kids who have egos and insecurities. You want to be believed in. When a director stares into
your eyes and says. "You're her!" that presents you with a challenge you want to live up to.
BOXOFnCE: WTiat attracted you to the project?
BASINGER: After reading the script, I wasn't sure I wanted to play a call girl, the sweet
whore. But I loved Curtis and that he had so much belief in me. And 1 loved the dialogue, and
I loved the idea of going into Veronica Lake's life. By day. Lynn Bracken was Veronica Lake,
so I had to capture a Uttle bit of her spirit.
If this movie does only one thing, I hope it resurrects Veronica Lake. We lost a very great star
at a very young age— I think the business really threw her for a loop. She was so talented and
so misunderstood. She was known more for her "peekaboo" hair than her ability, but she was
an amazing actress. She had it down.
BOXOFnCE: The tabloid press figures prominently in the story. Certainly, you're no
stranger to that
BASINGER: It's ftinny but I never thought about that. I think the movie's theme is "facade."
It's about something you're not—what's real and what isn't.
BOXOFnCE: How have you dealt with being the brunt of a lot of negative publicity?
BASINGER: I always call it "old noise." Not even old news—it's not even newsworthy.
There was a time when I probably should have come out and really faced the press and answered
questions and [.stood up] for myself. At that time I was incapable of coming out and exposing
myself— I was much too shy. I chose to go underground and let it all pass. And when you do
that, you really set yourself up for anything that anybody writes about you to become something
you will have to live down forever.
BOXOFFICE: "LA. Confidential" premiered at Cannes. What was that like?
BASINGER: It was indescribable. It was my first time attending. It's like a parade. 24 hours
a day. 1 have never seen so many flashbulbs in my life. Walking up that red carpet at the Palais
I told [co-stars] Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce to hold on to me— I was tenified I might trip!
I don't know how diose women do it—
get out of the car and twiri around for the camera in
those high heels!
BOXOFFICE: Critics are already saying this is your best screen work in quite some time.
BASINGER: Everything was right on this one—the director, the script, my demeanor toward
the material, my co-stars. Everything just came together so beautifully And I'll give myself
some credit, too, in that I wasn't in any hurry. I just wanted to do a wonderfiil job. I wanted to
do what I'm capable of doing.
BOXOFFICE: Do you think you've changed since the birth of your daughter? And has
that affected your personal life?
BASINGER: Ireland's birth is the best thing I have ever done in my life, or ever will do.
Children change you. Basically, you no longer have any time to focus on your own crap. It's so
immediate, what's important and what isn't.—7c«n Oppenhemer
"