by RHONDA J. WILSON
American Fitness -- Volume 10 Issue 3 Page 16
Building an impromptu body nest by tucking one long leg underneath the other, Neuwirth is dressed casually in jeans and boots at a recent interview session. A bordeaux-colored hankerchief headband pushes her long, wavy hair back to reveal faux silver frog earrings. Her button- down blouse hails zebras hoofing it in a natural habitat. In some sort of metaphorical "animal-ese," Neuwirth seems to be acknowledging she speaks their language.
Indeed, her natural habitat is prancing and leaping on a ballet floor. "Ballet has always been how I defined myself--even as a child," says Neuwirth, who won back-to-back Emmys in 1989 and 1990 for her wildly hysterical role on "Cheers" as the psychiatrist with the wildly uncontrollable libido. "It's never been just a thing to do. It's been my chosen profession since I was five years old."
Born to a physically active family (her father is a triathlete, and her mother danced for a number of years) in Princeton, New Jersey, the 5'4 1/2", 110-pound actress started out with an athletic "edge." After graduating from high school, Neuwirth attended the prestigious Juilliard School's dance division. She eventually went on to win a Tony Award in 1986 for her performance on Broadway in "Sweet Charity."
"I don't see my dancing or acting as two separate things," says the 30- something Neuwirth, who has made appearances in Bugsy, Green Card, Say Anything and Pacific Heights. "I don't define them separately, so I can't say one has helped the other, It's all the same thing. More than anything I love being on stage and performing."
To fine-tune her performance skills, Neuwirth still attends ballet class on the weekends. During her hiatuses from "Cheers" she gets to ballet class more often and appears in local Los Angeles productions like "A Chorus Line" and "Sweet Charity." Participating in low-impact aerobics classes twice a week, she also develops her upper body and arms with free weights. Of course, she is more deliberate with how she exercises her legs. "You can't just flail things around, she says. "You have to be aware. Like I'm not going to do any downhill skiing. It looks like a whole lot of fun, but I'm not going to risk breaking a leg. I want to be dancing the way I'm dancing now for 30 more years."
To guarantee the longevity of her mind and soul, Neuwirth spends time in Los Angeles' Koreatown. On a "pretty irregular" basis she visits the public steam baths for women. Following the "unbelievably hot" revitalization process, she then gets scrubbed down to remove all the dead skin. On a much more regular basis, she uses "imagined movement" to release tensions in her muscles. An old trick she learned at Juilliard, she visualizes colors or images to completely relax her body.
Neuwirth becomes extraordinarily reflective when revealing her mind/body philosophies. She pauses for a moment, as if contacting some sort of greater power for clearance, gradually lowers her landing gear and then begins her descent. "If I'm not in shape it feels like something is wrong," she says. "If I haven't been able to get to class for a while or I've been sick, I don't feel complete. It doesn't feel like the electricity is making its connections."
The fuel for her vitality is a disciplined diet. Avoiding salt and red meat, she usually eats breakfast and dinner and nibbles during the day. At night, Neuwirth typically prepares fish and steamed vegetables. In the morning, she might have a raisin sandwich and a cup of herbal tea. A mostly non-alcoholic drinker (she occasionally enjoys a glass of champagne at birthdays or openings), Neuwirth fesses up to one forgivable food flaw--she simply can't stay away from sugar.
"I really abuse the substance unapologetically," she admits. "There was one good year where I gave up sugar completely. Then, when my birthday came around, I derided I wasn't going to celebrate without chocolate cake. So I eased myself back on sugar. Besides, it makes me happy."
While there is talk of making audiences happy with a spin off of "Lilith and Frasier (her anal psychiatrist husband played by Kelsey Grammer)," no plans have been set in stone yet. Instead, Neuwirth is content gearing up for a final season of "Cheers" next year. Before offering her own "happily-ever-after" strategies, she concentrates considerably. Sitting up erect, as if she is bringing her seat forward after a long flight, Neuwirth appears to be depressurizing on a subconscious level. At last, she is ready to make her final approach. "People are at their happiest if they are true to themselves," she says. "I think that applies to their chosen profession, friends and relationships.
"It goes for your health too," she adds. "If you are true to yourself, it seems to me everything should work out pretty well."
Neuwirth's positive approach to exercise and career should pave the way for many more smooth journeys.
PHOTO (COLOR): Bebe Belle with Beatty in Bugsy
PHOTO (COLOR): "Lilith and Frasier" playing doctor on "Cheers."
PHOTO (BLACK &WHITE): Bebe Belle