Hurley to Rise
published May 2, 1997
"I would seriously question whether anybody is really
foolish enough to really say what they mean. Sometimes I think that civilization as we
know it would kind of break down if we all were completely honest."
-- Elizabeth Hurley
When she strides into the sleekly elegant Hollywood hotel suite to
meet her press, Elizabeth Hurley beams. Yes, she beams. With skin like creamy porcelain, a figure to die for and a bearing that's
almost regal, she makes you want to melt in her presence. That is, until she speaks. Then you realize that this stunning,
seemingly aloof beauty is also a down-to-earth, funny gal. But enough fawning already! John Polly chatted with the Estee Lauder
spokesmodel, loyal paramour to Hugh Grant, and (surprise!) veteran actress about her role opposite Mike Myers in the
retro-comedy Austin Powers, and about her life with Hugh. Just don't ask her about "the incident."
First things first. Why is a classy woman like you in this mad, bawdy
comedy?
Because Mike Myers makes me die with laughter. He's really, really funny.
In this movie, both you and Mike have nude scenes where your
privates are hidden by intentionally placed objects. The scenes are very funny.
Those were a nightmare. They were among the most difficult scenes
w did, especially the penis-blocking
scenes, with me in the foreground blocking Mike. In those, my part was
more difficult because I'm the one
who has to hold up the paper at the right minute. And obviously you can't
see behind you so it was very difficult
and very frustrating for the nude person behind you, who's like, "Get
the coffee cup in the right position!"
What were the most fun to shoot?
Well, I was quite badly behaved on this whole film. I giggled a lot. I would
be sent off the set to calm down in my
trailer. I laughed most when we were shooting the scene when Austin
punches Michael York's character's
mother in the face. I was very hungover that day, and I was so bad.
When he was on the floor tugging at
her hair I couldn't help myself.
A lot of people might just think of you as a model, but you've got
quite an extensive acting background.
Yeah, it's weird in a way. If you spend eight years or so -- as I did --really working as hard as you can,
acting all of that time, and then suddenly you get offered something else in a completely different field that
you've never thought about in your life, and to have that eclipse everything you've managed to achieve
in your chosen field, it's really weird. I never in my life imagined that I'd be
modeling.
Did you think that getting into modeling was going to help your
acting career?
I honestly didn't think it would make much difference. In fact, as it's turned
out, I think it's ended up helping. Especially in America, anything which raises your visibility makes people
more comfortable in a way about
investing in you.
And you get mascara for life.
Boxes of it. We can't move for the stuff.
You produced the movie Extreme Measures, which starred Hugh
Grant. Which do you prefer, acting or producing?
Well they're both very different and they both satisfy something different in
you. It is quite odd to be just a hired
hand and sort of just sit there like a lemon on the set when you see
producers tearing their hair out worrying. And I really kind of took to being the one in charge. (Smiles slyly.)
Will the two of you ever star in a
movie together?
Well, we've always said "no," but
right now we've got this project which is just perfect for us. It's a romantic
comedy, but it's far from the two of us
just gazing into each other's eyes. They're kind of feuding throughout the
whole thing and I think it's
somethin that would suit us very well.
Do you remember your first
date with Hugh?
We were in Madrid working on a film. I was young, about 21, and he
was 26. It was only my second job ever and I was being paid what seemed like a fortune to me then. I
was in Madrid for 12 weeks, and I thought: "This is the life! This is just heaven!" It's all been downhill from
there. (Laughs.)
You're a couple who's famous for
being not married. Have you ever considered just running off and getting hitched?
We never really think about it, to be
quite honest. It's kind of hard for us to get time even to go to the corner shop
and buy a pack of cigarettes, so it would be quite difficult to find time to do anything really major.
You managed to get a movie made
together.
(Laughs.) Well, we've been together
for 10 years now, and by no stretch of the imagination could we really call
ourselves immature or young. But in
our minds, however -- maybe it's kind
of pathetic -- but I don't feel at all
grown-up. I'm very aware that by my age, my mother had three children, but I think it's such a huge grown-up
step.
Some people say it takes at least
10 years before you get to know your mate really well. Would you agree?
I suppose. But I don't know if you
ever really get to know somebody that well. I think we can anticipate certain responses and reactions, but I
would seriously question whether anybody is really foolish enough to really say what they mean. Sometimes
I think that civilization as we know it would kind of break down if we all were completely honest.
Does Hugh know you? You seem
like an open person, but does he know the real you?
No, probably not.
Is the press in England being nicer
to you and Hugh these days?
I don't really get the English press
anymore. I stopped reading it, and I've felt a much better girl for that (laughs). I'm sent things that
are libelous so I can sue, but that's all.
Have you sued any of them?
Oh yeah, all the time. Whenever I'm
libeled I sue. And I always win.
Finally, is the famous incident all
forgotten, is it all over now?
Well, it's certainly not part of this
press conference.